Fitness Training
Train Like a Pro: Leticia Bufoni
Leticia Bufoni, one of the first pro skaters to work out like a world- class athlete, shares details of her insane fitness routine.
Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, Leticia Bufoni played soccer with the boys in her neighborhood. Then one day, they all started skateboarding. She was not about to be left behind. “I was the only girl,” she says. “And I just fell in love with it.” So when the 9-year-old Bufoni saw all the boys doing their tricks, she couldn’t stop until she matched them. Holding on to a fence, she tried over and over until she learned a heelflip. “Skateboarding is so hard,” she says. “It takes forever to learn a trick.” Somehow, the difficulty made the sport even more appealing to her.
Two decades later, Bufoni has become one of the most decorated women in skateboarding. “I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t have to prove anything,” she says without a hint of bluster. Because it’s true. Bufoni has won numerous Street League competitions and events such as Red Bull Conquest Paris. In 2021, Bufoni won her sixth X Games gold medal, and her 12 total X Games medals remains a record for female athletes in any discipline. She also represented Brazil at the sport’s Olympic debut in Tokyo. Despite her many achievements, Bufoni admits that she always gets nervous before her contest runs. “It still feels like my first time competing every time.”
Bufoni's won more X Games medals than any female athlete in any discipline.
© María José Govea
In recent years, Bufoni, now 31, has cut back on her contest schedule. “For a really long time, I was just skating for competitions,” she says. Injuries stacked up, and skateboarding no longer felt like the sport she’d fallen in love with on the streets of São Paulo. “I was pushing myself so hard, and it was like, ‘I don’t love doing this anymore.’” Spending more time in the streets, traveling to new cities and focusing on fewer contests has reignited her passion and kept her inspired.
A long-term dedication to her training accounts for Bufoni’s longevity and has fueled her success. “I was one of the first skateboarders to start working out,” she says. Since her teens, she’s hit the gym to get stronger and prevent injuries. The explosive power she’s developed gives her skating its unique flair. And even after all this time, Bufoni still loves to get out and skateboard with her friends and hit new spots. “I followed my passion and after 20 years, I still love doing it,” she says. “I still make a living doing it, and it’s the greatest thing ever. It’s a dream life.”
Bufoni’s fitness routine integrates a multitude of training & plyometrics.
© María José Govea
01
HARD-CORE DEDICATION
Core strength helps Bufoni stay balanced and complete the rotations that tricks like 180s and 360s require. “Many skaters focus on legs,” she says. “But core is really important.” Bufoni regularly does medicine ball twists to train her obliques, which help with stability and rotations. “I do all the abs workouts you can imagine,” she laughs. Using a balance board, Bufoni tosses a medicine ball with her trainer to work on core strength, balance and coordination.
02
RECOVERY MODE
With her on-the-go lifestyle, Bufoni rarely sits still. “For most people I know, the training part is the hardest, but for me, it’s recovery.” She has Normatec boots and a foam roller set up next to her couch, so she can watch movies during her recovery time. “I’m not good at sitting down and relaxing,” she says. Bufoni doesn’t love stretching but tries to do it as much as possible. Lately, she’s added sauna time to her recovery routine, too.
Bufoni's fitness routine incorporates weight training to build strength.
© María José Govea
Bufoni's diverse workout routine works to build explosive power.
© María José Govea
Core strength helps Bufoni stay balanced.
© María José Govea
Pro skater Leticia Bufoni takes a world-class athlete approach to fitness.
© María José Govea
Leticia takes a well-deserved energy break.
© María José Govea
03
PRACTICING WHAT SHE PREACHES
The only way to get better at skateboarding is to do it, so Bufoni practices at a skatepark and focuses on linking tricks into combinations. “To be good at street skateboarding, you have to be very consistent,” she says. It can take many attempts to land a new trick— or even one Bufoni’s been doing for years. “In skateboarding, the first thing you learn is how to fail,” she says. “Because you’re going to fail over and over again until you get it.” When she drives around a city, Bufoni constantly sees spots to skate. “We have different eyes from everyone else,” she says. Street spots all come with their own wrinkles and imperfections, and Bufoni will often try an easy trick to test things out. “Sometimes, if it’s something like a big rail, I’ll just go straight into it,” she says. “Sometimes I try something and it’s like, ‘I can’t believe I did this.’ ”
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