We’ve all seen the pictures. Carrie Underwood walks onto a stage, the lights hit those legendary legs, and suddenly everyone in the audience is wondering if they should have skipped that second slice of pizza. It’s a whole thing. But honestly, the way people talk about carrie underwood fitness makes it sound like she’s some kind of gym-dwelling cyborg who never eats a carb.
The reality is a lot more human. And, frankly, a lot more relatable once you get past the "superstar" veneer.
She isn't just lucky. She’s disciplined, sure, but her approach has changed a lot as she’s moved into her 40s. She’s been open about the fact that she used to be way too hard on herself—counting every single calorie until she was basically running on fumes. Now? It’s about being "95% vegan," using a deck of cards to keep from getting bored, and realizing that a 30-minute workout is better than zero minutes.
The "Deck of Cards" Secret
If you’ve ever walked into a gym and just stared at the rack of dumbbells feeling totally lost, you’ll appreciate this. Carrie doesn't always have a fancy, hour-by-hour plan. She uses a deck of cards.
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Basically, she assigns a movement to each suit. Hearts might be squats, diamonds are push-ups, spades are lunges, and clubs are some form of cardio like mountain climbers. She flips a card, sees a 7 of hearts, and does 7 squats. It’s simple. It’s kinda like a game, which is probably why she’s stuck with it for so long.
She even keeps a "Joker" in the deck. If she pulls that? It’s a mile run on the treadmill. It keeps the brain busy so the body can just do the work. This is a huge part of the carrie underwood fitness philosophy—taking the "decision fatigue" out of the equation.
Why the 45-30-25 Rule Matters
Nutrition is usually where people get tripped up. You hear "vegan" and you think salad and sadness. But Carrie calls herself a "wannabe vegan." She’s mostly plant-based but isn't going to have a meltdown if there’s a little egg or cheese involved occasionally.
Her trainer, Eve Overland, and nutritionist, Cara Clark, helped her settle into a macro-balanced rhythm. It’s not about restriction; it’s about ratios.
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- 45% Carbohydrates: She needs energy to belt out high notes for two hours.
- 30% Healthy Fats: Think avocados and almond butter.
- 25% Protein: Tofu, beans, and those "fake" chicken strips she’s obsessed with.
This isn't a crash diet. It’s a way to make sure her blood sugar doesn't tank while she’s chasing her two kids or rehearsing for a Vegas residency. She’s been very vocal about how she used to eat only 800 calories a day back in the American Idol era, and how miserable that made her. Now, she eats to fuel the muscle.
Leg Day is Actually Every Day (Sort Of)
People search for "Carrie Underwood leg workout" more than almost anything else. It's the "holy grail" of celebrity fitness. But the secret isn't one specific move you do once a week.
According to Eve Overland, they rarely do the same workout twice. They use a lot of supersets—doing two exercises back-to-back with no rest.
One day might be "upper body push" mixed with "lower body pull." This means she might do a chest press and then immediately go into a set of deadlifts. It keeps the heart rate up and ensures she’s hitting those leg muscles constantly without overtraining them to the point of injury.
She loves the basics:
- Sumo Squats: Wide stance, toes out.
- Lateral Band Walks: That annoying "crab walk" that makes your glutes burn.
- Step-ups: She’ll even do these on park benches if she’s out with her kids.
- Treadmill Sprints: She usually starts every session with 10-15 minutes of walking or running to tell her brain, "Hey, it's go time."
The "Wannabe Vegan" Menu
If you want to eat like her, get ready for a lot of tofu. Her breakfast is almost always a tofu scramble with peppers, onions, and some Ezekiel toast. She’s also a big fan of overnight oats—the classic mix of almond milk, chia seeds, and blueberries.
Lunch is usually a sandwich with "Tofurky" and lots of sprouts and avocado. Dinner? Roasted veggies. She calls roasted vegetables her "signature dish." She’ll throw asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes on a tray with some olive oil and "Mrs. Dash" seasoning and call it a day.
It’s not fancy. It’s actually pretty boring, which is why it works. It’s repeatable.
Working Out Smarter, Not Harder
Now that she’s in her 40s, Carrie has admitted she can’t just "beat herself up" in the gym like she did in her 20s. She focuses a lot more on recovery.
Foam rolling is a big deal for her now. She’s also a stickler for hydration. She’s a spokesperson for BodyArmor Lyte, but the message is the same regardless of the brand: if you’re cranky and tired, you’re probably just dehydrated.
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She also doesn't let "mom life" stop her. If she’s at a playground, she’s doing pull-ups on the monkey bars while her kids play. It’s about finding those 20 or 30 minutes wherever they exist. She even launched an app called fit52 so other people could follow the same card-based workouts she does on the road.
carrie underwood fitness isn't about being perfect. It’s about being consistent 52 weeks a year. She calls it the "Pleasure Principle"—eat well most of the time so you can have that glass of red wine or a piece of dark chocolate without feeling like you "failed."
Actionable Steps to Start Today
If you want to take a page out of Carrie's book, don't try to change everything tomorrow. Start small.
- The 52-Card Pick Up: Tomorrow morning, grab a deck of cards. Pick four exercises (push-ups, squats, crunches, jumping jacks). Do the whole deck. It’ll take 20 minutes and you’ll feel like a champ.
- The Macro Shift: Instead of cutting carbs, try to balance them. Make sure every meal has a protein, a fat, and a complex carb.
- The 15-Minute Rule: If you don't want to work out, tell yourself you'll just do 15 minutes on the treadmill or a walk around the block. Usually, once you start, you'll keep going.
- Hydrate Early: Drink a full glass of water before your morning coffee. It’s a tiny habit that changes your energy levels for the whole day.
At the end of the day, she's a mom with a job who happens to have access to a great trainer. But the moves she does—the squats, the lunges, the clean eating—are things anyone can do. It’s just about showing up when you’d rather be on the couch.