• EVERY BODY HAS A STORY.
Massy Arias' insanely chiseled physique is a story of strength but also one of perseverance, helping her overcome the odds and become an Instagram-famous fitness guru with millions of followers-2.6 million and counting including celeb stans SZA and Chris Hemsworth.
Even her tats tell tales. I have a koi on my right side going upstream, which symbolizes me going through a hard time but still pushing through, Arias says, referencing the intricate fish ink next to her sculpted six-pack. The lady on my shoulder? That's my mom looking over my heart.
Formerly known on social media as MankoFit, Arias has built up an impressive body of work that includes a CoverGirl endorsement, a Fabletics collection, a supplement line, an in-the-works book, and a brand-new fitness app, aptly named Empowered by Massy Arias, that launched in October with a 30-day challenge kickoff. All this before she hit 30. It's hard to believe, then, that just seven years ago, Arias couldn't do one pushup.
Born Massiel Indhira Arias in the Dominican Republic, Arias moved to the United States when she was 14. I'm from the Caribbean, and in the Latino world, boys do boy things, girls do girl things, she says. My parents never encouraged me to do sports. I did ballet. But Arias developed exercise-induced asthma, forcing her to hang up her pointe shoes.
This story is from the April 2022 edition of Muscle and Fitness Hers South Africa.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of Muscle and Fitness Hers South Africa.
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