Shilese Jones is no stranger to recovery: The gymnast experienced a bad car accident in 2021 that caused her to put her Olympic dreams on hold. So when the 21-year-old had to pull out of the U.S. Championships last month with a shoulder injury, she wasn't sweating it.
"It's a long-going injury. But it's about playing the game smart," she exclusively tells Women's Health. "It still gives me a little bit of hard times, but I definitely am pushing through and making the right adjustments with my team to put my best foot forward."
Shilese's shoulder first became injured two years ago, just before the 2022 World Championships. "I was doing a release move on the bar and it caught weird with my shoulder. It was just a little freak accident," she says.
After it initially healed, she experienced some tears in the labrum, which is the cartilage found in the shoulder joint. Now, she's on the mend "as much as possible" ahead of a surgery down the line.
But after going through something as devastating as her accident, Shilese is confident that she'll be able to crush the Olympic Trials in Minnesota this weekend, thus earning her a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I know I can do it," she says. "No matter how long I take off, I still be able to make it. It's a test of physical endurance, and a test of strength in your mind, as well."
Below, here's how Shilese is training for the Olympic Trials—physically and mentally.
She's taking it easy in the gym.
Typically, Shilese practices her routines—on floor, uneven bars, beam, and vault—day in and day out. But now, she's listening to her body, interspersing gym time with physical therapy.
"It's about being confident but being smart, making sure I'm not overstepping it where I can't walk out of the gym," she says. "It's like mind games—your body wants to do more."
Because of that, Shilese says "each day is different" depending on her body's abilities that session. But she and her team are following a training plan to get her back on track and through the Olympic Trials.
"Some days, it'll be extra pounding days, and then there'll be a lighter day," she says. "We're gonna be there for a whole week, so we're planning that out so I'm able to last the whole week and on from there, hopefully."
She incorporates low-impact workouts along with practice.
In addition to time in the gym, Shilese is also working to improve her strength, flexibility, and endurance through workouts like Pvolve, the low-impact workout loved by celebs like Jennifer Aniston.
"Having something on the side has helped, not just with my recovery and my activeness in gymnastics, but definitely on the mental side," she says. "I can take a step back and do these exercises, and relax the mind and the body a little bit more."
In addition to Pvolve, Shilese also does band exercises and glute workouts.
"You want to become just one percent better. It doesn't have to be with a routine: It could be a stretch, it could be with the band, it could be with the glute exercise, it could be with flexibility," she says. "It's the little things that make the big picture happen."
She's getting inflammation down through her diet.
Since her body is working overtime to heal, Shilese is supporting herself as much as possible through her diet.
"Right now, it's pumped up with a whole bunch of vegetables and proteins—great for the bones and the muscles," she says.
She's also on a regime of vitamins focused on getting the inflammation in her body down.
She's prioritizing her mental wellbeing.
Mostly, Shilese wants to relax her body and mind ahead of the trials. "I feel like that's a big thing when it comes to gymnastics: you're at this point where you want to give up," she says. "You're so close to the end, and you're like, 'Why is everything hurting?'"
She does acupuncture, and tries to get as much sleep as possible, despite her "big, crazy household." (She lives with her whole family, which includes her sisters, her mom Latrice Bryant, her niece, 9, and nephew, 5, and two dogs.)
And when Shilese gets into a funk, she leans on her support system, which includes her family, gym owners, and coach Sarah Korngold. She's most inspired by her father Sylvester, who passed away in 2021 after a long battle with kidney disease.
"He was in the gym 24/7, even all the way up until I was like, 16, 17 years old. He was just always there, having a smile on his face," she says. "He was always just like, you got to just go out there and do your normal and be Shi. I had to learn that—I'm still learning that—but I definitely do carry that with me."
But person who motivates Shilese Jones the most? Herself. "I have really big goals, really big plans," she says. "I'm the only one that's going to be able to do this. It's so close, so I just gotta keep pushing."
Wishing you luck, Shilese!
Charlotte Walsh (she/her) is an associate news editor with Women's Health, where she covers the intersection of wellness and entertainment. Previously, she worked as a writer at The Messenger, E! News, and Netflix. In her free time, she enjoys reality television, tennis and films starring Nicole Kidman.
