While lifting weights with her ripped personal trainer, Manuel Menchaca III, in April 2021, waitress Ydalia Flores tripped and accidentally spilled water all over his tight shirt. She was horrified. At that point, they’d only been working out together for a few weeks.
But, rather than getting mad about the spill, an even-keeled Menchaca coolly stripped off his soaked top to reveal his toned chest and wet, chiseled abs.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just the weight training that was making Flores’ heart beat a bit faster.
“I already thought he was a hottie,” Flores, a 22-year-old from Brownsville, Texas, told The Post. “But when I saw him with his shirt off I got really excited.”
Newly single supermodel Gisele Bündchen, 42, was recently spotted looking cozy with her jiu jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente in Costa Rica after divorcing NFL demigod Tom Brady, 45. Many are speculating that the two are romantically involved.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a woman fell into the muscular arms of her personal trainer after a high-profile split. Diddy’s old flame, singer Cassie, 36, dumped the music mogul for her personal trainer Alex Fine, 29, in 2019. And, it’s been rumored that philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, left chef Daniel Humm for her trainer.
Flores and Menchaca, 23, were friends and co-workers at the local Olive Garden for years. But it wasn’t until he got his fitness instructor certification in 2021 and she hired him to work her out that they broke out of the friend zone.
Flores had started a weight loss journey in October 2020, and dropped 40 pounds from her 285-pound frame. Wanting to get more in shape, she tapped Menchaca, whose beefy build she couldn’t help but admire, for guidance at the gym.
But, Flores — who’d never had a boyfriend — didn’t think a buff hunk would be interested in her romantically.
However, much to Flores’ surprise, she was wrong.
“I was really attracted to her dedication and commitment to working out,” Menchaca told The Post. When he first began training Flores she couldn’t even turn on a treadmill at the gym. But over time, she grew strong enough to pump 200 pounds on the squat machine.
“I would watch her [lifting] weights, and I was like, ‘Man, she’s that chick,’” he said, expressing his adoration and attraction.
They started hanging out outside of the gym, going out for smoothies and healthy meals.
“We began to go on dates and then after that it was more than clear that we were attracted to each other and we just let life take its place,” Flores said.
One afternoon this past April, they took a walk around a lake near Flores’ home. Menchaca asked her to be his girlfriend, and they have since moved in together.
Viral videos documenting their love have scored over 2.3 million views on TikTok.
Flores has lost 110 pounds, thanks in part to her sexy fitness partner — plus an hourlong workout four to five times a week and a diet high in lean protein.
“Manuel has always been super dedicated to helping me achieve my goals, and I love that,” she said. “He cared about me, my body and my mental health, and that made it really easy to fall in love with him.”