Guy Leech's fitness tips

Men’s Health sat down with former triathlete, seven-time Ironman world champion and fitness guru Guy Leech on the eve of his world record attempt to find out more about the latest feather in his cap.

Why do you want to set a new fitness world record?

I thought it would be a really good way to motivate people to get fit. It’s a way to raise awareness about health and fitness, and leading into summer, a way to get people up off their arses and go out there and do something about it.

You’ve been training people for about six years now. After such a long career as a professional athlete, what made you want to get into training others?

When I was 12, my dad dropped dead in front of me from a heart attack.

As someone who has always had sport and fitness play a big role in my life, I wanted to try to pass on that knowledge and experience to other people. That’s what motivates me: having what happened to my dad not happen to other people.

How has your approach to fitness changed as you’ve gotten older?

I’m nearly 50. I’ve seen the signs of ageing in myself, but I’ve also seen the good side of staying active and healthy as you get older.

For me personally, it’s less about intensity and performance – that “got to get stronger, got to get faster” mentality – and more about overall health and longevity.

How do you keep clients motivated over the long-term?

You’ve got to have a cause. Different animals turn up to different things.

The weight-loss crowd, who have already started to lose weight using this or that, will show up to some things; while the dawn paddlers, they’ve already gotten themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn, so they’re already pretty motivated. The ones using the online program are different again. They’re more likely to lose steam after six or seven weeks, so you’ve got to be aware of that.

You need to have a cause and a reason to keep you going. For me, I wanted to be a role model for my kids.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their fitness journey?

I’d give them two pieces of advice:

1) use the “One Year Rule”: if you can’t see yourself still doing what you’re doing in a year’s time, change it. Mix it up, change anything to keep you going.

2) Consistency is what’s going to get you results. Desire and motivation play their part, but in the end it’s all about consistency.

What’s the most common mistake you see in clients?

A lot of people are set up for failure. If it took you 10 or 20 years to put on all that weight, you’re not going to be able to lose it overnight. Sure, it’s not going to take you 10 years to lose it all, but it’s a long, slow process. Stay realistic.

What most people don’t realize is that it’s not a short-term fix, it’s a lifestyle change. If you don’t change your lifestyle, eventually you’ll put the weight back on.

You’ve helped some seriously plus-sized guys slim down and keep the weight off. How do you get someone to stick to a new diet plan?

It’s all about small changes over time. Once you can do that, those small changes add up to big changes.

The biggest thing is to not have the junk food – or stuff you can’t say no to – in the house in the first place. You can say no once in the supermarket, but once it’s in your fridge or pantry, you can say no a dozen times but eventually you’ll be tempted.

Why should people get involved in the Fitness World Record?

You get to be part of history, it’s a great venue and it’s going to be a lot of fun! Plus, all proceeds from the event go to a great cause, Bear Cottage.

For more information or to register, head to fitnessworldrecord.com or visit guyleech.com