If there was ever an argument for varied training, it’s Arthur Lanigan O’Keeffe. The Irish Olympian competes in the Modern Pentathlon: fencing, swimming, horse riding, and long-distance running with combined target shooting. Coming eighth in Rio in 2016, Arthur is now throwing himself into training for Tokyo 2020. With a focus on building core strength, flexibility, muscle and speed, Arthur’s training dabbles in a little bit of everything to give him the overall power he needs to succeed. We catch him on a short break to find out which training types and fitness classes are the best to get us fighting fit – and a six pack on the side wouldn’t hurt, either.
Strength Training
“We have seen a big emergence of this over the past few years especially amongst women. The myth of “I don’t want to lift heavy because I will put on bulk,” has been well and truly dispelled and now strong is the new sexy. I don’t see this changing anytime soon, and heavy strength training will only continue to grow. Also the more muscle you have the higher the metabolic rate meaning you can eat more calories each day and not get fat… it’s a win-win really.”
Best for: generating fat loss while toning up.
Broga (Yoga for men)
“Yoga classes consisting of only women is about to become a thing of the past. The art of movement and functional fitness has become really trendy lately. Conor McGregor may be partially responsible for this one: he famously hired Ido Portal to help him master the movement and bring it into his fighting. For this reason alone you should see much more tough guys trade in the dumbbells for yoga mats in 2018.”
Best for: releasing tension in tired muscles and improving dynamic flexibility which reduces the risk of injury.
HIIT Training
“The best way to describe HIIT is “bang for your buck”. If you lead a busy lifestyle and you only have a limited time for exercise each day, HIIT is where it’s at. It is extremely effective, can be done with no equipment and have you red-faced and dripping with sweat within 20 minutes. There is also no shortage of inspiration as influencers and bloggers such as Joe Wicks and the Food Medic post new workouts almost daily on social media. It’s practical, efficient and accessible to all.”
Best for: burning fat fast and increasing aerobic speed.
Pilates Reformer Classes
“One of my favourites and, in my opinion, the best way to single out and activate specific muscle groups. Try one reformer class and I promise you will be shaken and very sore the next day. The reformer is also great for improving your range of movement. For these reasons I can see the reformer being adopted by a wide range of the world’s most elite athletes – once this happens the secret is out.”
Best for: building core muscles that aid overall stabilisation – and getting those killer abs, of course.
