{"id":914925,"date":"2026-10-03T18:02:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T18:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/914925\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T18:02:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T18:02:37","slug":"why-kirsty-gallacher-50-swapped-running-for-weights-and-the-routine-that-made-her-strong-in-every-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/914925\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Kirsty Gallacher, 50, swapped running for weights \u2013 and the routine that made her ‘strong in every way’"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Kirsty Gallacher<\/a>, working out isn’t just a hobby \u2013 it’s a way of life.
<\/p>\n

‘I do love my fitness. I really, really love it,’ the presenter and model told The Outnet<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n

‘If I’m brutally honest, I really need to train,’ she added to Top Sant\u00e9<\/a>, explaining that exercise helps her feel more centred and grounded.<\/p>\n

‘When I’m in a good training routine, I am much more balanced.’<\/p>\n

Exercise also has a significant impact on her wellbeing.<\/p>\n

‘The lack of exercise made me feel horrendous because when I don’t train, it affects my head,’ she said. ‘Fitness is more than a physical thing. It’s about balancing emotions.’<\/p>\n

In recent years, she’s prioritised strength training \u2013 even, according to The Telegraph<\/a>, performing squats<\/a>, lunges<\/a>, lifts and curls with a weighted backpack during lockdown under the guidance of a PT.<\/p>\n

Here’s how lifting weights became central to her routine.<\/p>\n

She swapped long-distance running for strength training<\/p>\n

‘I don’t like running anymore,’ she told Top Sant\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

‘I’ve done two London Marathons [and the Windsor Half] and while it was important for me to do those to challenge myself and raise money for charity, my body’s not been the same since. I’ve ruined my feet and knees, so my running days are over.’<\/p>\n

Her aesthetic goals also influenced the shift.<\/p>\n

‘I do like women with an athletic physique and that sinewy form who look strong. I always wanted to look like that but I never knew what to do,’ she told The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

‘I would just be running around…going to the gym but doing quite a lot of cardio and not lifting heavy weights.’<\/p>\n

Strength training has ‘transformed’ how she feels<\/p>\n

‘I just got the bug for weight training because it made me feel strong in every way,’ she said, adding: ‘It’s completely transformed my whole life.’<\/p>\n

It’s also given her a new sense of confidence.<\/p>\n

‘I feel like I can do anything. It really is about the mind, not just your body.’<\/p>\n

For the past several years, she’s worked with PT Mel Deane<\/a>.<\/p>\n

‘[He] helps mix cardio fitness with weights, where we do some deadlifts and Olympic lifting moves,’ she told Top Sant\u00e9<\/a> in a separate interview.<\/p>\n

In a clip shared on Instagram<\/a>, Kirsty can be seen performing deficit reverse lunges and sled pulls as Deane encourages her off camera.<\/p>\n

‘We also do these little sets where it’s not all weights and it’s not all really heavy. It’s just a great mix that includes some fun stuff,’ she said. ‘I’ve found something that suits me.’<\/p>\n

\"liz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sessions with a trainer helped her discover a way to make strength training more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

‘Going into a huge gym and seeing all the machines lined up, and working my way around them in a sort of robotic fashion, just didn’t appeal,’ she said. ‘But now I love weight training because I’ve found a way to make it interesting and challenging.’<\/p>\n

And resistance training doesn’t have to mean lifting weights.<\/p>\n

‘I do loads with resistance bands too: you can use them like weights, so they have been a godsend for me,’ she told The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

She also supplements her strength training with cycling.<\/p>\n

‘I’ve also got a Wattbike at home. It’s fun to compete with friends, doing virtual races,’ she told Top Sant\u00e9 in 2022.<\/p>\n

She’s added reformer Pilates to her routine<\/p>\n

These days, she’s also ‘absolutely loving’ reformer Pilates.<\/p>\n

‘I’m going a couple of times a week,’ she told Top Sant\u00e9.<\/p>\n

‘I find it to be the opposite [of weight training] because it’s a form of parasympathetic training [that stimulates the body’s relaxation response and helps counteract stress].<\/p>\n

‘It’s almost meditative, and feeling calm and stretched out is wonderful for me right now,’ she said. ‘The machine also really challenges your muscles while supporting your body, so I think there’s less risk of injury.’<\/p>\n

Whatever the workout, she prioritises recovery.<\/p>\n

‘I use foam rollers \u2013 I even have one that vibrates!’ she said. ‘I like a nice bath to recover as well.’<\/p>\n

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