Gabby Logan really is a member of sport royalty. A former international gymnast and BBC sports presenter, her father was a Welsh footballing legend, her husband Kenny played rugby for Scotland and her children are promising sports stars in their own right, too.
So what does the first lady of fitness’ weekly routine look like? ‘On a good week, which most weeks are because I can plan ahead, I would do all my training – so three weight sessions, two to three Pilates sessions and I’ll try to go for a run or some long walks,’ she told the Open Gym podcast. Hosted by SW7 Academy, the podcast sees famous guests interviewed and put through their paces by former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton.
Logan has been strength training seriously since her mid-30s. ‘I’d had that misconception that doing loads of weights meant I was going to be huge… within a few months, I felt better than I ever had. I felt really strong, my body felt really good,’ she tells Sam. Now, she says: ‘I never ever don’t want to do weights, whereas sometimes with a run I go: “Ooh, does my body really feel like it today?”’
Studies repeatedly show that strength training helps to counteract age-related muscle loss, boosting strength, overall health and independence as we age. This, explains Gabby, is her biggest motivation to keep her weekly fitness routine in place: ‘I want to be able to keep doing the things I want to do, for as long as I want to do them. Health is the most important foundation for everything. Without our health, we’ve not going to be able to do those things… I want to have games of tennis with my grandchildren when they come along one day. I don’t want to think I can’t, because I’ve neglected myself.’
In addition to running, she enjoys long bike rides for aerobic exercise. ‘Having a mixture of strength and cardio work is the key to good health,’ agrees GH fitness expert Kim Hawley. ‘We don’t all have endless time to train, so if you’re prioritising, aim for strength training around three times per week. Alongside this, include some higher-intensity cardio where your heart rate is significantly elevated two to three times per week.’
‘Traditionally, Pilates (using high reps and little to no external load beyond bodyweight) is excellent for core strength, alignment, mobility, and moving through full ranges of motion that you might not consistently reach in standard strength training,’ she continues. ‘I say “standard” because strength training can be programmed in many ways that begin to overlap with these benefits.’ One key benefit is that these sessions can be very brief, says Kim, even just a few minutes, if the intensity is high enough.
Gabby goes to a studio to do her pilates, but lifts weights at home. Her advice for those who have yet to establish a fitness regime? ‘If you’re not in the habit of doing it, it’s so hard to imagine,’ she says on the podcast. ‘But once you get into it, it’s hard to imagine your life without it… It’s about small steps. Get into something, whether it’s a couch to 5k or one weight session a week. When you start to see that difference it makes you can’t help but want to go back.’
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