Meet Team USANA Athlete Adrian Leat!

Adrian Leat is a Commonwealth Games medal winning Judo superstar Auckland, and now a proud member of Team USANA.

We sat down with Adrian to chat about Judo, winning and vitamins, and here’s what he had to say…

How did you first hear about USANA?
I first heard of Usana through a fellow team mate who was taking your products at the time. We were training together in Europe and he offered some of Usana’s product to me to take

What’s your favourite product?
The Essentials are my favourite Usana product. With my busy schedule, I find I can get really tired. Taking the multi-mineral gives me reassurance that my body is getting all the right mineral’s it needs in order for me to stay healthy and on top of my game.

What’s your number 1 tip to staying fit and healthy?
Take Usana products, stay hydrated, eat right, train at least once a day, and try and get 8 hours sleep a night.

Who’s your sporting idol, and why?
There are a few. Rob Waddell is my favourite. As well as being a World and Olympic Champion, he is an extremely down-to-earth guy and very approachable. As the New Zealand Chef de Mission at the Commonwealth Games, he was extremely supportive of the athletes, turning up to each of sports’ training, as well as each competition day.

How did you get involved in Judo?
My dad first got me and my brothers into Judo. When he likes to tell a tall story, he’ll joke that me and my brothers were too afraid to walk down to the local shops in our neighbourhood for fear of some other local boys who hung out there. In reality, he wanted the boys to get off the couch, stop watching television, stop playing video games and learn some physical co-ordination and above all, gain some self-confidence. It just so happened one day he was on a job with our very first junior coach. My father explained that he had three sons and were looking to get them into a sport. My coach said “great! Bring them along”. I was six years old at the time and have never looked back!

Tell us about your training schedule:
It’s pretty hectic at the moment! I work full-time as an architectural designer which is a 830am – 530pm job. My training revolves around this. I wake up at 6am Monday-Thursday and head to the gym to do either my strength, power or conditioning  training (depending on what phase I’m in). I’ll train Saturday morning in gym sometimes too, depending on how tired I am from the week. Friday evening and Sunday morning I do more judo specific, high-intensity conditioning training. While based in Auckland I train Judo 4-5 times a week at two-three different clubs, and also with the Auckland squad. Monday, Tues, Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons are dedicated to judo training – 1.5 – 2hours each session. On Wednesday evenings, I’ll either have a sports massage or judo training. Lately, my body has needed the sports massage!

What are some of your career highlights to date?
My best career highlight to date has been my Silver at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. On top of that, competing at the World Champs in Rio in 2013 was a big highlight. Rio is the most amazing place I’ve been to date. Also, watching the Paris Grand Slam at Bercy Stadium last year was a real ‘judo experience’. It’s a highly renowned competition in the judo world. The stadium is packed every year with mad French fans who know and love their judo. I hope to compete there next Feburary.

What’s coming up for you?
Right now, I’m focused on the World Championships. I fly out in a week’s time and compete in about two and a half weeks’ time. Beyond that, my ultimate goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio next year. After the worlds, I’ll be looking to compete in as many competitions on the International circuit as possible to fight for precious ranking points that will qualify me for the Games.