Team USANA welcomes another top NZ athlete!

How did you hear about USANA?

I’ve heard it around for the last few years but it wasn’t until an old school friend who works for USANA approached my about the product and its benefits that I got really interested in what USANA had to offer me as a full time athlete who also works full time. Having the support from USANA is invaluable as it allows me to work hard and train hard but still avoid illness and keep my body ticking correctly.

What’s your favourite USANA product and why?

The Dutch Choc Nutrimeal sachets are a delicious life saver for when I’m rushing out the door after training in my breaks from work!

What’s your tip to staying fit and healthy?

Love your training. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing there’s not a lot of point doing it. Find a comfortable balance in your training and all other aspects of your life and it will become more achievable and easy to sustain. There’s no better feeling than seeing progress. So keep at it even when you plateau, and you will get there.

Who’s your sporting idol, and why?

My partner Kerry Charlesworth. She’s a Pole-vaulter and the strongest athlete I know. She’s been out for over a year and hasn’t been able to vault but still finds herself in the gym five days a week. Her strength and determination is astounding and truly inspiring. She’s going to shoot straight back to the top when she’s healed up! She drives me like no one else.

Tell us about your training schedule:

I am currently training 6 days a week, which generally includes 5 sessions on the bike and two sessions in the gym. I am currently going through a strength phase in my program which is vital for success in my target event which is the 1Km time trial on the Velodrome, which is effectively the Powerlifting of the cycling world. Strength is key, so most of my training at present is done on an indoor trainer with short high intensity bursts over 1 to 1.5 hours a session. This will probably be followed by an endurance block which will see my training mileage go up but intensity will lower. This aids the last 250m of the kilo as its inevitable that your legs will stop working, it’s just a case of prolonging that as long as possible.

What are some of your career highlights to date?

Since I started cycling in 2014 I have since competed in 5 events (2 on the road and 3 on the track.)

2014 Paracycling Track Champs, Invercargill – Silver in the 1km TT, Bronze in the 4km Pursuit

2015 Paracycling c1 Event, Melbourne – Bronze in the 1km TT, Gold in the 4km Pursuit

2015 NZ Paracycling, Cambridge – Silver in the 1km TT

2015 Paracycling Road Nationals, Napier – Silver in the 25km Individual Pursuit

2015 Paracycling c1 Event, Cambridge – Gold in the 19km Individual Pursuit, Silver in the 72km road race

What’s coming up for you? 

In the coming months I will be developing myself for the up and coming track season, which will include 2 track events and 2 road events in NZ as we scramble to scrape together qualifying points for Rio. Success in these events should hopefully see me selected for Track World Champs in March 2016, in Italy. However that and selection for Rio are based on my performance over the season and qualifying points earned by the team.