Now I am, despite my mind's protestations otherwise, in my mid 30s my training priorities have changed. So has my approach to food - if I'm going to be a gourmet I can't live off turkey breasts and egg whites, so bodybuilding's out. These days fitness is first and foremost a means of prolonging my quantity of enjoyable life and preventing heart disease (now there's an old man's lebensphilosophie). That said, there's so much more you can do with a strong, powerful body than the body of a marathon runner. And at some point aesthetics comes into it. Discus throwers, rowers, and swimmers are the closest to the kind of body I like looking at - and that includes in the mirror!

The other thing that has become a priority in my workout routine is stretching to keep the joints supple.

Day one - legs and shoulders

Squats or leg presses: 4 sets of 10

Shoulder presses: 3 sets of 10

10 minutes cardio

Day two - interval training

10 x 1 minute rowing at maximum intensity with 1 minute intervals

Day three - back and biceps

Rows: 4 sets of 10 (sometimes finishing with a drop set)

Shrugs: 3 sets of 12

Curls: 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, drop set

Day four - fitness

6000m row at medium-high intensity

Day five - chest, triceps, cardio

Bench press: 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, drop set

Pushdown: 3 sets of 10, 10, 10

15 minutes medium intensity cardio

Days six and seven - rest

Every day - abs: 200 crunches, 20 leg raises.