Kirsty Middlemist Personal Trainer
Share
As Kirsty Middlemist enters her eighth year in triathlon we find out how she went from kickboxer to triathlete and personal trainer.
Tell us about sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up
I have been a triathlete for 8 years and during that time have tackled all distances from Sprint to Ironman. In 2015 one of my proudest achievements was to complete my first Ironman in Bolton at Ironman UK.
In addition to triathlon I enjoy participating in running races mostly 10ks over the last couple of years but as part of my Ironman preparation completed a few marathons. One of my favourite was Paris Marathon – such a beautiful city to race in.
This year I am participating in 3 triathlons: Castle Howard, Grafham Water, and Bala. I am hoping to qualify in my age group for the European Championships 2018 (Olympic Distance).
Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?
I came to sport quite late in life. I took up kickboxing at the tender age of 30. I loved kickboxing, was a member of Springhealth Kickboxing Club for 6 years and achieved 6 belts in kickboxing.
When we moved from London to Kent I couldn’t find a kickboxing club that I liked. A triathlete friend had been encouraging me to give triathlon a go for ages so I thought ok maybe the time is now. Going into my 8th season I haven’t looked back. Triathlon training and racing is hard work but I love the buzz of crossing the finish line knowing I left it all out on the road.
What are your training goals now?
Currently I am gradually building up to the tri season so all my training is geared towards that.
I have a couple of running races and cycling sportives lined up during the spring which aids the training for the tri season.
Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:
I lived in Gibraltar for 2 years as a child.
What would future you, tell yourself when you were starting out?
Don’t put limits on yourself. Push hard, you can do more than you think you can. Believe in yourself!!!
Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?
I don’t follow a specific nutrition plan. I try to eat quality food that fuels me well for my training. However, I am only human and I do like a biscuit and the odd glass of wine – not necessarily together!! I believe the 80:20 approach works for me personally. If I eat well 80% of the time I can train well and race well and when I really, really want a biscuit it won’t be detrimental to my training programme or attempting to reach race weight going into the new tri season.
What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?
I have always found that building relationships with clients goes a long way to help them achieve their goals and become long-term clients/friends. If clients are struggling I like to point to what they have done well in addition to finding a positive way to explain how to change technique/go faster/lift more weight. I will also remind them of any goals they are working towards and what they have achieved so far in pursuit of those goals.
Top tips:
- Keep your goal at the forefront of your mind – especially if you are struggling to get out of the door for a training session.
- Keep training sessions interesting
- Be positive – always.
Talk us through your training regime.
I am in a fortunate position that as a personal trainer and swim teacher my hours are far from normal so it does enable me to train harder than when I worked in an office 9-5. I swim 3 times a week, cycle indoors or outdoors 3 times a week and I run 3 times a week. The sessions vary between endurance/long distance and speed sessions. I love the interval sessions in all disciplines – fast and hard!
I also try to do a little strength and conditioning to aid muscle development and to strengthen my core.
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
Keep reading, listen to podcasts, talk to other fitness professionals. I am planning to embark on a nutrition qualification next.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
Consistency is key.
Change up your training regime regularly – shock the body into becoming stronger/losing weight/getting faster.
Eat well.
If you could only do one workout for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Run intervals are my favourite session of the week.
What are your training goals?
To get faster in all 3 triathlon disciplines and qualify for the European Championships 2018 for Olympic Distance triathlon.
Why work with Sundried?
Love the clothes and the work ethic.
