Olympic gymnast and Strictly star Louis Smith on avoiding carbs, crisps and chocolate, training twice a day, six days a week, and looking up to his mum
**Hi Louis! How do you stay in shape?* *
At the moment I'm really busy so I squeeze in a half-hour workout whenever I can, either at the gym or just in my bedroom.
**Have you kept dancing?* *
Only in nightclubs – I might manage the odd tango or waltz there.
**You obviously train more intensively when you're competing in gymnastics. What's your training regime?* *
I train six days a week, twice a day. I get up around 10am, have breakfast, then head to the gym for 12. I train until 3.30pm, break for lunch, then train again from 5-8pm.
I start by warming up, then spend 30 minutes on strength and conditioning. I stretch for 10 minutes or so, then spend two hours on three of the six gymnastic apparatus. In the second session, I concentrate on the other three apparatus.
I don't do much aerobic work; it's all quite explosive. I don't like running because it hurts my knees and shins – unless running after girls counts …
**You must eat really healthily. What's on the menu chez Smith?**
For breakfast I have oats and fruit. Lunch might be couscous or chickpeas with chicken – sometimes I have steak, but I don't eat much red meat. I don't have many carbs in the evening: a typical dinner is steamed vegetables.
**So what do you eat as a treat?* *
I can't get away with a cheeky treat like crisps or chocolate. Pistachio nuts are as naughty as it gets.
**How do you relax away from the gym?* *
Sitting on the sofa with my PlayStation. It's tough, being an athlete in your early 20s when your friends are all going out and meeting girls. I stay in to avoid temptation.
**Which athlete do you most admire?* *
The person I most look up to isn't an athlete; it's my mum. She did an amazing job of bringing up me and my brother as a single parent.
**Can we look forward to your return to competitive gymnastics?* *
Who knows? I'm a very creative, adventurous person; there are lots of other things I want to do. But I'm still doing a bit of training and I know I could get back into gymnastics really quickly if I wanted to.
• Louis Smith is supporting the launch of Danio yoghurt. Find more information at facebook.com/danioyogurt or on Twitter @danioUK. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 days ago.
**Hi Louis! How do you stay in shape?* *
At the moment I'm really busy so I squeeze in a half-hour workout whenever I can, either at the gym or just in my bedroom.
**Have you kept dancing?* *
Only in nightclubs – I might manage the odd tango or waltz there.
**You obviously train more intensively when you're competing in gymnastics. What's your training regime?* *
I train six days a week, twice a day. I get up around 10am, have breakfast, then head to the gym for 12. I train until 3.30pm, break for lunch, then train again from 5-8pm.
I start by warming up, then spend 30 minutes on strength and conditioning. I stretch for 10 minutes or so, then spend two hours on three of the six gymnastic apparatus. In the second session, I concentrate on the other three apparatus.
I don't do much aerobic work; it's all quite explosive. I don't like running because it hurts my knees and shins – unless running after girls counts …
**You must eat really healthily. What's on the menu chez Smith?**
For breakfast I have oats and fruit. Lunch might be couscous or chickpeas with chicken – sometimes I have steak, but I don't eat much red meat. I don't have many carbs in the evening: a typical dinner is steamed vegetables.
**So what do you eat as a treat?* *
I can't get away with a cheeky treat like crisps or chocolate. Pistachio nuts are as naughty as it gets.
**How do you relax away from the gym?* *
Sitting on the sofa with my PlayStation. It's tough, being an athlete in your early 20s when your friends are all going out and meeting girls. I stay in to avoid temptation.
**Which athlete do you most admire?* *
The person I most look up to isn't an athlete; it's my mum. She did an amazing job of bringing up me and my brother as a single parent.
**Can we look forward to your return to competitive gymnastics?* *
Who knows? I'm a very creative, adventurous person; there are lots of other things I want to do. But I'm still doing a bit of training and I know I could get back into gymnastics really quickly if I wanted to.
• Louis Smith is supporting the launch of Danio yoghurt. Find more information at facebook.com/danioyogurt or on Twitter @danioUK. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 days ago.