What is your favorite explosive upper body exercise?

Iron cross press outs.

What is your favorite explosive lower body exercise?

Standing box jump

Do you do any outdoor training to improve your strength or endurance?

Most definitely. I hill run twice a week and also swim to help my breathing on the apparatus.

Is there an exercise used especially by gymnasts that only few people are aware of?

The majority of gymnastics-based strength is still unknown outside the community. The maltese is what most top level gymnasts strive for and most athletes have their own exercises they use to try and master it.

Do you have any tips for people that want to train twice a day?

Have a very clear structure of training. Session by session, day by day and even exercise by exercise. When you are training twice a day recovery becomes incredibly important so your rest periods need to be maximised.

What exercises would you do if you could only train one hour two times a week?

Core leg, endurance and body weight strength. Then core, leg strength and upper body strength.

What is your view on periodization in training?

In my sport my training is always periodised. When I’m competing my training is completely different to when I’m just solely training. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve at that point in time.

What is your favorite healthy food to pack for lunch?

Chicken sandwich on brown bread with salad that keeps me going and also motivates me to get through my sometimes four hour straight sessions.

Is there a sport supplement that you recommend?

Maximuscle Lean definition Protein.

What is your number one tool for fighting cravings?

The end goal. That’s all that I need to think about to resist.

What is in your opinion the most efficient way to recover from training?

Food and sleep are the fundamental things you need to recover from training. If you don’t have those in place there is no point in jumping in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Start with the basics, then the benefits of other recovery methods become more effective.

Do you already know when your next competition will be?

Yes I plan well in advance – in some cases years into the future. You have to be onto of your game mentally as well as physically.

Where can people follow you online?

You can follow my progress on

Twitter – @Oldham93

Instagram – @Oldham93

Youtube – Sam Oldham

and my website –www.samoldham.com