I did Candice Warner’s workout routine alongside the former Ironwoman

After a 45-minute full-body workout with celebrity trainer Jono Castano, former Ironwoman Candice Warner barely breaks a sweat.

It’s no secret that the 38-year-old has a great physique. She may have retired from professional competition, but keeping up with her in her gym is no easy task.

When we meet her at Jono’s trendy Acero gym in Kensington, Sydney, she’s wearing a full face make-up with Stax leggings and a matching black sports bra.

I joined Candace for a session with Jono as we chatted about all things fitness, nutrition, and mental health.

She recently released her first book, Running Strong: Falling, Rising, Breathing. The book details her battle with depression, how she picked herself up from the rock bottom and carved out her successful media career.

Candace says fitness has helped her get through the worst of times and has always been a form of escapism for her.

After one session with the dynamic duo, Candace hoped to get some abs, but success like hers comes from working out every day and eating a balanced diet. she emphasized.

She doesn’t follow fads or run 50km a day, but fuels her body with “raw, wholesome, fresh food” and hits 45 at the Acero Gym three to four times a week. I have a minute session.

Start your workout with a HIIT circuit that includes 3 rounds of burning 10 calories on the Assault Bike, 12 reps on the Ab Wheel Rollout, and 12 reps on the Single Arm Standing Shoulder Press.

Before heading to the second of our three circuits, I asked Candace about her weekly workout routine and the secret to her toned physique.

“I train with Jono three times a week, it’s a mix,” she says.

For example, Monday can be push or pull or upper body. Tuesday may come back.Wednesday I throw some boxing [with a different trainer]and Thursday I do my lower body. And if you have the time and you’re not doing much work, the Medicine Ball will allow you to have core-focused sessions.

“After having three kids, I found my abs to be the hardest to put back on, so for me, I had to work really hard.”

Former Ironwomen say the core is the weakest muscle, but it’s hard to tell as your abs scream at the end as you progress through the next three exercise circuits.

The circuit consisted of 3 rounds of 12 repetitions of torso rotation on each arm using a cable machine, 12 ear lifts, and 12 rotations while holding a plank position on an exercise ball. increase.

After a 25-minute workout, Candice’s heart rate soared to 150 bpm, and according to her Apple Watch, she’d burned over 200 calories, but the high-intensity exercise wasn’t over yet. and kettlebell swing.

While she works out often and challenges her limits, she says she listens to her body and takes breaks when needed.

“Sometimes you just don’t have the energy or you just couldn’t care,” she admits.

“So it’s the kind of time when you can walk around the block and you can take the dog for a walk. can be activated without finding and activating it.

Listening to her body is also how the mother of three approaches her diet. She doesn’t track calories, macronutrients, or micronutrients.

“I just listen to my body and if it craves something specific, I get it,” she says.

“I’m strict about making sure I eat, but I also have snacks in between to replenish my energy.

“And I don’t think just eating healthy meals as often as possible, like raw, healthy, fresh food, can replace that.

That said, it’s all about moderation and balance. I still have a glass of wine and chocolate and not all the time. All in moderation.

“You need to treat yourself. You can’t be strict all the time. You need a balance.

She may not have the secret to getting you her great abs, but her best tip for people looking to improve their fitness is to set aside an hour for yourself each day and do it. to be non-negotiable.

“Once the kids are in school, it’s time to hit the gym, go for a run, or go for a walk,” she says.

“This is non-negotiable and takes an hour to think, ‘Okay, I need to prioritize my health and my mental health.’ ”

There’s no question that Candace takes pride in her appearance, and at 38, she belongs to the most targeted demographic in the beauty industry, arguing that women need to look younger. increase.

She likes to use supplements like collagen powder to look and feel her best, but says she doesn’t feel pressured to look any particular way.

“No, no pressure. I’m very confident in who I am,” she says.

“Yes, I like to look beautiful. Getting my hair and makeup done always makes me feel a little bit more special, but there’s no pressure.

Candace says she’s confident, and while it certainly seems that way when I meet her, it’s not always the case.

She battled depression and even considered suicide 16 years ago when she made headlines for her ‘toilet tryout’ with former All Blacks rugby player Sonny Bill Williams.

But the former athlete has her story back and isn’t afraid to talk about the sexist consequences of her being filmed by Tom peeking in a bathroom stall with Williams. At the Clovelly Hotel in 2007.

Candace, who was only 22 when the scandal broke out, decided to open up about her past in a new book. She hopes other women who read it will understand that when she hits rock bottom, the only way out is up.

“My goal is to tell my story in a way that hopefully helps others and empowers people.

“Even if you fall, you can get up. Even if you hit rock bottom, you can restart to reassess your life.

‘Where do you want to go? what do you want to be known for? Who do you want around you?

“So the story is about picking yourself back up and being resilient and how I did that.”

Candace, who has cricketer husband David Warner, 36, and daughters Ivy Mae, 8, Indy Ray, 7, and Isla Rose, 3, has decided to write the book. The main reason she decided to read it was so that her little girl would be able to read it one day.

The tipping point when she realized she needed to face her demons head-on came in 2020 when she was a contestant at SAS Australia.

In the stark military-style show, she was harshly criticized for her love affair with Williams, breaking into tears as she revealed she had lost everything in the scandal.

After courageously sharing her experience, she decided it was time to put her full story into words.

“After I joined SAS a few years ago, people started saying, ‘Should I do a podcast or should I write a book,'” she explains.

“My daughters have grown up, my eldest is nine this year and she is very curious. I wanted to write so that one day they could read and understand my story in my own words.” It’s not an interrupted version, they’re given or read something that’s not always correct.

As a former professional athlete, fitness and sports have always been a big part of Candace’s life, but it’s not until the “potty ordeal” turns her life upside down that she realizes how much she needs it. I did.

“Fitness has always played a big role, especially running,” she says.

“Running has always helped me get through any situation. The best thing I can say about running is to leave my phone at home. You can just run without being disturbed.”

“When I was running well [while competing] I’ve always run for a purpose, but now I’m just running for myself.

After finishing my workout, I’m gasping for breath, but I get a surge of endorphins from the full-body session.

I didn’t do the exact same exercises as Candice, but Jono was kind enough to guide me through the ear lift regression. .

Candace is having a busy morning with interviews promoting her book, but that doesn’t mean she has parenting duties.

Despite burning hundreds of calories and getting my heart rate up, her makeup stays perfectly pristine, whereas, naturally, mine doesn’t.

While she wears makeup while working out, in a metaphorical sense, Candace is showing her face to the world in her new autobiography.

Sixteen years after a blitzkrieg of embarrassing headlines, she decides to take her story back, inspire misogyny, and hope her daughters grow up in a more equal world.