Anthony Joshua on the surprising tool he uses to stay motivated

So, just how does the heavyweight champion of the world keep it together?

Anthony Joshua is officially a household name. Irrespective of your interest level in boxing (which TBH, before meeting ‘AJ’ in the flesh registered as ‘nonchalantly interested’ on the scale), the Watford-born boxer is already a bona fide sporting god. Not bad for a 28-year-old who’s CV includes builder, shop worker and travel agent. Yes, really.

And now, not content with being the boxing heavyweight champion, he is well and truly putting his weight behind Lucozade Sport Fitwater’s new campaign to get 1,000,000 people moving more by 2020. How? By leading 500 members of the public to set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘largest Boxercise lesson’ ever.

Spoiler alert: They broke the record. Obvs. When AJ is involved, failure is not an option…

What’s your one tip for maximum results when exercising?

'Stretching. There are so many ways to get results, but I think stretching because stretching has longevity, you can get an actual sweat on, a workout out of it, and you can see results. You can actually gauge results which is always good for someone who’s new to working out, or if you’re result-driven. I think that’s always good to see when you’re training.'

Is there any sport that you’re actually really bad at?

'Basketball! Seriously! People always think I play because I’m tall but I’d be thrown off the court. Just everything is wrong, the co-ordination… it’s intense, and I haven’t got the skill, the mind-set, the reactions, especially as it’s the second fastest game in the world, or something.'

What's the one thing would like to see changed in your industry?

'The mind-set of athletes. The thinking that if you don’t make it in the ring, that’s it. Over. But you can make it in commentary, management; it’s about having the understanding that to be involved in sport, you don’t have to do the physical part. It’s about educating people on sport as a whole, and sport isn’t just for the athletes, it’s a big industry.'

What does a typical training day look like?

'Simple, smooth, regiment, routine. I’ll have breakfast, stretch, watch boxing in the morning… I’m old school, I watch past boxing matches when I’m starting to get ready, as it keeps my mind motivated. Next, I’ll head down to the gym, get my workout done, finish, rest for two hours, eat, go back and do it all again, come back, watch boxing, eat, sleep. And then do it again.'

How do you stay motivated?

'There’s so much information out there, whatever you’re looking for. If you need some motivation, you can just type it into a search engine these days, and there’s a million things that will give you a bit of motivation, so I use YouTube, Google, to stay motivated. That’s honestly how I keep my mind ticking.'

Has there ever been a time where you just want to stop and have a break?

'Yeah. But the only time I think I need a break is when I’m not doing what’s right for me. When I’m, doing what’s right for someone else, not for me. It’s all about balancing, it’s only when I’m trying to do too much here and less here that I’m sacrificing something in the middle, so I just tend to balance everything out now.'

How has fatherhood changed you as a person?

'I honestly feel like some people once having children, are like “I’m going to change my life now, I’m becoming a father…”. But it was boxing that gave me that purpose in my life, so I already had to make that change. But saying that, it's taught me the blessings of having a kid… and it can be scary sometimes!'

What’s the mantra you live by?

'Stay hungry.'

Anthony Joshua is one of the official ambassadors for Lucozade Sport Fitwater, a new functional water packed full of electrolytes, which is specifically made for sports hydration.