Nathan Cole

If you train after sunset, be visible. A flash on a photo is fun; a light on your back is the point.

Inkundla enye, ucwangco olufanayo, yonke iseshoni. Isiqhelo asikokuziphatha; sisigqibo esinye esincinci ekufuneka sithathwe.

Two minutes on the bench before anything starts. It is not superstition — it is the switch between day and session.

The plan does not change with the weather. The location does — that is the only concession I make.

One band, one kettlebell, a mat. Everything else in the cupboard was bought during a motivated week.

Amanyathelo amafutshane nakhawulezayo kwindawo emanzi. Amanyathelo amade yindlela abantu abatyibilika ngayo, hayi indlela abahamba ngayo ngokukhawuleza.

The door was shut, so the session moved outside. Missing it was never on the list.

Hands under shoulders, body in one line, no rush at the bottom. Ten slow beats thirty fast, every time.

I got very good at counting and not much else. Here is what I would do differently now.

6:40am, frost on the grass, nobody in the park but me. No mirrors, no queue for the bar, no music in my ears for the first ten minutes — just breathing. The bars are cold enough to hurt and I still like this more than any gym. If your morning feels heavy, don't fix the whole day. Just tie your shoes and get outside.

Bench, deadlift, curls, pull-ups, stretch — that is the whole session, nothing fancy. Five movements, forty minutes, no phone between sets. You do not need a new programme every week. You need the same five things done properly for three months.

Warm up like it counts, and four more. None of them are about equipment.