Hamilton: There are days when you don't feel like training.

      In early January Lewis Hamilton will turn 41, and he is already preparing for his twentieth season in Formula 1. The results of the seven-time world champion in 2025 were not the best, especially by his standards, and this is due to a whole range of reasons, but there is no doubt that he is still in excellent physical shape.

      In an interview with Men's Health, Lewis talked about how his training regimen has changed over the years and which aspects of preparation he now emphasizes.

      Lewis Hamilton: "I still love running — this morning I went for a run too. Distances can vary, but typically range from six to eight miles (i.e., from 9.6 to almost 13 km). Then I take an ice bath. But even before all that I do stretching — it's the first thing I do when I get out of bed.

      During the day I might do a high-intensity interval training session, but I can't work with very heavy weights, otherwise I'll become too heavy myself. So the emphasis is mainly on Pilates and yoga.

      I never used to pay much attention to recovery — I would just train and then go about other things during the day. But now stretching and ice baths are things I make sure I do.

      Of course there's a lot of strength training to do, including building the neck muscles — probably something most people never do. But my struggles are exactly the same as everyone else's: there are days when I really don't feel like training, especially when everything hurts after previous workouts.

      At the same time, because of all kinds of commitments it's not possible to carve out time for physical training every day. So getting sleep and recovery right is very important. You have to find a sensible balance in terms of diet, sleep routine, along with everything else, and that's the hardest part. Finding that balance is something you have to work on constantly.

      When I was younger I saw training as a kind of therapy, and you could say I still do — that especially applies to running. It's during runs that I'm able to think about a lot. I've also added yoga, breathwork, and meditation to my routine.

      I suppose ice baths help in this respect too, because you have to learn to breathe properly and overcome the urge to give up. All of this really helps keep a positive mindset throughout the year."