The routine: Adam Gilchrist, Australian Test cricketer

Swim alone, walk a lot, box a bit: the secret of all-rounder fitness

How do you prepare for a match or a day's play?

As a team we have a proper, organised warm-up and stretch that lasts about 20 minutes. After that we work on our own games and do a fielding work-out. The stretching is all the usual stuff that most people know ­ all the major muscle groups. I should do more stretching but I don't. At least we do it properly and, importantly, make sure we do it as part of our warm-down as well at the end of the day. Then we will kick a ball around, followed by some stretching.

If there are pool facilities available nearby we will do our warm-down by swimming. The great thing with the water is that it takes all the impact off the joints.

Do you have any particular dietary specifications or needs?

Not really, but I'm pretty conscious of what I eat and make an effort to avoid junk food or lots of rubbish ­ I stick to low-fat stuff. Some do this no-carbohydrate diet, but I'm the wrong bloke to talk to about that because my wife is a dietician. Basically, we eat pretty well and pretty sensibly. On tour, it's just a case of maintaining that habit.

What is the main activity you base your fitness programme around?

I think walking is an underestimated exercise. I do it most mornings at a good pace for over an hour ­ walk hard and you can get a good sweat going. I don't do it on the day of a one-day match, but every morning during a Test I do, and when I'm at home I definitely walk in the morning. I need to because I can't do any hard jogging or road-running as my knees are bad. They get really sore after about one kilometre, and I need to look after them.

What other exercises do you do in the off-season?

Back home in Perth I do a lot of endurance stuff. The walking is a large part, but I bike about three times a week as well. I try and make sure everything is low-impact, to protect my body, and the bike is good for this. I cycle for about 45 minutes at an aggressive pace, and try to push myself on it. I'll probably go to the pool once or twice a week. I don't tend to do more than 30 laps of the pool, but I split these up into small sprints. All this ­ the walking, biking and swimming ­ establishes a good base fitness, and it's important that none of it stresses the joints. Our off-season can be very short because of tours, so I make sure I work hard on my fitness during it.

Do you do any more body-specific training?

During the off-season I also do circuit training based on boxing about three times a week. The circuit has 32 stations, although because you have a partner, 16 of them are his and 16 yours. It'll go something like punching a heavy bag, abdominals, speed ball, sprint on a bike, punch mitts, triceps dips, and so on. It lasts about 45 minutes and is really knackering, but it is really interesting. It is also much easier to work hard when you are part of a group and the partners can urge each other on. I really enjoy doing the boxing.

Interview: Iain Fletcher. Next week: the tennis player Lleyton Hewitt