[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At2CESybKXk]

Bagpiper: How did you become interested in fitness?

Maddie Richards: My parents met in the gym. My mom’s a P.E. teacher and my dad is a bodybuilder so I was always in the gym from when I was little and playing sports. Basically from birth I’ve been into fitness.

BP: What’s your favorite workout or move?

MR: I like circuit training the best. In between functional training like boxing and kettlebells, I like a lot of variety. But my favorite exercise is probably a pull-up.

BP: What do you recommend for beginner’s starting out?

MR: I would recommend them trying all kinds of different things. There are so many different aspects now that the fitness world has to offer, you can kind of find a niche in something that you like. Not everyone likes to run, not everyone likes to lift weights, but there’s things that you can do now recreationally and just to get you moving and started. There’s so many options. I would suggest trying as many different things in the beginning as possible and then finding something you like and go with that.

BP: What’s the key to staying motivated?

MR: I think everybody’s key is different, but definitely goal setting. If you’re trying to reach a certain point, you’re going to stay more goal orientated and along the way you might find something else that you become interested in and you just keep setting goals and trying to go towards those. That’s probably the biggest motivation I’ve found personally.