Kelz Dyke won the hearts of viewers across the globe when he appeared in Netflix’s summer smash hit dating show Too Hot To Handle, where a group of bronzed and buff singletons must take a vow of celibacy and abstain from all sexual contact to win a cash prize.
Fondly dubbed #TheAccountant, Dyke kept thousands of us entertained with his steely determination not to fumble any of the £81,000 prize money, communally feeling his pain when yet another rule break ate into the budget.
Since leaving the show, Dyke – who plays American Football for the London Warriors – has become a fitness influencer in his own right. We caught up with the 27-year-old reality star to find out how he stays fit, happy, healthy and motivated.
What’s your training routine like at the moment?
“I train twice a day, five days per week. Usually that’s Monday to Friday. I’ll do cardio in the morning and then weights in the afternoon. It’s all about balance for me, so in the middle of the week I’ll have an active rest day, which will involve lots of stretching and yoga. It’s really great for your flexibility and mobility.
“Having active rest days has been crucial for my training; a lot of people don’t realise that exercise is such a stress on your nervous system. Even if you’re just doing sprints or running, it’s important to take proper rest or you’ll fatigue and burnout.
“Normally I’d also have American Football training at the weekend too, but because of coronavirus, my Sundays are now a lot more chilled.”
How does playing American Football benefit your fitness goals?
“It’s amazing. Honestly, you don’t realise how important training for a sport is until its cancelled. Because I enjoy training, I don’t think of it as exercise, and I often don’t realise that it contributes to my cardio so much.
“Every game or training session adds so much active time to your life. I think everyone should play a sport, even if its just a local Sunday league. When you spend Monday to Friday at work, especially now we’re working from home, you need something social to look forward to.”
How do you motivate yourself on days when you don’t feel like training?
“Music helps me a lot. When I’m at the gym, I have a playlist for high-energy cardio and that really gets me into the zone. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones, like the Sony WF-SP800N, can help you to switch off from what everyone is doing around you and just focus on your workout.
“I like to listen to a lot of Giggs, Drake, Travis Scott and Stormzy. I think every workout playlist should have How Deep Is Your Love by Calvin Harris on it.”
What’s your favourite way to chill out after a long day?
“I read and listen to motivational podcasts, as it calms me. Investing in your mind is so important. I recently enjoyed the books 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey and The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*** by Mark Manson.”
Do you have any health or fitness aims before the end of the year?
“I want to stay flexible. With the gym closed during quarantine, I lost a lot of muscle mass, but that’s actually been quite helpful, because it meant I could start from the ground up with my flexibility and stretching. Now I can go down a lot further in my squats.”
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
“I love buffalo wings. It’s becoming a bit of a problem. I try to keep everything in healthy moderation, but life’s for living, so enjoy it.”
Kelz Dyke wears Sony’s new WF-SP800N truly wireless noise-cancelling earbuds during his daily workouts. Visit sony.co.uk for more information.