Heimgartner’s hectic fitness regime

We’re in the heart of the summer break – and that means it’s Andre Heimgartner’s time to shine.

Away from the race track, the Kelly Racing driver is the definition of a fitness freak.

It’s something of a hobby for the Kiwi as well as a way of ensuring he’s doing all he can individually to capitalise on Kelly Racing’s switch from Altimas to Mustangs in 2020.

“I’m training 15 to 18 times a week… so I’m doing everything I possibly can to sort of prepare,” Heimgartner told Supercars.com.

“It’s a lot of strength and conditioning, so a lot of weights, cycling, running, yoga, pilates, remedial massage, cryotherapy, which is like in a room that’s minus 110 degrees to help your body repair faster. All sorts of stuff like that, hypobaric chamber as well.

“Basically it’s been a full-time job doing it but it’s really good to sink your teeth into it.

“The off-season is always where I really love doing it because I have obviously so much more time to dedicate to it and I can get into a routine whereas when I’m away racing all of the time, it’s really hard to get into that routine.”

Heimgartner, 24, will this month take part in a 1Percent Performance fitness camp at altitude in Falls Creek in the northeast of Victoria.

“Come the start of the season I should be well fit enough I’d hope,” he laughed.

The former Super Black Racing and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport driver has always been into fitness but has really ramped up his efforts in recent years.

“I only really started loving it and getting right into the science of it and really maximising everything in the last probably three or four years,” he said.

“It has been really interesting along with 1Percent Performance and [Josh Webb], he has helped me a lot throughout the whole time to maximise myself and look at the whole holistic overview of being a rounded athlete.

“So sports psychology and all that sort of stuff, rather than just being able to run 20km or whatever.”

Coming off a breakthrough Supercars season that netted two podiums, Heimgartner is targeting further progress up the pecking order in 2020.