Les Mills group fitness presenter Bronté Terrell shares the weekly workout routine that helps her manage the “extreme highs and lows” of ADHD

It wasn't until she turned 21 that Bronté Terrell learned she was neurodivergent.

By that time, she'd already excelled at school and earned a place at a prestigious London drama college that would lead to a role on the British TV series Hollyoaks.

Yet, in the back of her mind, Terrell knew acting wasn't her true calling.

“My mum got me into spin classes and I ended up training as a fitness instructor as a way to cover classes when I wasn't acting,” she tells Fit&Well.

“Over the years, I found myself booking incredible acting jobs but being in the trailer with itchy feet because I just wanted to be moving.”

That yearning eventually led to her taking a leap of faith and throwing herself fully into the fitness industry as a Les Mills group fitness presenter.

She explains that it's the best move she ever made to help manage her symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

“With ADHD you have a million and one different thoughts and all this energy,” says the 34-year-old.

“You get these extreme highs but also extreme lows. For me, my hook in is certainly exercise. It's such a healthy way to be able to channel your energy.”

Leading group fitness classes, in particular, is something she relishes.

“You're spinning so many plates when you teach classes.

“Your attention and focus is on your members, keeping them moving safely and effectively. You're pulling from memory to deliver choreography or workout plans in time to the music.”

All that multitasking, says Terrell, “lends itself incredibly well to a brain that has a thousand and one thoughts going on anyway”.

High-tempo fitness classes can be similarly beneficial for participants whose minds are always racing, she adds.

“If you are an ADHD person or have a brain that's got a thousand and one things going on, it's just an opportunity to shut the door on everything else and lock in on this moment.

“That intensity pushes you to think about nothing else for that 30 or 45 minutes.”

Below, Terrell shares the weekly workout schedule that helps calm her active mind, along with advice for anyone looking to build their own fitness routine.

Bronté Terrell's week as a Les Mills instructor

Outside of the fitness studio, Terrell says she loves cycling and competing in triathlons.

“If I have events booked in I'll kind of sharpen up for that discipline,” she says.

Otherwise her primary focus is staying fit, healthy and ready to deliver her best effort in every Les Mills class.

“I've learned the hard way that it can't just be high impact all the time. It's important to have a blend of stretching and mobility, and Pilates.”

Classes vary from Les Mills' spin-focused Sprint class to signature strength workout Bodypump, and Shapes—which blends power yoga with barre.

Bronté Terrell's weekly workout routine

Here is what her typical week in workouts looks like.

Monday
Leads two 30-45min Les Mills classes in the AM and PM.

Tuesday
Leads two Les Mills classes in the AM and another 30min class in the PM.
She then tags her own 30min push/pull strength session in the gym onto her final class.

Wednesday
Leads two 45min Les Mills classes in the AM and one 45min class in the PM.

Thursday
Leads two Les Mills classes in the PM.
She then tags her own 30min full-body push/pull strength workout onto her final class.

Friday
Leads two 45-55min Les Mills classes in the AM.
She then keeps the afternoon and evening reserved for “me time”.

“I might spend it with my family. I love walking. I'm really fortunate that I live near the forest where I can get out and walk. I love music so I might go out to an event,” says Terrell.

Saturday
Leads two 45min Les Mills classes in the AM.

"Saturday is like the sign off day. We have a real blast out. I teach spin on that day so it's like a party on a Saturday morning," she says. “And then: rest.”

Sunday
Rest day.

“This is non-negotiable unless I’m doing an event,” she says. “Rest is just as important as work, especially at the end of a full-on working week.”

Bronté Terrell on how to build a routine to match your mood

Terrell found her calling in leading group exercise classes, but experimenting with a variety of classes as a member expanded her fitness horizons and taught her new skills.

Here's her advice for anyone new to exercise.

1. Find the thing that sets your soul on fire

If you're sitting in a yoga class or Pilates studio and find your mind wandering “a million miles an hour” you don't have to stick with it if it doesn't bring you joy, says Terrell.

“Instead, find the thing that sets your soul on fire. Find the thing that gets you hooked.”

Terrell says that class for her was cycling to music.

“I only ever wanted to teach because I just loved cycle [classes]. I love how riding on that beat of the music comes together with this energy and atmosphere.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god. This is like the closest thing to being in the club, but in a healthy way.’ That's what got me hooked. Cycle to music is my heart and my love.”

2. Use group exercise classes to expand your fitness skillset

Classes are another safe space to introduce your body—and mind—to new forms of exercise.

For Terrell, Les Mills' Bodypump strength class helped build confidence that meant she knew how to lift weights effectively on the gym floor.

“People often tell me they want to step on the weight floor but don't know what to do,” she says.

“For me, learning how to lift and pick up weight, and learn movements I'd never done before, like a clean and press: those foundations were learned in doing Les Mills' strength-based program.

“That's one of the beautiful things about Les Mills programs. They are accessible to everybody and can be the stepping stone into other things in the fitness world.”

3. Remember your get-out-of-jail-free card

Of course, dabbling with lots of new classes could result in you landing in a workout that doesn't suit your present mood.

At times like these, teeing up your get-out card is one of the tricks of the trade.

“I always say, if you're ever trying out a class and not sure if it's going to be for you, tell the instructor that you've got an important phone call you're waiting for,” says Terrell.

“It's like a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

You can use it to slip out of a class without interrupting the instructor or making them feel bad.