I joke that the Olympics is the warm-up to the Paralympics.

On the actual competition days, you get about three or four hours of physical exertion - between an hour-long warm-up, recovery in-between runs, the training runs, and then the runs themselves.

As I slowly managed to take what I had learned into a transition from contestant to announcer and warm-up, I first had to prove myself on pilots. And as you know, many pilots are taped for each show that is lucky enough to breakthrough to being a series.

I always remember sitting with my son, Anthony, at Arsenal one night and watching Barcelona during the warm-up. Messi launched this ball miles into the air and then killed it dead with his foot when it came back down. Anthony and I just looked at each other. Normal human beings aren't capable of doing that.

I mean, I hope I intimidate the others on the track. I'm the only one who does a warm-up lap. I heard the other athletes didn't like it, they felt threatened by it. So I kept doing it. On the day of competition I don't talk to anyone I compete against either. I'm there to win races, not to be friends with people.

I haven't fought for a while and didn't want a warm-up fight. I wanted to jump right back in the pit and I got what I asked for. I got Anthony Pettis.

Before Dream Theater took off I used to teach a lot, and one of the things my students often asked me was how to apply the chromatic scale to practical playing situations. You see, their other teachers would give them chromatic warm-up exercises without providing any explanation of how important and versatile this scale actually is.

When I've been on shows as a guest, I'm backstage, so I don't usually hear what the warm-up is saying, so I went and watched a couple of people do it and thought, 'Actually, I reckon this is do-able.' The audience is usually excited to be there; it's just getting a good chat with people.

I shriek when I am climbing at my absolute limit, but never shriek in the warm-up or when trying the moves. No matter how terrible it might sound, it helps me.

I've played in Test matches before after injury without first playing a county game or warm-up of some sort.

I was lucky enough to play at Old Trafford, and we always talked about the atmosphere on a Tuesday night, the special atmosphere you create, and the crowd is rocking when you go out for a warm-up.

I've played a lot of games - I started very early, and the first 50 games were just warm-up games.

I start with a pretty yoga-based warm-up. I do jumping jacks and burpees, and I do a lot of dynamic stretching.

I normally go through every single line as part of my warm-up before a show. When I'm working on a film or TV programme, there often isn't a rehearsal, so I tend to learn my lines much later. They are often shorter, too, so they're essentially just there.

We do the weigh-in, then go for a walk, then have breakfast, then I listen to worship songs on my iPod because I'm a Christian. I always read the same Bible verses, too. We do the same warm-up a lot of the time as well. But, I have no superstitions before a fight.

I couldn't imagine something asking as much of me as 'House Of Cards.' It's a great warm-up for coming back to the screen.

I have a half an hour warm-up I do that my voice teacher gave me. I exercise at least for an hour during the day. I don't have any superstitious rituals or anything like that.

We played one warm-up gig at this bar that was kinda like that bar in 'The Blues Brothers' with the chicken wire. This place called The Brick House, in Housatonic. I really can't believe we're going to play for people in New York City. I'm terrified, but it's a small enough room. But it's really just supposed to be for the fun of it.

It's the warm-up in the changing room when I switch on. I don't even think about the fight until then. Some fighters are bouncing about the walls, but I switch off. Then it's like someone flicks a switch in me.

The problem - not problem, but main thing - for me has been adjusting my kids... Four-year-old twins! I'm waking up in the morning for rehearsal, taking them to school, and then having to go to rehearsal - trying to do a 15-minute warm-up, even on the subway.