Art, beauty and sport are not only the three most important elements of lifestyles of celebs, but it’s also what stands behind the name of the pop-band IKS-Missiya. The "I" stands for iskusstvo (art), the "K" for krasota (beauty) and the "S" for sport. When the tanned, talented and sporty quartet of Andrei, Artur, Sasha and Valentin come out on stage, they charge the audience with positive energy. And the leader of the band, Andrei Sokolovsky, during exercise breaks in the gym told the LifeStyle readers about how they do it.

Andrei, what’s the origin of Missiya?

It was my dream. In the beginning of the ’90s I was a choreographer in the theater of Pugachyova and thought about creating a boy-band. IKS-Missiya came out only at the end of the ’90s, when I gained enough scenic, choreographic and life experience. I wanted to find associates and I eventually did. We propagate a healthy lifestyle, which, however, doesn’t mean that we don’t drink at all. But a glass of wine during lunch is even good for your health. But hard drinking is incompatible with sport.

Do you spend a lot of time in the gym?

Well, I don’t spend all my time there, but I always find time to keep in shape! In the morning I do breathing exercises, I stand on my head, I do two sets of 100 pushups and pump up my respiratory system. I don’t do anything like yoga on a regular basis, but I borrowed some useful exercises from it that help me both on stage and in my daily life.

Do you stick to any traditional exercises?

I have been doing the same complex of exercises for many years: horizontal bar, then parallel bars and pushups. In addition, I box and swim. I also stand on my head pretty often – it makes the blood flow to the head, which additionally activates the brains. Scientists have proven that the more properly you’ve trained your body, the longer it serves, but overloading your system is as bad as complete idleness.

What kind of sports are the other members of the band into?

We are all very different. Artur and Valentin are more into weightlifting. Sasha is more into aerobics and running. But sport is equally important to all of us. We have been dancing for many years and we still dance. I even created my own system of training in a fitness-club and called it Freestyle Dance Party. Dance moves allow the energy to properly distribute in the body and physical exercises keep your body in good shape. But a perfect body is not all you should strive for! For harmony in your life, you should also take care of your inner faith by having faith in yourself, in other people and in good. If you believe that you can do it, then you’ll do it for sure!

Do you have a special personal recipe of quick recovery after hard work?

To relax your body it’s better to go to a banya to let the vessels get back into their normal condition, drink some tea with honey, go to bed and do some gymnastics in the morning. I get very tired after long flights or rides and every time after a flight and before a concert I go to the gym to feel sprightly on stage.

What other way of rest apart from sports do you prefer?

My family likes to go to the countryside. For example, once after celebrating the New Year we went to our friend who lives in a village by Nizhny Novgorod. We spent four days surrounded by nature! It was great! We’d go to banya, swim in ice-holes, breathe fresh air and eat shchi (Russian cabbage soup). After all, a Russian man needs genuine Russian rest!