Is There a Need for a Structured Workout?

Orando Broom

Bar people who are body builders who would have to be very specific in their training due to the nature of thier craft; is a structured workout either necessary or even important?

Lately I've been adopting the tack if I was a manual labourer I would be naturally strong and pretty lean because of the nature of my work. My work would mean that I am always exerting myself; lifting and moving various weights and shapes in an unstructured, free environment.

I have started to adopt this method to my workouts with one basic caveat that I cover the three basics of upper, middle and lower body, front and back as best I can. I have to say it is a very enjoyable workout, and certainly not boring, I feel that I am making ok gains (my work schedule has demolished my gym schedule so I am spending the minimum time in it since Christmas). I also try to incorporate some cardio at the end of my workout.

What are peoples opinion on this method?

Barry.Oglesby

Orando Broom wrote: »

I have started to adopt this method to my workouts with one basic caveat that I cover the three basics of upper, middle and lower body, front and back as best I can.

So you've adopted a structured workout then?

Doug Cartel

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

So you've adopted a structured workout then?

Agh, beat me to it!

I don't know about you, but I've found that nothing gets done right without some kind of plan - execute - assess cycle. So unless your objective is to just have fun in the gym you're probably better off with some kind of structure. (I hate the gym by the way, so I need to have it planned out so I can get in and get out quick.)

It does sound like whatever structure you had previously wasn't compatible with the rest of your life. In that kind of situation, wouldn't you be better off working out a structure that works for you instead of abandoning the idea of structure completely?

Barry.Oglesby

Orando Broom wrote: »

Lately I've been adopting the tack if I was a manual labourer I would be naturally strong and pretty lean because of the nature of my work. My work would mean that I am always exerting myself; lifting and moving various weights and shapes in an unstructured, free environment.

Genuine answer: labourers get strong enough to do their job and no stronger. That means they need to do less work to carry out the same daily tasks which means assuming no change in diet they'll get less lean to do the same work.

How many labourers with outstanding physiques do you see?

Orando Broom

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

So you've adopted a structured workout then?

Erm no.

Orando Broom

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Agh, beat me to it!

I don't know about you, but I've found that nothing gets done right without some kind of plan - execute - assess cycle. So unless your objective is to just have fun in the gym you're probably better off with some kind of structure. (I hate the gym by the way, so I need to have it planned out so I can get in and get out quick.)

It does sound like whatever structure you had previously wasn't compatible with the rest of your life. In that kind of situation, wouldn't you be better off working out a structure that works for you instead of abandoning the idea of structure completely?

I swim, play squash and play soccer. I had to fit the gym round those and now work has forced more changes. I found the constraint of going through repetitive cycles of exercises boring. I love the gym to be honest I love the routine of going for a workout but I disliked having a set programme. I have no goals for the gym just to maintain a good healthy body and mind. I certainly am not saying that my way of doing it has any merit at all for people who have focused goals, it doesn't, I just wanted to hear peoples opinions on it really.

omniscient_toad

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

Genuine answer: labourers get strong enough to do their job and no stronger. That means they need to do less work to carry out the same daily tasks which means assuming no change in diet they'll get less lean to do the same work.

How many labourers with outstanding physiques do you see?

Yeah having worked on a few building sites I'm not sure it's a physique to aspire to, reasonably strong and fat would pretty much be the norm, with almost no cardio. No one throws themselves all out from one activity/movement to the next, it's all long plodding low to moderate effort with as much economy of movement as possible.

Maybe you could spend an hour putting all the bastard dumbells/plates back in the gym as a close emulation?

Melodeon

Building labourer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdrE1VMxzoE

Sorry, it just seemed to fit here.

gymsoldier

Orando Broom wrote: »

I have no goals for the gym just to maintain a good healthy body and mind.

Surely that in itself is a goal?

FTA69

Orando Broom wrote: »

Bar people who are body builders who would have to be very specific in their training due to the nature of thier craft; is a structured workout either necessary or even important?

Or powerlifters, or soccer players, or boxers, or martial artists, or rugby players or any other athlete.

People who are successful at sports generally follow a fairly strict and regimented training schedule; and that's not just for the elite either. Even Sunday League soccer teams have to have organisation, likewise with amateur boxers etc. The fact is you achieve a lot less by plodding around the gaff doing what suits at the time.

Orando Broom

FTA69 wrote: »

Or powerlifters, or soccer players, or boxers, or martial artists, or rugby players or any other athlete.

People who are successful at sports generally follow a fairly strict and regimented training schedule; and that's not just for the elite either. Even Sunday League soccer teams have to have organisation, likewise with amateur boxers etc. The fact is you achieve a lot less by plodding around the gaff doing what suits at the time.

But being a great soccer player can be and more often than not is mutually exclusive to gym use. You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

Antisocialiser

These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

As a GAA player i have seen massive improvement in my stability, composure, flexibility and general effectiveness on the pitch by being stronger and faster. This has meant that my skill level is better and more consistent. Granted some great sportsmen and women probably don't need to spend time in the gym but no doubt those who don't could improve in some way by improving their strength.

If Harrington cant improve his skills by going to the gym then why does he feel the need to deadlift <200kg for what is essentially a skills-based game?

Hanley

Orando Broom wrote: »

But being a great soccer player can be and more often than not is mutually exclusive to gym use. You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

You never have to step foot inside a gym to be a great rugby player?

You lose more credibility with each post.

Mellor

Orando Broom wrote: »

Erm no.

Em, yes
What do you think a structed workout is?

Orando Broom wrote: »

I have started to adopt this method to my workouts with one basic caveat that I cover the three basics of upper, middle and lower body, front and back as best I can.

The above is a full body workout. It's perfectly fine.
Just because you vary it and don't do the same excercises don't mean its not structured.
The fact that you aim to cover all areas is the structure of the workout

Orando Broom wrote: »

But being a great soccer player can be and more often than not is mutually exclusive to gym use. You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

no. you may be good at all of those sports down to natural or learned skill.
But to be great, you simply have to hit the gym to improve areas specific to your sport.
Of the sports yo listed, every professional hits the gym.

Lantus

Orando Broom wrote: »

But being a great soccer player can be and more often than not is mutually exclusive to gym use. You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

Quite wrong in fact, while the raw talent is required and often identified at a younger more athletic age a top level footballer has a very regimented routine of diet, cardio/ endurance trianing AND weight training. The weight trianing would be specific and carefully tailored to ensure maximum results. The training team for any major football team will never say 'lift those weights any way you like and just do the exercises you like' thats just silly.

Having no structure or plan means you have no direction, no measuring point or base line to determine position or progress. It's a bit like heading away on holiday and deciding that your just going to 'head south' and see where you end up. It's a plan by all accounts but not one that will get you anywhere you really want to get to.

Orando Broom

Hanley wrote: »

You never have to step foot inside a gym to be a great rugby player?

You lose more credibility with each post.

You must be well in the red yourself after 11k posts!

g'em

Orando while I can see where the sentiment behind your intentions is coming from I think it's unfrotunately largely misguided.

Barry is right, you are doing a structured program, albeit not in the odtting the i's and crossing the t's sense. By consciously having

one basic caveat that [you] cover the three basics of upper, middle and lower body, front and back

you have introduced an element of structure. If you were to walk into the gym and randomly pick up pieces of equipment in absolutely no order whatsoever with no regard at all for what they would be doing and with no goal in mind, then perhpas you could claim to be unstructured.

Whether or not that works is one discussion but what you are doing does not fall under that remit.

Unfortunately there's also an awful lot of error and misguidance with your ollow up post:

Orando Broom wrote:

You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

This, frankly, is completely untrue. While skill is obviously an incredibly important (and arguably most important) element of top-end athleticism, having the all-round fitness, strength, coordination and kinesthetic awareness to be able to carry out that skill to it's full potential is fundamentally necessary. These are all things that are refined in the gym and I'd categorically disagree with your statement that these sportspeople become great without the need for hard hours in the gym. Every single one of those sports that you've listed requires a lot of hours outside the ring/ pitch and in the gym creating a body (and mind) that's able to exploit its skill to its best potential.

Orando Broom

g'em wrote: »

Orando while I can see where the sentiment behind your intentions is coming from I think it's unfrotunately largely misguided.

Barry is right, you are doing a structured program, albeit not in the odtting the i's and crossing the t's sense. By consciously having you have introduced an element of structure. If you were to walk into the gym and randomly pick up pieces of equipment in absolutely no order whatsoever with no regard at all for what they would be doing and with no goal in mind, then perhpas you could claim to be unstructured.

Whether or not that works is one discussion but what you are doing does not fall under that remit.

Unfortunately there's also an awful lot of error and misguidance with your ollow up post:



This, frankly, is completely untrue. While skill is obviously an incredibly important (and arguably most important) element of top-end athleticism, having the all-round fitness, strength, coordination and kinesthetic awareness to be able to carry out that skill to it's full potential is fundamentally necessary. These are all things that are refined in the gym and I'd categorically disagree with your statement that these sportspeople become great without the need for hard hours in the gym. Every single one of those sports that you've listed requires a lot of hours outside the ring/ pitch and in the gym creating a body (and mind) that's able to exploit its skill to its best potential.

Fair enough regarding the structure, there is an underpinning structure I suppose I just would never go with a book or any advance notes nor would I look to have any specific goals in the gym (on other fields of play I have).

I know loads of brilliant footballers who have played at the highest level who never have stepped foot inside a gym. What more can I say.

Doug Cartel

Orando Broom wrote: »

But being a great soccer player can be and more often than not is mutually exclusive to gym use. You simply never have to darken a door of a gym(health club) to be a great soccer player. Same with Rugby, same with martial arts, same with boxing (I am aware boxers train in a gym but one specific to their craft). These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

With these sports, any sport really, any time spent in the gym is time that could have been spent on the pitch, on the mats, in the ring, or whatever. If somebody involved in these activities does any gym work - with the aim of improving their sporting performance - you can bet they will have a structure so they can maximize the results for the time they spend there.

g'em

Orando Broom wrote: »

I know loads of brilliant footballers who have played at the highest level who never have stepped foot inside a gym. What more can I say.

And I name national and international footballers, rugby players, MMA fighters, boxers, hockey players, GAA players and coaches for all the above who would disagree strongly with the assertion that the gym plays little or no part in their development. I can show you their programs too.

Like Doug said above, their programs are tailored to their needs, it's not just about going in and lashing out 20 reps on whatever you feel like doing, but it provides a solid framework of strength and conditioning that allows the athlete to perform to their best.

Hanley

Orando Broom wrote: »

I know loads of brilliant footballers who have played at the highest level who never have stepped foot inside a gym. What more can I say.

What is the “highest level” as your describe it? Premiership, International?

When did they play at this level, and for how long?

cc87

Orando Broom wrote: »

I know loads of brilliant footballers who have played at the highest level who never have stepped foot inside a gym. What more can I say.

If what you say is true, think about how much more they could have achieved if they did step inside a gym, about all the potential they never fulfilled by failing to achieve a higher standard of physical fitness

Orando Broom

Hanley wrote: »

What is the “highest level” as your describe it? Premiership, International?

When did they play at this level, and for how long?

Intercounty. 15 odd years. Two of them All Ireland finalists. Never did a tap in the gym.

In fact the two AI finalists think the gym bunnies have ruined Gaelic games, al power and physique and can't put the ball over the bar.

Orando Broom

cc87 wrote: »

If what you say is true, think about how much more they could have achieved if they did step inside a gym, about all the potential they never fulfilled by failing to achieve a higher standard of physical fitness

So the highest level of physical fitness can only be attained in a gym.

FTA69

Pure nonsense. Regards boxing, aside from the boxing sessions themselves to excel (or even hold your own in a club) you must also engage in a structured routine outside your sessions in the boxing club. For instance a daily cardio routine is essential (also known as "roadwork"), the intensity etc of this must be planned and co-ordinated; not a case of plodding around the gaff until you get a sweat up. A regimented diet must also be followed if one wants to stay within a certain weight-class and a planned and structured strength and conditioning routine must also be followed.

As regards footballers, you can be bloody sure that any top-level inter-county football team these days is employing a raft of nutritionists, S and C coaches etc.

In short, your notion that plodding around doing whatever you feel like at the time gets results is wrong. Both in terms of fitness and sports.

Chris89

Antisocialiser

Orando Broom wrote: »

Intercounty. 15 odd years. Two of them All Ireland finalists. Never did a tap in the gym.

Maybe if they had they would be all ireland winners.

Orando Broom

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Maybe if they had they would be all ireland winners.

I was waiting for this nugget. Plenty of fellas busting their arses in the gym and they won't get near the subs bench for Kilkenny football never mind an All Ireland final.

So now (any semblance of proof or evidence can be set aside) there is a correlation between the number of hours logged in the gym and winning All Ireland's.

You know I might actually send this link off to a journalist friend of mine who has a particularly keen eye for the GAA just to see what he et al would make of it.

Sangre

Orando Broom wrote: »

Intercounty. 15 odd years. Two of them All Ireland finalists. Never did a tap in the gym.

In fact the two AI finalists think the gym bunnies have ruined Gaelic games, al power and physique and can't put the ball over the bar.

You can't compare amateur and professional athletes. Its bordering on ridiculous to give the examples of amateur athletes as proof that professional atheltes don't need structured routines both on and off the pitch.

When did your guys compete? Even in GAA inter-county level and above has beyond on significantly in the last 5-10 years.

Hanley

Orando Broom wrote: »

Intercounty. 15 odd years. Two of them All Ireland finalists. Never did a tap in the gym.

In fact the two AI finalists think the gym bunnies have ruined Gaelic games, al power and physique and can't put the ball over the bar.

Your example doesn’t work - You’re talking about established inter county players who are more experienced than the guys they’re coming up against. You’d expect them to be better footballers now. Back when they made their breakthroughs, the level of training wasn’t advanced as it is now, so they were coming up against guys who’d be relatively “equal”. Neither had an advantage thru gym work or more advanced methods.

NOW if you’ve two players of similar skill and talent, the one who’s in the gym lifting, s&c and doing more “professional” style cardio training is gonna out play the other guy 9 times out of 10. He’ll be harder to push off the ball, he’ll go for longer, and he’ll be more resilient to injury.

In the past you might have been able to step up to “the highest levels” without a proper s&c program in the sports you mentioned, but times have moved on.

As for ruining the sport, I wonder who'd win - a team from the 70's, or a team from today.

Barry.Oglesby

I agree with Orando Broom. Too many lads all show and no go who can squat double body weight but turn like the USS Lincoln. Too many lads benching when they should be kicking. And too many lads activating their core when they should be playing.

Power sports aside, people forget that the primary function of your gym work should be to make sure you're fit and injury free for the season ahead. Your job in the gym is to make sure you can stay on the training and playing pitch for sustained periods of time. After you've done that, then you can worry about power and all that stuff.

Orando Broom

Sangre wrote: »

You can't compare amateur and professional athletes. Its bordering on ridiculous to give the examples of amateur athletes as proof that professional atheltes don't need structured routines both on and off the pitch.

When did your guys compete? Even in GAA inter-county level and above has beyond on significantly in the last 5-10 years.

It would have been more than 10 years ago, lets put it like that.

But I was talking to another guy about Rugby (not my bailiwick at all so I had to take him on his word) and he said that the New Zealand Rugby Federation is trying to move away from Gym based fitness programmes and coach and condition naturally strong players and take players from farming backgrounds due to the more supple flexible nature of their strength and condition.

The thinking is that gym built players are too bulky and can't play the game with the requisite swiftness or fleet of foot and can only do the battering ram stuff.

Like I said I don't really watch or know anything about Rugby so that could be pure guff.

It interested me because the GAA club I grew up with had a history of producing huge powerful footballers (60's, 70's 80's) because of the nature of the work available in the locality these men were naturally powerful.Obviously no gym or the like was in vogue ore even in existence in those decades.

Orando Broom

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

I agree with Orando Broom. Too many lads all show and no go who can squat double body weight but turn like the USS Lincoln. Too many lads benching when they should be kicking. And too many lads activating their core when they should be playing.

Power sports aside, people forget that the primary function of your gym work should be to make sure you're fit and injury free for the season ahead. Your job in the gym is to make sure you can stay on the training and playing pitch for sustained periods of time. After you've done that, then you can worry about power and all that stuff.

Absolutely. I trained with a club in Dublin for a few years that used a gym programme (one a week) but it was the easiest part of the training. The pain was with a ball in hand. The running, the hitting the sheer physicality and intensity of playing the game was the primary focus. No doubt the gym put a few more tools in the locker but if you could not sidestep a tackle or keep possession of the ball you were going to get goosed and goosed good.

Orando Broom

Hanley wrote: »

Your example doesn’t work - You’re talking about established inter county players who are more experienced than the guys they’re coming up against. You’d expect them to be better footballers now. Back when they made their breakthroughs, the level of training wasn’t advanced as it is now, so they were coming up against guys who’d be relatively “equal”. Neither had an advantage thru gym work or more advanced methods.

NOW if you’ve two players of similar skill and talent, the one who’s in the gym lifting, s&c and doing more “professional” style cardio training is gonna out play the other guy 9 times out of 10. He’ll be harder to push off the ball, he’ll go for longer, and he’ll be more resilient to injury.

In the past you might have been able to step up to “the highest levels” without a proper s&c program in the sports you mentioned, but times have moved on.

As for ruining the sport, I wonder who'd win - a team from the 70's, or a team from today.

Assuming he has a S&C coach that can teach perfect form. I have seen the alpha male lifting competitions go on and guys using every sinew from thier ankle bones up to lift absurd weights.

Leitirm or Carlow would demolish Kerry's four in a row. Why? Pace. Pure and simple the speed of the game would be too much.

Antisocialiser

Orando Broom wrote: »

These sports require skills, no amount of time in a gym (health club) will hone those skills.

Orando Broom wrote: »

No doubt the gym put a few more tools in the locker.

So whats your point again?

You dont have to be follow a gym program to be a great footballer. But if you do it will probably make you a better footballer?

I agree with Barrys assertion that gym work should facilitate your sport but i dont think that was in contention. I dont think anyone here insinuated that you should be running smolov to improve your darts. (although it might!)

BlueIsland

I think its borderline argument for argument sake! Bottom line is- If the correct gym work is done for a sport a player/ competitor will individually improve. Forget about against other people. He/she will be a better player.

Just off that point please dont start an argument about g.a.a now and thirty years ago. The nostalgia of some people is horrendous. Yeh ok the handpass is used too much but is that not better than the big hoof kicks down the field into the hand of the opposition. Players are better conditioned nowadays and taking nostalgia away there are just as many good games and we have just as many class players that in 30 years times the players will never be able to match up to. Football has moved on. Move with it or dont play it!

g'em

Indeed, I'm guilty of taking this way OT myself. But back to the original question - is a structured workout necessary?

Well I'd think it unarguably is. It's great fun to go in and mess around from time to time, give your head a rest and just do whatever the hell you feel like it.

But how do you track progress without structure? How do you adequately ensure prevention of injury without structure? How do you ensure a balance in training without structure?

Doug Cartel

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

I agree with Orando Broom. Too many lads all show and no go who can squat double body weight but turn like the USS Lincoln. Too many lads benching when they should be kicking. And too many lads activating their core when they should be playing.

Power sports aside, people forget that the primary function of your gym work should be to make sure you're fit and injury free for the season ahead. Your job in the gym is to make sure you can stay on the training and playing pitch for sustained periods of time. After you've done that, then you can worry about power and all that stuff.

The OP asked if it was necessary to have structure in your work out, then switched the topic to if people are spending too much time in the gym lifting weights - which is a completely different thing.

Whether these guys are on the pitch or in the gym they're always going to benefit from structure. When Permiership clubs are practising, the coach doesn't just throw the lads a ball and tell them to have a kick about, does he? There's going to be drills, callisthenics, practising set-pieces, all that jazz.

EDIT: Takes too long to type these things while pretending to do work. G'em beat me to it.

Orando Broom

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Ah jaysus Barry, I thought you were better at this internet thing than that. The OP asked if it was necessary to have structure in your work out, then switched the topic to if people are spending too much time in the gym lifting weights - which is a completely different thing.

Whether these guys are on the pitch or in the gym they're always going to benefit from structure. When Permiership clubs are practising, the coach doesn't just throw the lads a ball and tell them to have a kick about, does he? There's going to be drills, callisthenics, practising set-pieces, all that jazz.

EDIT: Takes too long to type these things while pretending to do work. G'em beat me to it.

Ahem! It was changed for me. Not one person directly answered my question.

But moving on. The consensus here favours having a structured workout with clear defined goals in mind. Fair enough.

Doug Cartel

Orando Broom wrote: »

Ahem! It was changed for me. Not one person directly answered my question.

Fair enough, sorry about that.

The consensus here favours having a structured workout with clear defined goals in mind. Fair enough.

I would say that if you have clear goals in mind then you'll achieve them better with good structure. If you have less clear goals, then it's not going to matter as much.

g'em

Orando Broom wrote: »

But moving on. The consensus here favours having a structured workout with clear defined goals in mind. Fair enough.

Goals don't have to be big massive unachievable ones though, they can be as simple as having very simple, straighforward ones, and they're always personal to you. Short term goals can be as simple as adding 1kg to a lift over four consecutive weeks, with a long-term bigger goal in mind. Or it could be to complete a distance in x time. I don't really know if you could ever actually make genuine progress without some sort of goal in mind, could you ?

Naos

Orando Broom wrote: »

No doubt the gym put a few more tools in the locker but if you could not sidestep a tackle or keep possession of the ball you were going to get goosed and goosed good.

Surely there is a place for both?

If you're unable to sidestep a tackle or keep possession of the ball, then your clearly doing the wrong thing in the gym / not enough of the right thing on the pitch.

Your gym work should be comlimentary to the training you're doing. There is no point in a GAA player doing massive weights if it's only going to make them very strong but reduce speed & agilty etc.

d'Oracle

Orando Broom wrote: »

But I was talking to another guy about Rugby (not my bailiwick at all so I had to take him on his word) and he said that the New Zealand Rugby Federation is trying to move away from Gym based fitness programmes and coach and condition naturally strong players and take players from farming backgrounds due to the more supple flexible nature of their strength and condition.

All the rest of the stuff aside, I find that very hard to believe.
NZRU are not going to ignore urban players. That would be mental.
A huge proportion of the current and past all blacks team are from urban environments. Are they going to pluck promising kids from their schools and turf them off to farms to get their S&C?

Bit drachonian when they can just put them on a weight training programming isn't it?
And what do you mean "flexible, supple nature of their strength"? There is just strength surely?

Like the Gym is convenient, its there. You have a guy who needs to get/stay strong, you send him to the gym not a farm.

bah1011

I think the reason GAA has become so much faster is because of players been put on structured training programmes with a specific goal in mind i.e improve speed/power/strenght. Where as 20/30 years ago it was just big strong farmers who just had upper body strenght and lacked power in their glutes hamstrings quads etc..

Orando Broom

bah1011 wrote: »

I think the reason GAA has become so much faster is because of players been put on structured training programmes with a specific goal in mind i.e improve speed/power/strenght. Where as 20/30 years ago it was just big strong farmers who just had upper body strenght and lacked power in their glutes hamstrings quads etc..

The 50 lap merchants stopped training the teams. It became more about the shorter more explosive stuff too.

Naos

Orando Broom wrote: »

The 50 lap merchants stopped training the teams. It became more about the shorter more explosive stuff too.

HIIT...so another structured workout?

Mellor

How is running laps HIIT ffs

Naos

He said it became more about the shorter, explosive stuff.

Pace2008

Orando Broom wrote: »

But I was talking to another guy about Rugby (not my bailiwick at all so I had to take him on his word) and he said that the New Zealand Rugby Federation is trying to move away from Gym based fitness programmes and coach and condition naturally strong players and take players from farming backgrounds due to the more supple flexible nature of their strength and condition.

The rugby teams will pick the players who display natural, genetically conferred ability, wheteher they're from the country or city, and exploit this ability through a structured strength and conditioning program.

You won't get the physique of an All-Black through horsing around on a farm for a few years. You didn't see physiques like that till the advent of sports science - modern inter-county GAA players are bigger than the rugby stars you'd have seen 30 years ago.

PeakOutput

Orando Broom wrote: »

Lately I've been adopting the tack if I was a manual labourer I would be naturally strong and pretty lean because of the nature of my work.

i honestly think that is a myth

TheZ

http://www.totalgaacoach.com/news/id_5

Biggest difference in my view between a professional and amateur player is that a professional player trains and rests and so can train at a much higher intensity.


This is a diary of a Mayo footballer on a two week trial for an Aussie rules team.

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8453:aidan-osheas-australian-rules-diary&catid=14&Itemid=100008