Squats and professional footballers/rugby players etc

Undercover Brother

Hi all

Just a random unimportant question here. Does anybody know if professional athletes do much legwork during their playing/competing season? Because I was doing squats 2 days ago and my legs are still killing me! There's no way I could play a match at the minute. Now I'm not comparing myself to a professional in any way but surely if footballers do heavy squats during a week they have a match it must affect them? Any thoughts? Thanks

Hanley

Undercover Brother wrote: »

Hi all

Just a random unimportant question here. Does anybody know if professional athletes do much legwork during their playing/competing season? Because I was doing squats 2 days ago and my legs are still killing me! There's no way I could play a match at the minute. Now I'm not comparing myself to a professional in any way but surely if footballers do heavy squats during a week they have a match it must affect them? Any thoughts? Thanks

Work to a level that optimises performance while training "in season".

That is, don't lick a stamp and max the pain envelope to death.

There were some... interesting photos of the Irish rugby team training last year during the world cup. They seemed to be squatting. But you can't take a single photo as proof of an entire training schedule.

Essentially, some do, some don't. All train to ensure they are sufficiently prepared for a match, but not so that they hamper performance.

Off season is all about rebuilding and progressing, in season is all about maintaining.

Inspector Coptoor

All about maintenance in season.

It depends a lot on when the next game is etc.
If there's a game on a Saturday, they might squat on Tuesday but not to max Levels.

Maybe 3 x 5 @ 75-85%

I don't think soccer players would do a huge amount of squatting in season at all but I could be corrected on that.

I'd imagine they do a lot of single leg work & stability stuff in the weights room.

Undercover Brother

I know some amateur rugby players who certainly squat heavy with matches coming up, so obviously they think it's of benefit to them. A good mate of mine is an inter county GAA player. He's seriously fit but never does any gym work or weights despite what his trainers tell him. So yeah I suppose it really is different strokes for different folks. It's just that after I squat (not heavy) my legs are in bits for at least a couple of days after. But then I'm nowhere near being a serious athlete haha

Chancer3001

also know another senior GAA player from a top county,

their gym routine was; one set of 8, 2nd set to fail. "light" weights.

12kg flys for example.

And one of them got player of the year

Nermal

Undercover Brother wrote: »

Any thoughts?

Yes, you're not guzzling growth hormone like they are. Examine the face of a certain previous England captain, and tell me it doesn't look like Ken Griffey Jr's run in with 'nerve tonic' in The Simpsons.

Brian?

Nermal wrote: »

Yes, you're not guzzling growth hormone like they are. Examine the face of a certain previous England captain, and tell me it doesn't look like Ken Griffey Jr's run in with 'nerve tonic' in The Simpsons.

So all professional rugby players are on HGH? What a load of nonsense.

Nermal

briankeating wrote: »

So all professional rugby players are on HGH? What a load of nonsense.

Not necessarily all. You can make your own estimate given the difficulty of testing for it, the ease of obtaining it, and the laughable testing regime in rugby. My estimate would be over 50%. By the way, I still enjoy rugby even after coming to grips with how prevalent doping is in sport - but not as much.

I'm not saying it's the only difference between Undercover Brother and a professional, but it's definitely one of them.

Undercover Brother

What exactly is growth hormone? Does it just inflate your muscles or what? A guy I know (used to be a competitive bodybuilder and won a lot of competitions over the years) used to keep stuff in his freezer that he injected directly into his muscles, biceps or whatever. I always assumed it was steroids but a friend told me it was growth hormone that he imported from America. Or are steroids and growth hormone the same thing? This isn't something I have any knowledge on at all. The bodybuilder I know doesn't compete anymore so I presume he's stopped doing it.

Inspector Coptoor

It's a hormone that stimulates growth.

Of all tissue in the body.

Not just muscle.

If you had one tiny cancerous cell floating around in your body and you started taking GH, it'd be like adding petrol to a fire

nice_guy80

I'd say most professional athletes do far more deadlifting and olympic type lifts than squats

they'd also do a lot of single leg work

M three

Undercover Brother wrote: »

Hi all

Just a random unimportant question here. Does anybody know if professional athletes do much legwork during their playing/competing season? Because I was doing squats 2 days ago and my legs are still killing me! There's no way I could play a match at the minute. Now I'm not comparing myself to a professional in any way but surely if footballers do heavy squats during a week they have a match it must affect them? Any thoughts? Thanks

Are you used to doing squats?
Did you warm up/down and stretch before and after and also stretch the following day? You shouldnt be feeling "pain" more than 2 days after a weights session.
any tightness or discomfort you feel can be worked out by stretching.
You also need fuel to build new muscle and give you the energy for a weights session. Are you eating the right food, drinking lots of water and avoiding drinking alcohol?
Just my two cents

d'Oracle

Undercover Brother wrote: »

Hi all

Just a random unimportant question here. Does anybody know if professional athletes do much legwork during their playing/competing season? Because I was doing squats 2 days ago and my legs are still killing me! There's no way I could play a match at the minute. Now I'm not comparing myself to a professional in any way but surely if footballers do heavy squats during a week they have a match it must affect them? Any thoughts? Thanks

I'm pretty sure that:

1) it depends on the sport
2) it depends on the coach
3) it depends on the athlete
and
4) nobody here has any clue whatsoever what professional athletes in those sports do in training.

Hanley

d'Oracle wrote: »

4) nobody here has any clue whatsoever what professional athletes in those sports do in training.

Nobody? At all? Any professional athlete?