Fuller's Gym and Rugby Log
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yep ive just started using creatine and noticed improvements almost immediately... <br />
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heres a great article on workout nutrition<br />
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[url="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek37.htm"]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek37.htm[/url] -
3-4 weeks into pre season training and still over a month to go until the season proper kicks off last night we had a our first full on training session.<br />
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Last 20 mins were a full contact session. <br />
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Amazing how long it takes to get back into contact mode, even hitting rucks and taking the ball up 100% takes a while to get into. <br />
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Neck and shoulders are aching like a mo fo now. -
First match ourt of the way...we smashed Kanturk by 60 odd points to zero and they stopped the game after 60 mins.<br />
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Gave us all around 30 mins each and was a useful run out to blow the cobwebs away.<br />
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Three weeks to the next pre-season game and time to get some real fitness work in methinks. -
Am up to 14 stone 1pound now. The weight is till slowly slowly coming on.<br />
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Rugby training is Tuesday and Thursday. I can fit in weights on Monday, Wednesday and Sat/Sunday. <br />
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This is leaving scant time to fit in some aerobic work, but i fit in maybe one hill run in addition to the running in training during the week. It is working ok at the moment because i am still putting weight on slowly and in the first pre-season run out felt fine.<br />
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Still the mrs is starting to whinge that she never sees me so i may have to knock Wednesday's weights on the head. Women! -
Next game is around a week away now and the pre-season training is getting more agressive. Gone from coaching on moves, skills and how to move a defence around and we are on to getting our D back into the shape it was last year. It is a breath of fresh air to get a really good and organised defence as secxond nature in a team.<br />
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We are having a tournament on the Friday night, loodlit and involving around 6 teams (15 a side) then a 7's touch comp on the Saturday day. So it will be a hard week.<br />
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Have not been able to get to the gym as much as i was (4 times a week) partly due to never seeing the bird (who i live with) and also having gone on a stag weekend etc...nor have i been able to take the creatine as religiously. Still back on track last night with a shoulder sesh and have been back on teh creatine.<br />
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The rugby training has been my main source of fitness but i am also about to make a renewed effort to get some juice in the legs by getting back onto the 2k hill runs. Two a week, did one on Monday evening and will do another Sat morning.<br />
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It is a real struggle at the moment fitting in Rugby sessions/Weights sessions/Own fitness sessions as well as a social life and work. Thus far it has been the social life that has fallen off!<br />
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But considering that my playing weight last year was around 13.5 stone and is now 14 stone 1 pound i am not too bothered. -
Increased bench press last night by 5kgs, consolidated the previous weight over two and a half week period until i could push out a set of 8 on it and then a follow up set of 6. Last night switched up and managed 5 on the first set and then progressively less after. Happy with it though as i am now not far off pushing 100% of body weight, aim by the start of the season is to be pushing 110%.<br />
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Weight is staying around the 14 stone, 14 stone 1 pound level but i need to step up the cardio work, outside of rugby training (twice a week) i am doing relatively little running. Need to get more balance in the exercise shedule but am reluctant to step it up to such a degree that i lose any weight gains as the bastards have taken me months to gain.<br />
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This Wednesday i am off climbing, used to do a lot of it when i was in uni and used to find it a great benefit in rugby at that time due to the strength it gives you in your core, lats and forearms/hands. Hopefully it will shock the muscles a bit and allow me some gains in the gym. -
[quote name='NTA']<br />
Yeah keep changing it up Fuller or your muscles get used to the routine. Also make sure you do your military press, chinups and dips to get the core strength going as well as develop "real-world" strength from those exercises.<br />
[/quote]<br />
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I am contemplating a switch for a week or so to body weight exercises, so chin ups, dips, stomach, push ups etc....just to break it up. In fact i shall do it while on a week long hol in Rhodes.<br />
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Lst night's pre-season training was without doubt the worst i have been involved with, too many people, too dark too early, no one listening - utter shite. -
Pre-season training got back on track last night with a good session, loads of skills and a final 15 minute full comntact game at the end.<br />
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There was one player there who looked uncommonly like one Mr Voyeurs. -
Building up to a 15 a side competition, under floodlights on Friday. Will be 4 teams involved, two from Dublin i believe and should be an enjoyable night.<br />
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Am off on hols for a week from Sat though so i want to fit in another big weights session on Thursday and then a smaller on on Sat morning. While i am away i will have to concentrate on bodyweight exercises etc....<br />
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Weight is still creeping on, and i am making some good gains/copnsildation on the weights, starting to feel the benefit when taking contact in rugby at the moment, where before i would hit the deck, now i can make some ground.<br />
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Thinking of getting on the protein shakes as well as teh creatine to see if i can shunt a bit more weight on, but i am a little fearful that it will disrupt the fine line oi have been treading between putting on weight and getting fit for the season.<br />
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Voyeurs has joined me at the club now and will be getting his first run out in anger on Friday evening. Excellent!!! -
I have been away on holiday for a week in Greece where apart from some push ups of a morning i did very little, the first weights session i did when i came back though i added 5kgs to my Bench press Which is now my own body weight.<br />
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However, due to work at the moment i am seriously struggling to get to the gym as much as i want to, and am having to settle for pushing some weights at home, which is much more limited. <br />
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Played a game last sat, at a low level due to being absent for a number of weeks, it was teh first full game i have played since upping my weight from a playing weight of around 13 and a quarter stone to 14 stone 1 pound and it made a massive difference in terms of taking contact and making yards or being able to stop bigger players than myself. This is good as it shows you what you have been working for the past few months.<br />
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Once i get the next week out of the way i will be able to do a lot more gym work again and will also be looking to start on some protein shakes to push up to around 14stone 4 pounds by the middle of the season hopefully.<br />
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Anyway, first training session (rugby) in 3 weeks was last night and have another game this sat. Looking forward to it. -
General Fitness is ok, but could be much much better, these past few weeks i have been so busy with work that i have only been to teh gym around once a week and rugby training once if i can. The games i have amde on the sat have been hard work when it gets a buit loose and i didn't feel great.<br />
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I will draw my conclusions in a few weeks when i get back into the swing of things.<br />
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What i have found is that my calves have been tightening up within 5 mins of jogging, i need to warm up just my calves for arouynd 20 mins to ensure that they don't cramp up. I put this down to the creatine, i read somewhere that athletes Iwan Thomas stopped taking it in powcder form when it gave him the same problems....<br />
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Fitness wise - it is less the additional weight and more the fact that i have near no time to any focussed running. If i have rugby training Tues and Thursday nights...and weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday...with a game sat, i only have a free day on Sunday. I either cut down on the gym (which i am loath to do) or tag on some extra running after training..<br />
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Need another off season i reckon. -
My aerobic fitness has never been a strength <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> but the heavier I can lift, the longer it takes my lower body to warm up before any form of cardio or team training. Takes about 30 minutes before my body feels loose and ready to go. (by which time I feel exhausted from warming up so long!)
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Have played 2 games in our merit league (for Finchley 2's) this year, the first at 13, the second as 11. We lost both!!!!!<br />
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We have a top back line, with most of us in the mix in terms of selection for the 1st team but our pack tends to be slow to break downs and leaks possession in contact. We have a good line out but the cscrum is average we just find it difficult to hold on to possession.<br />
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Both games this year we have cut them to pieces in the backs but then been bullied in the pack, with bost games being lost by arond 6 points.<br />
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This weekend i played my old team - and managed to get on the scoreboard Ha! <br />
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Got the gym on Friday and Sunday so sandwhiched playing with gym work. But there aren't enough hours in the day nor days in the week at the moment. -
Oh and i have come off the Creatine for a bit.<br />
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I found i was getting really bad cramps in my calves and so will leave it be for a bit. I have read that you should use it in cycles anyway. SO i wil give it around 5 weeks before getting back on it, maybe in tablet form. -
Went on the gas for the first time this season the night before a game. It was my debut for the 1st team ina friendly and i almsot fainted while sretching my calves out. Felt like shit, had no energy and couldn't get in the game at all. Crap. Against a team of bums as well.<br />
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Awesome preperation. -
Did a chest session last night and first gain in a while since hitting a plateau a few weeks ago. Since i have come off the cretine it has certainly been a bit harder but last night i managed gains on bench, incline bench (on smith) and dumbell press.<br />
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Got the bench press up to 95kgs for 3 reps, so i am now pushing more than my body weight by 5kgs. Aim was to get to 100kg lift by Autumn, so i am just about on course i reckon.<br />
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Am fucked today though. -
you will be lucky to make any gains, or even stop yourself from slipping in the weights department once the season starts proper, sodon't get too disheartened when this starts to happen. Between injuries and lack of recovery, the weights just slip - it sucks...