Posted on

Friday, 11th November

Another follow on from yesterday, its important to give this programme some time and not expect results overnight!!

The results WILL come but you have to take into account a lot of factors.

Some kids at 14 are more physically developed than others, and therefore likely to respond quicker than others to this programme and may become outstanding athletes by 15-16.

Some kids take until 17 0r even 18 to really fill out like they hoped due to their physical maturity. This is down to nature but as long as the individual works hard, they will develop into an outstanding physical specimen soon enough. Thats not to say that the person who develops later will be any less strong, their tendons and ligaments will develop amazingly well through weight training, even if their bodyweight lags behind, you just have to give it time and give the programme a chance to work.

The temptation is that the young rugby player/football player panics and gives up on this programme after a few weeks if he doesn’t look like the incredible hulk instantly! I personally guarantee amazing progress in this programmme as long as a proper eating programme is also employed too. 50% of the equation to be in great shape and carrying the kind of muscle mass for modern day rugby is down to good nutrition, and can make the difference from average results to outstanding results. We will touch on that next week.

So now we have got the right guidelines out of the way, and this IS the right way to do things, patience is all you need.

When you train hard, you break down muscle tissue and that needs replacing by eating lots of good quality food high in protein and carbs. People are scared of carbs these days but you wont  grow inless you pack them in, and you wont have energy unless you keep packing them in, this is a fact.

The third element is always sleep, unless you sleep well, you can train until the end of time and you wont grow. Getting to be most nights allows the rugby player to grow and recover from the weight training and sets up perfect conditions to progress quickly.

Nutrition strategies next week………….

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 10th November

To follow on as promised from yesterday, its time to talk about what happens after the first 4-6 weeks.

The first month or so is seen as your perfect opportunity to get used to the various exercises, get used to weight training in general, and get your ligaments and tends to a much greater force than normal, and this DOES take time.

Okay, assuming you get through this period with no problem and you have mastered proper technique, its time to move on to newer more challenging exercises.

Rugby is a tough game, but if you train in the right way, you can make the game a whole lot easier and set yourself up for future success and hopefully avoid injury to a better degree.

So the first week after week 6, assuming you are doing 3 sets per exercise, I would change your programme to the following.

Bench press-still in there as a great power movement

Chins-this is a new one for you, it’s the one where there a bar usually hanging high on the wall or even better from the ceiling. You usually have to jump up on a bench to get to it if you’re not that tall, and all you do is hang on it, and then pull yourself up.

This is a tremendously hard exercise so I would start off doing half movements if you find the full movement too hard. Persevere and you will get better, it may well take 6 months to get to 10 full reps.

Next is one arm dumbbell rowing, look for a demonstration of this on a google search again and is a great back builder, which will be of enormous help if you are mauling in rugby or simply fighting for the ball. Do 3 sets of 8 with a dumbbell that tests you-great exercise!

Then on to legs with squats or leg press. Two great choices there, do which ever suits. I would also put in a leg extension and its important not to lock out on this exercise, and will develop the muscles above the knee very well.

Leg curls are an underrated exercise too. Anyone who has ever pulled their hamstring will wish they would have done this one. A great hamstring developer and important to keep the balance of leg training so everything get worked.

You can add calf raises to the list too, another neglected exercise for the calf of course.

Upright rows is a great mass builder for your shoulders, and will add some serious strength. Shoulder presses can be good especially seated in your younger years, but as you get into your 30’s, try to avoid them as lots of people run into overhead movements with their shoulders as time marches on, so I would pick upright rows.

Bench dips or arm dips are great for triceps as discussed yesterday but I would move on to parallel bars dips from now on. This is much harder exercise than arm dips and when done with a wider grip, will also work your chest, shoulders, arms and back indirectly. Dips is one you ought to get used to and fast, its one of my key exercises but like chins, will take you a while to get used to depending on your current bodyweight.

Then to finish you have dumbbell curls, you arms can still take some work by this stage and strong arms are vital for all sorts of reasons in rugby, and in life in general.

So these are examples of very good weight training exercises after week 6 and these will form the foundation of your training for the next few months.

They will constantly challenge you and push you on to new levels of development and progress.

Please email me on fitness@kerimckibbin.co.uk for further info. Keep it simple and don’t over-complicate.

Even more tomorrow!!

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday, 9th November

A popular request i get a lot of the time is from 14 year old rugby players who want to “bulk up” for rugby.

First of all, 14 is a great age and the recommended earliest age for exercise.

Exercise in terms of weight training is not to be done at 100% flat out capacity with maximum intensity, weight training should be moderate at this age because your bones are still growing. You should start off light under supervision and add weight when the previous weight becomes really easy.

If you’re at a gym, a good programme to start off would be;

one set of everything first week, monday wednesday and friday

two sets of everything second week, same days

three sets of everything in the third week

8 repetitions per exercise and use a weight that tests you over the last couple of reps, but doesnt strain you too much, this is important to follow, NO STRAINING!!!

The exercises

Bench press

squat or leg press

upright rows

one arm dumbbell rowing

arm dips on bench

curls with dumbbells

Plank-aim for 10 seconds working up to 60 seconds over the next few weeks

Most people try to over-complicate things, and of course theres a million other exercises you can pluck out of any magazine, but for best results i would stick to those exercises over the first 4-6 weeks.

Take around one minute in between each set, you’re not there to sit around talking all day!

The first is all about conditioning your body to weight training, it can take a while and some pick it up quicker than others, and after all, you will have plenty of years ahead of you training, so theres no huge pressure to get it right in week one for example!!!

The other temptation is to want to copy others in the gym and want to put too much weight on, this is a big error and two things will happen, you will either get injured or get fed up with not being able to lift as much weight as others!!! This is a long term game and not a flash in the pan type of programme!!!

This is the first basic lesson on how to start off, if you start off properly you will be successful, if you don’t, its highly unlikely you will keep it up even in 3 months!!

More tomorrow!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 8th November

So now we have got used to the idea we can get in great shape, no matter what the time of year and whatever the weather, you can focus all your attention on actually doing it!!!

Showing some resiliance right now is vital to keep you going in the 6 weeks of so left to christmas.

One of the best ways to that is do something different.

Once we change our programme, we freshen our minds and body to fresh stimulation and the reaction is always positive.

You do the same thing day in day out, week in week out and your results are likely to be average at best. You change things every 6-12 weeks and you are setting yourself up for regular changes to your  physical condition.

The idea of freshening things up is very exciting this time of year, the mere fact that we are talking about big improvements before christmas should excite you.

I have  numerous questions lately about a bad back and how you get around it.

First of all, the number one cause of back pain is weight around the trunk area, so you have got to start eating healthy and drink alcohol a maximum of once week only.

Then there’s posture. Lounging around on a settee can be vicious for your back, and lead to weaknesses. Sitting in a chair in a poor position for longer periods can also destroy your back.

Driving for longer distances is another common disaster waiting to happen, regular breaks in your driving would help.

After you do all of these things, you need to strengthen your core (your back, hamstrings, thighs, stomach) in a well thought out way.

A fit ball would work well, those huge inflatable balls, there are various exercises you can use as discussed previously, and this ball would be a great start.

Apologies for the lack of videos on here but i will rectify that at some stage. If you google how to use a fit ball/swiss ball for back pain, that should give you a decent start as there a ton of videos on the net.

Good luck and start right now by changing your food, it will lessen the strain on your back over time and help make you a new person!!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 7th November

The very cold weather has finally arrived and its a big wake up call to your body today!

The first reaction is to stay indoors as much as possible and do your best to “hibernate” until april!!! Just like many animals do in the wild!

Then we have to get real and go about our daily lives the best we can.

So now we have got over the fact that we are not going to curl and freeze for the winter, its time to set out a plan!!

Most of you won’t be on salads for the winter, and you may be already switching to hotter, more filling foods already.

The great news is that you can easily stay fit and healthy in the winter and all of this cold weather is no excuse to go into your shell, or “pig out” on fatty and sugary food!

Take soups for example. Are you the type to make your own version of soup full of natural ingredients or the type to rely on tins of soup? The difference can be startling!

For one, the soup you make naturally has the opportunity to be full of vegetables and a good nourishing meat if you fancy meat.

The soup in a tin is absolutely loaded with salt and usually sugar which is seriously bad news for your health. Salt and excess salt is the best way to develop problems with blood pressure and water retention, so if you want to feel horrid and bloated, go ahead and stick to the tins!!!!

If you’re into feeling and looking healthy, then this winter you STILL need to make fresh natural food your absolute priority!!! Without eating well, you won’t get anywhere near your goals in health terms so its important right now NOT to fall into the trap of tinned toup and other high salt and sigar products. There are lots of winter vegetables you can use to make soups and broths that will nourish your body in a first class way!!

The ideal time to commit yourself to a whole winter of healthy eating is today so lets give it your best!

Twitt