Archive for the ‘Strength’ Category
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
These leaders in their field will all be gathered together for an intense weekend of seminars and conditioning chat. I often get e mails from students and individuals keen to steer their career in the Strength & Conditioning direction. Many people may have read of the high profile appointment of Dublin GAA star Brian Cullen to the Leinster Acadamey, but positions such as this are not easily come by. It is true that S&C is a hard field to break into, and as with many aspects of life, a lot can depend on luck, and being in the right place at the right time. Hard work and dedication is also imperitive. I do have a few tips however, for those wishing follow in the footsteps of these world class coaches.
The first thing any young person aspiring to this career needs to do is to get a relevant qualifications. An understanding of anatomy and physiology is crucial, so any higher level course which concentrates on these areas is beneficial. An excellent knowledge of exercise selection, micro periodisation, innovative uses of older ideas, and intensity variance in the weight room needs to be learned. This is all integrated with the metabolic and neural components of complete athlete’s physical development.
Mikey
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Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Into the last week and the players were really struggling, and dreading the sessions. They were determined though to complete their targets. I was starting to realise that 8 weeks was too long on a regime like this, as their bodies screamed for something easier.
They completed their last deadlift session which had gone up to 140-150kg for 10 x 10. The squats had increased to 130kg for 10 x 10.
I weighed the players 2 days after their last GVT session, and they had gained an average of 4.5 – 6kgs over the eight weeks and lost 2.6% – 4.3% body fat (the high intensity nature of GVT gives you a high aerobic hit).
With this data collected I was happy with the outcome. In summary GVT is brutally hard but it is an effective way to pack on muscle fast.
The two examples listed above were carried out by extremely fit, strong experienced and driven individuals. It is not to say that lesser loadings cannot be achieved succesfully as long as it is safe and intensity is thrown into the mix.
Mikey
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog, rugby strength training, training intensity
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011
My players undertook the first week using this method. Right from the very first session they reported that they felt the intensity ratchet right up in comparison to a normal traditional lower body session. The fact that they were sticking to a 90 secs recovery time after effectively squatting 800kg (10 x 10 of 80 kg), then 600kg of Push Press (10 x 10 of 60kg),meant they had exposed their body to 1400kg of loading in one hit – and they still had 9 hits to go!!!!!
After completing the first 3 sessions in week 1, the feedback from the players was that they felt wee bit sore and stiff, but mentally felt good. GVT becomes a real mental challenge and the players approached all the sessions with the attitude of “Right today I am going to rack deadlift 10 sets of 10 at 120kg. That’s 12000kg. With that I will be doing DB Shoulder Press at 10 sets of 10 of 30kg. That’s another 3000kg. That’s a total of 15000 Kg in 20 minutes!” That’s where they were getting their mental stimulation from!
By week 5 and 6 most players had gained and put on 3.5-5kg. This was all from doing 3 x 30 minute sessions a week. The weight they were lifting had increased, but the cumulative fatigue was starting to kick in. The players found they were eating a lot more in this phase and sleeping really well, 8-9 hours a night.
Mikey
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog, training intensity
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Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
I planned out my GVT training schedule and it took the format of below.
Mon 1) Squat 10×10 @ 80kg Superset with Push Press 10×10 @ 60kg with 90 secs recovery
2) Barbell Shrugs 5×10 @ 80kg S/S wit DB Push Ups 5 x10 Bodyweight with 90 secs recovery
Wed 1) DB Bench 10×10 @ 35kg DB’s S/S with Barbell Curls 10×10 @ 45 kg with 90 secs recovery
2) Dips 5×10
3) S/S with Hammer Curls 5×10 with 90 secs recovery
Fri 1) Rack Deadlifts 10×10 @ 130kg S/S with DB Shoulder Press 10×10 @ 30kg with 90 secs recovery
2) Single Arm DB Row 5×10 @ 45kg S/S with DB Lateral Raise 5×10 @ 10kg with 90 secs recovery
So as you can see there are big volumes involved. If you take the squats alone on Monday – 10 x 10 at 80kg is 8000kg! The other important factor to mention at this juncture is that the beauty of GVT is that it can be completed in under 30 minutes.
The ideal progression is to increase the weight of all the lifts by 5-10 kg per week, or 4-5% of the previous weeks weight if the athlete is able to deal with the initial loadings.
Mikey
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog, rugby strength training, training intensity
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Thursday, May 26th, 2011
I have found another simple exercise that can be implemented into most programmes is knee jumps. My good friend, and world class conditioning coach, Ashley Jones, of All Blacks and Crusaders fame, first showed these to me. Again
knee jumps are fairly self-explanatory. To execute the exercise quite simply kneel down on the floor with the hips relaxed. Swing back the arms to help create some momentum in assisting an explosion up off the floor. The hips should be pushed through as the athlete leaves the ground, to help go from a kneeling to a standing position. When the basic knee jump has been mastered, the athlete can progress to repeating the exercise with a bar placed on the back of the shoulders. Not only does the extra weight add to the difficulty, but the elimination of the arm drive means the more power and momentum must be produced by the lower body.
The two exercises mentioned above, and in fact all jumping exercises, produce the fastest rate of explosive strength. I have always found that explosive strength is best developed by using moderate resistance (a rough figure of around 40% of 1 rep max) with maximum speed. This dynamic method of training is often misunderstood, as athletes and coaches feel unless the athlete is shifting big weights they are not improving for performance.
Mikey
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog, rugby strength training, strength development, strength training for performance
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Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
The explosive power and strength element plays a large role in any training programme. It not only develops absolute strength, but it also can help in improving the cardiovascular abilities of the athlete. Using plyometric style training can develop explosive strength and power. Almost every sport imaginable involves jumping of some sort. This skill is developed with contrast or reactive type training. Some examples of reactive or contrast training include box jumps, band squats, depth jumps, single/double leg bounds, altitude jumps, ravers and load release jumps. These among many other contrast or reactive exercises can be selected to closely mimic what action the athlete does in competition.
Box jumps are one of the simplest, cheapest and easiest of all the contrast methods of training to implement to any training programme. Box jumps are exactly what their name suggests. The athlete literally jumps up onto a box from the ground using both feet. If it is decided to introduce box jumps into a programme, here are a couple of general tips;
1- Start by doing basic jumps onto a normal bench/box.
2- Don’t do too many jumps per session/per week as this can lead to overuse injury. (A figure of 12 – 15 jumps per session is a general safe rule of thumb.)
3- Choose jumping exercises that are specific for your sport.
Mikey
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog
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Thursday, May 12th, 2011
Continuing from last week the next parts of the lift is as follows.
As the bar passes the knees, thrust the hips forwards and shoulders back. On reaching the lockout point, squeeze the glutes as hard as possible. (This will prevent leaning back to finish the lift and stopping short.) At lockout the scapulae are back and down and the athlete stands tall with shoulders back (not rounded forward).
- The lift should be initiated the by driving the legs through the heels. The athlete should push through the floor while simultaneously pulling with the upper back and traps. The idea is to pull fast and explode from the ground with the barbell.
- To return the bar to the platform/ground release the tension in the muscles, so gravity alone allows the bar to return to the floor. Initiate the lowering of the bar by pushing the bum back to unlock the hips without losing the nice flat back.
-As the bar is lowered don’t bend the knees until the bar has passed them, and don’t lower the bar at a very slow rate as this eccentric stress can cause small micro tears in the muscle.
Some of major points that should be incorporated into deadlifting technique are:
-The back should always be flat.
-The bar should be close to shins and thighs throughout lift.
-The feet should always be flat on floor with the centre of gravity over the back half of feet.
- The elbows should be straight, with the triceps squeezed throughout.
-Do not jerk the bar off the floor. It should be a smooth, fast, explosive lift.
Mikey
Tags: core strength, dead lift, deadlift, lifting technique, mike mcgurn rugby blog, rugby strength training, strength development
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Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Moving on from last week lets look at the technique.
-With the barbell resting on the platform/ground, step into the barbell.
-Both feet should be flat on the floor, about shoulder width apart. (Weight should be pulled through the heels and not the toes.)
- Knees should be flexed as in a full squat position, to allow the shins to touch the barbell.
- Don’t stay too long in the low starting position as the stretch reflex is negated after four seconds. A lot of deadlifters make this mistake so not only do they lose the benefits of the stretch reflex, but also lose some stability and form for the forthcoming lift.
- Keep the chest high while pushing the hips back.
- As the hips continue back grab the barbell. The forearms should be touching the sides of the thighs at this stage.
- Back should be flat.
- Keep the head and chest up
- Both elbows should be locked out and squeeze both triceps so as the elbows can’t be bent.
-To begin the deadlift, take a deep breath in and hold that breath. (This will help to stabilize the spine.) Then extend at the hips and knees so that the hips and shoulders move at the same rate, keeping the back flat with the shoulders above or slightly in front of the barbell. 
Tags: dead lift, Lift Technique, lifting technique, mike mcgurn rugby blog, rugby strength training, strength development
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Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
It goes without saying that the 3 main players in the lineout (the 2nd Row for jumps, the hooker for throws, and the front and back row for lifting), all require a high level of strength and power, coupled with a massive core strength. The 2nd rowers require additional plyometric qualities to assist in their jump/lift to receive the ball.
The traditional core strength exercises apply to all three segments of the lineout players. These exercises include squats, deadlifts, push press, med ball throws etc. Lets look at some more position specific drills/exercises that will enhance the ability of the linout to function smoothly.
Good Footwork Both lifters and jumpers must practice footwork movement patterns to improve their ability to get into the positions to both lift and jump. Using ladders and cones to replicate the linout movements is highly beneficial. I often tape 4 landmarks on to the gym floor about 3 metres apart, roughly where jumpers would stand. The players have to sprint to these landmarks, moving their feet really quickly, and at the end of the 4th sprint two players must lift a heavy tackle bag cylinder, mimicing the lifting of a player. For the jumpers (usually no 4 and 5) they must also do the quick feet patterns. At the end of the sprints however, they must lift 2 heavy dumbbells and jump as high as they can, working on explosive power to improve their vertical jump ability. Making jumpers do box jumps, barbell jump squats, band resisted squats, F1 isometric squats will all assist in improving jump height.
Core Strength The core strength required to hold a jumper up in the air, and indeed for the jumper to keep his body stable whilst receiving the ball is immense. The best way to gain this strength is by actually practicing lifting a jumper and have the jumper stay up in a stable positon for 4-8 seconds. This is far longer than a real life situation. Some supplementary work would include push press, dumbbell front squat to arnie press. A barbell snatch also simulates the action required in lifting.
Throwing Exercises Throwers can overload the throwing action by using a weighted rugby ball or medicine balls ball to practice their throw ins. Having strong triceps would also be a good asset for a hooker, as the triceps extend the arm at speed during the throwing action. Exercises such as dips, dumbell push ups and close grip bench press are good exercises to strengthen the triceps.
Mikey
Tags: lineout lifting, lineout physical requirements, mike mcgurn rugby blog, strength development
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
A very beneficial by-product of deadlifting I have found, is the cardiovascular benefit. During some particularly heavy sessions, I have found heart rates of 160-180 beats per minute. Over a training session of 30-35 minutes this will yield an improvement in cardio (heart and lung) function. Contrary to what many may believe, deadlifts actually reduce injury risks. This is because the exercise actually strengthens the all too common weak hamstrings. Many many athletes suffer from weak hamstrings and this leaves them at risk of related injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The execution of the deadlift forces the athlete to train knee and hip extension together, which is a far smarter and specific way of training. This is because this type of movement pattern is much more functional and normal. (When you think about it, an athlete never really moves one joint in isolation. Movement comprises many joints in various planes of motion). This way of training prepares the athlete better for competiton as compared to for example sitting on a leg press machine, or doing hamstring curls on some type of isolated piece of equipment. The very nature of the deadlift exercise allows the athlete to really load up the bar with a lot of tonnage, which will recruit a stack load of motor units and fibres. Ultimately this leads to a greater growth stimulus. When you compare what this compound exercise elicits hormonally to an isolation exercise, it becomes apparent why deadlifting provides such massive strength gains.
Very few exercises in the gym will train grip strength as effectively as the deadlift. Quite simply, if you can’t grip the heavy bar you wont be able to lift it, so your forearm and grip strength is paramount in being able to lift heavy. I heard a great saying from an American deadlifting expert a while back “if you cant grip then you cant rip.”
Tags: mike mcgurn rugby blog
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