No.13's training.

Not a major introduction, I may do that another time. But I've not trained since before Xmas, where I spent 8weeks doing "Madcows 5x5" (http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/index.htm). In this 8 week period all my lifts went up between 5-10kg.

I play rugby once a week as well as one skills session and another day in the gym performing sprints on rower/cycle/cross trainer.

Age: 20 (trained for approximately 14months)
Height: 5ft 11"
Weight: Bounces around between 90-92kg
Diet: Not spot on, but pretty good 90% of the time

1RM
Deadlift: 140kg
Squat: 110
Bench: 110

5RM
Deadlift: 120
Squat: 100
Bench: 105

As you can see, lifts aren't great by any means but that's the whole point of this journal. Hopefully can get some advice from the more experienced guys on the board .

General routine will be as follows:

Sunday (light day)
Squat
MP/Push Press
Deadlift
Assistance - Pullups/Lat Raises

Tuesday (heavy)
Squat
Bench
BB Row
Assistance - Goodmornings/Abs

Thursday (medium)
Squat
Bench
BB Row
Assistance - BB Curls/Tricep Extensions

This is pretty much the same as I did before Xmas only this time the intention is to run it for 12weeks.

Supplements:
Whey
Maltodextrin
Multi Vit

Journal

Lifts from "light" day and first proper session for a good month or so.

Squat
45kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

Military Press
35kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 5
57.5kg x 5

Deadlift
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 5
97.5kg x 5
110kg x 5

Chins
BW x 8
BW x 6

DB Lateral Raise
7.5kg x 12
7.5kg x 12

Body was pretty much in agony before session from Rugby. Legs felt better after the squats though, unfortunately the MP seemed to aggravate my right shoulder which was already uncomfortable from the game.

"Heavy" day should be a barrel of laughs

Journal

First week of "Heavy" session tonight.

Squat
45kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
70kgx 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg

BB Bench
45kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
70kgx 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg

BB Row (my shoulder made this particularly uncomfortable)
32.5kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
65kg x 5

Goodmornings
40kg x 8
40kg x 8

Leg Raises
x 12
x12

Journal

"Medium" day.

Squat
45kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
95kg x 3
70kg x 8

Bench
45kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
95kg x 3
70kg x 8

Row
32.5kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
67.5kg x 3
50kg x 8

DB Tri Extension
10kg x 8
10kg x 8
10kg x 8

BB Curls
40kg x 6
40kg x 6
40kg x 6

Journal

"Light" day

Squat
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

Military Press
37.5kg x 5
45kg x 5
52.5kg x 5
60kg x 5

Deadlift
70kg x 5
85kg x 5
100kg x 5
115kg x 5

DB Lateral Raise
7.5kg x 12
7.5kg x 12
7.5kg x 12

Journal

"Heavy" session, skipped assistance work due to lack of time.

Heavy" session tonight.

Squat
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kgx 5
82.5kg x 5
95kg

BB Bench
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kgx 5
82.5kg x 5
95kg

BB Row
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
67.5kg x 5

Journal

"Medium" day.

Squat
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 5
97.5kg x 3
70kg x 8

Bench
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 5
97.5kg x 3
70kg x 8

Row
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
67.5kg x 3
50kg x 8

DB Tri Extension
10kg x 10
10kg x 10
10kg x 10

BB Curls
40kg x 7
40kg x 7
40kg x 7

Journal

"Light Day"

Had a horrible ****ty cold over the weekend. Only just getting over it.

"Light" day

Squat
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5

Military Press
40kg x 5
45kg x 5
52.5kg x 5
60kg x 5

Then did a further 60kg x 5 push press

Deadlift
72.5kg x 5
87.5kg x 5
102/5kg x 5
117.5kg x 5

Chins
BW x 10
BW x 8

DB Lateral Raise
10kg x 10
10kg x 10
10kg x 7

Journal

"Heavy" session

Squat
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kgx 5
85kg x 5
97.5kg x 5

BB Bench
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kgx 5
85kg x 5
97.5kg x 5

BB Row
35kg x 5
45kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
67.5kg x 5

Goodmornings
40kg x 10
40kg x 10

Kneeling Ab-rollout
x 8
x 8

Journal

Lifts from Wednesday's "Medium" session.

Squat
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
85kg x 5
100kg x 3
72.5kg x 8

Bench
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
85kg x 5
100kg x 3
72.5kg x 8

Row
35kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
50kg x 8

Chins
BW x 10
BW x 6

Weighted Dips
+10kg x 6
+10kg x 6

Kneeling Ab Rollouts
x8
x6



Just about to crack on with next session, post workout up later.
I'm also going to rejig the routine and accessory exercises abit, including the order in which I perform Medium/Light/Heavy days. Though again, all workouts will be performed on non-consecutive days, with at least 1, if not 2 days rest in between.

Day 1:
Light Squat 4 x 5
OHP 4 x 5
Deadlift 4 x 5
WG Pullups 2 x MAX
Lat Raise 2 x 6 -12

Day 2:
Medium Squat 4x5, 1x3, 1x8
Medium Bench 4x5, 1x3, 1x8
Medium Row 4x5, 1x3, 1x8
Weighted Dips 2 x 5-10
Chinups 2 x MAX
Ab Rollout 2 x MAX

Day 3:
Heavy Squat 5 x 5
Heavy Bench 5 x 5
Heavy Row 5 x5
Goodmornings 2 x 8-12
Ab Rollout 2 x MAX

Day 4:
Once every fortnight or so I'll include some direct arm work depending on how I'm feeling, how my diet's been, how much I've rested etc etc. But the top 3 days are my main priority.

Journal

Light Session.

Squat
50kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
75kg x 5
75kg x 5

OHP
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5
55 kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
62.5kg x 5 (pushpress)

Deads
62.5kg x 5
75kg x 5
90kg x 5
105kg x 5
120kg x 5 < equalled my PB, but felt so easy! Co-incidentally, this is also the first time I've used a mixed grip. New PB coming next week!

WG Pullups (I suck at these, but wanted to mix it up abit with chins too)
BW x 4
BW x 4
BW x 4

-> I realise in my post above I said I'd only do 2 x MAX pullups, but until I start hitting some higher numbers I'll be performing a 3rd too for the time being

Lat. Raise
10kg x 10
10kg x 10

All in all a very enjoyable session, finished in under an hour and feeling great.

Journal

Medium.

Squat
50kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
75kg x 5
87.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 3
75kg x 8

Bench
50kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
75kg x 5
87.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 3
75kg x 8

Row
35kg x 5
45kg x 5
52.5kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 3
52.5kg x 8

Chins
BW x 10
BW x 6

Weighted Dips
+10kg x 8
+10kg x 6

Journal

Last thursday, 1hour badminton in the morning and a 2hour training session at rugby in the evening.

"Heavy" session on the Friday, followed by a game on Sunday (yesterday).

"Heavy" session

Squat
50kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
75kgx 5
87.5kg x 5  << Really struggled today
100kg x 5  << Again, difficult, think the problem is with my core - just not strong enough, something I'm going to have to work on big time! Lower back felt pretty uncomfortable.

BB Bench
50kg x 5  << Arms already felt like jelly! No energy today at all.
62.5kg x 5
75kgx 5
87.5kg x 5
100kg x 5  << Felt strong now, could/should have pushed for a 6th.

BB Row
35kg x 5
45kg x 5
52.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5

Goodmornings
40kg x 8
40kg x 8

Kneeling Ab-rollout
x 12
x 10

Considering how ****e I felt, I'm pretty happy to be getting some strength back. Think my legs struggled with all the cardio from the day before!

Journal

Your bench seems to be flying up. Probs manage 110kg for a single now/soon.

 Body Weight - 75kg
Bench - 135kg
Squat - 180kg
Deadlift - 180kg

Total - 495kg

110kg went up easily before Xmas but I'm not bothering with singles at the moment. I may try and progress onto triples in the next few weeks. Managed 107.5kg x 3 in December, so I'd like to get back to that stage.

Journal

Did some stretching and a quick arms session tonight.

Kneeling Ab rollout x 10, 8

BB Curl
20kg x 15
30kg x 12
35kg x 10

DB Curl
17.5kg x 8, 8, 8

Hammer Curls
17.5kg x 6, 6, 6 << Forearms pumped to hell

BW Dips x 16, 9

Standing DB Tri Extension (2handed)
30kg x 6, 6, 6

Single arm DB Tri Ext
10kg x 8, 8, 8

Ab Rollout (again!) x 8, 8, 8

Felt like I had to do something was going to have a rest after yesterdays game, but wouldn't have been able to squat and didn't fancy a massive session. Was good to get abit of a sweat on!

Journal

Light Session.

Squat
50kg x 5
65kg x 5
77.5kg x 5
77.5kg x 5

OHP
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
55 kg x 5
65kg x 4 + 1 Pushpress
65kg x 5 (pushpress)
65kg x 5 (pushpress)

Added an extra set of pushpress presses, but well... I  forgot I'd already done one. Had a phonecall midway through and had a temporary memory lapse!

Deads
60kg x 5
77.5kg x 5
92.5kg x 5
110kg x 5
122.5kg x 5  << PB 125kg next week no problem.

WG Pullups
BW x 3
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 3

Lat. Raise
10kg x 11
10kg x 8

When performing these it feels as though my shoulder is cracking or something. Strange senesation. Not particulary uncomfortable but can't be good either?!?

Journal

Right, today was time for a change. Having done 5x5 for the past 6weeks, and the 6week prior to Xmas, I felt a much needed change was in order.

Going to give WS4SB a try again. Made some strength gains when I followed it last time, just found volume was a tad much. But with diet sorted now, hopefully it shouldn't be so much of an issue.

Therefore, today was Max Effort Upper Body:

Barbell Bench
Bar x 10
50kg x 10
70kg x 8
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
100kg x 5

Incline DB Bench
30kg x 9
25kg x 8
25kg x 11

DB Row / Rear Delt Flyes Supersets
1) 25kg x 12 / 2.5kg x 12
2) 25kg x 12 / 5kg x 8
3) 25kg x 10 / 5kg x 10

DB Shrugs
25kg x 12
25kg x 12
25kg x 12

DB Curls
15kg x 8
15kg x 8
15kg x 8


Took 52mins in total. Felt sick by the end, totally shattered. Nice to do some dumbbell work again though. It was also the first time I've tried MyProtein's Pulse. I only used approximately 7-9g of the stuff as a tester, but could definately feel the effects. I felt much more focused, actually found the taste quite enjoyable too. Next couple workouts I'll stick at 10g, then move to 20g for a week or two, before taking a couple weeks off from it.

Journal

Lower body yesterday. Was in agony during the squats, and keeping rest to a minimum meant I was sweating buckets.

Squat
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
102.5kg x 5 << PB but I just feel extremely weak in my core, trying ever so hard not to goodmorning it.

DB Split Squats
15kg x 6
15kg x 6
15kg x 6

SLDL
60kg x 10
60kg x 10
60kg x 10

"Ground-based ab circuit". Boy was I **** at this, was aiming for a minimum of 2 sets of 10rep for each exercise with 90s rest between each set - had to pretty much give up midway through the second set

Sprinter Situps - 10
V ups - 10
Toe Touches - 6
Hip Thrusts - 10

2nd set

Sprinter Situps - 9
V ups - 2
Toe Touches - 3
Hip Thrusts - 3

Time: 49mins

Rugby Training tonight, legs and abs were extremely sore!

Journal

Jesus christ my legs were bad today, I've got a game tomorrow too
I actually struggled to get off the toilet at one point and fell back onto the seat with a loud thud.

Anyhoo, repetition upper body today. Not a great session, but my body isn't used to all this volume work At least I know where I stand currently and can only aim to getter each session.

Bit gutted on the chins tbh, and lack of DB usage lately meant my pressing sucked. Gah.

DB Bench (just working sets)
32.5kg x 10
32.5kg x 8
325.kg x 8

Real ****.

Chins / Rear Delt Flyes superset. - 4sets.
1) BW x 8 / 5kg x 10
2) BW x 7 / 5kg x 10
3) BW x 6 / 5kg x 10
4) BW x 6 / 5kg x 10

1 arm DB Shoulder Press (standing)
20kg x 8
20kg x 8
20kg x 8
20kg x 8

Reverse BB Shrug / DB Curl superset - 3 sets
1) 40kg x 8 / 15kg x 8
2) 40kg x 8 / 15kg x 8
3) 40kg x 8 / 15kg x 8

The reverse shrugs felt extremely strange, I think I have overdeveloped glutes (read: massive arse) which made it slightly difficult. ROM seemed pretty small.

Overall time: 56mins < Though I'm sure I could cut this down as I spent a fair bit of time fannying around with the DB's.

Journal

Game on saturday - lost. Barrel of ****e, had to come off after 70mins to go to A&E to have my ear-lobe stitched! Nasty stuff. Been pretty stiff last couple of days.

Max effort upper body today.

Barbell Bench
Bar x 10
50 x 8
70 x 6
85 x 5
95 x 3
105 x 3 << Just. Have managed 105x5 just before Xmas and so ideally would like to beat this. 102.5 x 5 next week.

DB Incline Bench (2x Max)
25 x 18
25 x 15

DB Row / Rear Delt Flyes Supersets
1) 30kg x 8 / 6.25kg x 10
2) 30kg x 8 / 6.25kg x 10
3) 30kg x 8 / 6.25kg x 10
4) 30kg x 8 / 6.25kg x 10

Absolutely knackered at this point.

DB Shrugs
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10

DB Curl
15kg x 10
15kg x 10
15kg x 8

Time: 57mins

Elbows feeling very sore!

Journal

Sounds like you had a hard game on saturday!
Nasty about your ear. Hope its not too bad!
I'm always, almost having my ears torn off playing flank.

I'm still suffering from saturday as well. Hoping to put in a session tonight, but i'm probably going to be making my 1st team debut on saturday.

Good luck with the training. Its good that you keep up with it, even when feeling crap! I need to get that willpower back.

30
5'8''
77Kg BW

Heavy Metal Squared Journal

Cheers Tom.

Absolute fantastic session tonight. Was dreading it due to being a "bit" hungover and lacking sleep, was even contemplating skipping it, but no, I couldn't. So I took full dosage of MP's Pulse, 20g, with a banana pre-workout.

Lifts as follows:

Squat
50kg x 8
60 x 8
75 x 3
85 x 3
95 x 3
105 x 3 <PB!! Chuffed with this, and it felt good. I usually feel as if my back is rounding but felt solid today so I did abit more...
112.5 x 1 << PB!! Last time I had anything over 105kg on my back was last summer, where I got 110kgfor 1 and that was slow. This just shot up.
120 x 1 << PB!! 120 is a big milestone for me and im as happy as a pig in ****!
125 x 1 << PB!! Pushed myself a little bit more, depth was even lower than the previous lift, but my core didn't feel as tight, but I got it up nonetheless

DB split squats
15kg x 6
15kg x 6
15kg x 6

These were absolutely shattering, weight remained the same as of last week. Quads pumped to hell.

SLDL
70kg x 10
70kg x 10
70kg x 10

Very tired by point.

Ab Circuit.
Sprint Sit ups - 10
V ups - 10
Toe Touches - 8
Hip Thrusts - 10

2nd Set
Sprinter Sit Ups - 10
V ups - 5
Toe Touches - 3
Hip Thrusts - 10

Shattered. The ab circuit really finishes me off, but I'm made up with my squatting. 1RM are now 125/110/140, 375 total, aim is 400 before summer .

Rugby training tomorrow night, let's hope Upper body on friday is as productive!

4 PB's in the space of 20mins or so, fantastic!

Journal

Couldn't get to rugby training tonight and found myself just arsing around the house so decided to bring tomorrow's Upper body session forward to tonight. Lifts as follows:

DB Flat Bench
15kg x 12
25kg x 8
32.5kg x 12
32.5kg x 10
32.5kg x 8


Chinup / Rear Delt superset
1) BW x 8 / 6.25kg x 12
2) BW x 8 / 6.25kg x 12
3) BW x 4 / 6.25kg x 12
4) BW x 5 / 6.25kg x 12

1-arm DB Shoulder Press
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
20kg x 10

Reverse BB Shrug / Hammer Curl Superset
1) 50kg x 10 / 15kg x 10
2) 50kg x 10 / 15kg x 10
3) 50kg x 10 / 15kg x 10

56mins. All weight and/or reps up on each exercise bar those sodding chinups! Must do better next week...

Journal

For those interested, diet has been posted in the D&N section >  Here

Journal

Good squat pb. How much lower did you go with 125? 140kg soon?

 Body Weight - 75kg
Bench - 135kg
Squat - 180kg
Deadlift - 180kg

Total - 495kg

Hey jack, I'd say 120 was about parallel, but didn't take much of a rest time, hence why it felt so difficult. 125 well below parallel so was pretty chuffed. Would have been much prettier had I missed out 120.

I would absolutely love 140 by september. I break up from Uni next week, and have 3 weeks of erratic training and fieldcourses. As of 21st April however I have little in the way and so would like to hit a 140squat, 120 bench, 160 dead by the time the new semester starts. 420 total would be very nice! 500 by Xmas 2010 would make me happy.

Journal

Here's Mondays ME Upper Body Day:

(Tbh, I wasn't expecting much as I'd had some sort of 24hr bug on the saturday, felt better by sunday and normal on monday so I thought I'd go ahead with lifting.

BB Bench
50 x 8
75 x 5
82.5 x 5
92.5 x 5
102.5 x 4 << Had nothing left in me
102.5 x 2

Incline DB Bench
25kg x 20
25kg x 15

DB Row / Rear Delt Flyes Supersets
1) 30kg x 10 / 7.5kg x 8
2) 30kg x 10 / 7.5kg x 8
3) 30kg x 8 / 7.5kg x 8
4) 30kg x 8 / 7.5kg x 8

DB Shrugs
30kg x 12
30kg x 12
30kg x 12

DB Curls
15kg x 12
15kg x 12
15kg x 10

Time: 70mins! God know what happened, time got away from me! But wasn't as bad a session as I was expecting

Journal

Been mega busy with Uni work this week, diets been ****e, rest non existant. Lowerbody training tonight, repetition upper body last night:

DB Bench
15kg x 12
25kg x 10
32.5kg x 14
32.5kg x 10
32.5kg x 8

Chinup / Rear Delt superset
1) BW x 10 / 7.5kg x 10
2) BW x 8 / 7.5kg x 10
3) BW x 6 / 7.5kg x 10
4) BW x 6 / 7.5kg x 10

1arm DB Press
22.5kg x 8
22.5kg x 8
22.5kg x 8
22.5kg x 8

Reverse BB Shrug / Hammer Curl Superset
1) 50kg x 10 / 17.5kg x 8
2) 50kg x 10 / 17.5kg x 8
3) 50kg x 10 / 17.5kg x 8

Time: 55mins.


Still not sure on the ol'reverse shrugs, trying to work on technique.

Journal

Well done on the PB's mate. Your showing some good consistency with the training too mate.

Hello my friend, I see you're back again.

Cheers ste, consistency hasn't been too bad, but would like it to be better, especially with my sleep patterns and diet

Anyway, tonight > legs...

BB Squat
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 5 (just experimenting with different stances!)
70 x 3
85 x 3
100 x 3
110 x 3 <<< PB!!! Zooom, well chuffed. Last week I thought my 1RM was 110, smashed that, and managed to triple 110. Amazing how good a PB makes you feel
90 x 3

So happy my squats are finally progressing! Unfortunate that my bench seems to be going in the opposite direction however.

DB Split Squats
17.5kg x 6
17.5kg x 6
17.5kg x 6 << These were a nightmare trying to keep my balance, pretty difficult

SLDL
60 x 6
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8 << Going to try and use the 15kg plates next week for added ROM, struggling to feel it in my hammies.


Ab Circuit.
Sprint Sit ups - 10
V ups - 10  <<< Glad I train at home, I look like a total dick doing these
Toe Touches - 9
Hip Thrusts - 10

2nd Set
Sprinter Sit Ups - 10
...

Abs fried, knackered, that was enough
Time: 55mins.

Journal

Right, back home now.
10days of trekking through North Wales was abit of a ****ter, good cardio though I guess. Food was rubbish, sleep was non-existent, alcohol was present....

Time to get things back on track.

This week will be abit different, bit of a split, nothing majorly intense, high reps as I concentrate on getting my diet back on track and put some weight back on! I farted around with some benching today, but nothing worth of mentioning.

As from the 20th, I'll go back to WS4SB and change around some of my lifts.

On ME day my main lift will change to close-grip bench, with the assistance exercise being weighted pushups. DB Row will change to BB Row.
DB Curls change to Seated Hammer Curls.

ME Lower body day, the only change will be split squats which are to be replaced by walking lunges.

Repetition upper body will see flat DB bench change to incline, 1arm Shoulder Press to Military Press, and finally I'll also include some grip work too towards the end of the session.

Ill do this for 4weeks and make some more changes then.

Journal

Last night was my first proper session in 3weeks. I had to stop midway as I thought I was going to pass out during the supersets, felt totally **** but even more determined to get back to some sort of structure.

CG Bench
50 x 5 x 3
60 x 5
70 x 5
80 x 5
90 x 4
92.5 x 3  << First time I've ever done reasonably heavy CGBP, so was trying to find my starting point.

Weighted Pushups +10kg
x 20
x 17

BB Row / Rear Delt Flye Superset
1) 60kg x 6 / 10kg x 8
2) 60kg x 6 / 10kg x 8
3) 60kg x 6 / 10kg x 8
4) 60kg x 6 / 10kg x 8

BB Shrugs
60kg x 15
60kg x 15
60kg x 15
60kg x 15

Seated Hammer Curls
10kg x 15 x 4

Not a particularly fantastic session but it's a start. Diet has been back on track too for the last couple of days.

Journal

Loving the journal mate. Especially with you playing rugby. Ill be starting in July for pre season for the first time ever lol. Im pretty nervous and trying to put some size on so i dont get roughed up too much lol. Anything i should expect or be ready for? Pranks/type of training in pre season/what they will show me first because iv never played before/Will i train with everyone else straight away? Any advice would be great.

Keep up with journal mate as im watching with great interest :)

Hello my friend, I see you're back again.

Cheers for the kind words Ste.

What club/level are you gunning for? My first piece of advice wouldn't be to worry too much about size if your playing at an amateur level. You look a decent size so hopefully at some point your strength should match that too! Pre-season will generally be endurance fitness/touch rugby for the first few weeks so don't worry about getting roughed up Then training generally moves to more specific training, handling, skills, tackling, conditioning and other anaerobic work.

Most new guys (me included, I took up rugby quite late compared to most), concentrate too much on weight work, but some of the best players I know/play with barely touch weights at all, they're fast, skillful and fit. If you can outsprint your opposite man, you don't need to be 15/16st . Also begin able to last the whole 80mins at a decent pace will make you a valuable asset depending on what level you play at. Again, you can be big and strong but if you knackered by 60mins, your pretty much screwed for the last 20, because you'll be hurting big time! If you can continue make the hard yards and pop up in support for the whole game, or have it in you to sprint at full tilt in the 75th minute when everyone else is knackered, you'll have an edge over others. I've played at my club for the 1st team, all the way to the 5th team, and I'd say the most notable diffeh difference, strength, a little difference, but fitness in the last 20/30mins seems to be what sets the teamsrence between the top 3 teams in the fitness. Size wise, not muc apart.
What position are you going for by the way? If you have an idea that is.

Obviously all clubs have their characters and personalities but I wouldn't worry too much about any pranks etc, not during pre-season anyway! Most clubs would be thankful for fresh faces and additional numbers so just enjoy it

If you have decent hand/eye co-ordination or play football, or other sports it should come abit easier. But all clubs welcome new players at any age, any level, just so long as they want to learn and listen. Again, depending on the club, you'll get a wide variety of people at pre-season. We generally get all the old Vets down who love the endurance stuff and put the younger lads to shame, but then tend to dirft off once the handling and skills bit start so don't worry about being thrown into the deep end, give it a month and you'll find your place . Plus, not all payers attend pre-season so think of it as a way to get to know other people and get a head start over others.

Sorry for rambling, hope it makes sense and helps!

Journal

Nice post mate and thanks for all the answers.
The club is West Leeds RUFC, and its an amateur team playing in the yorkshire division 3.

As for fitness im on a heavy bulk at the moment but can get my fitness up pretty well when i need to, so soon enough i think i will do some hill sprints with my mate and rowing, doing it 1 minute fast and 1 minute slow and maybe some jogging for 60 - 80 mins to get used to it.

Hand eye coordination is pretty good, i can pass the ball well and pretty good at kicking too, drop kicks etc.

As for what position i dont have much of an idea, but being a light weight it would probably be as a back, maybe full back or possibly wing or just outside centre????

Thanks again for all the info mate, i cant wait at all to get training lol. :)

Hello my friend, I see you're back again.

WS4SB is the daddy. Intense but excellent. I put 25kg on my squat in 8 weeks although I was using bands as well.

Keep at it and you'll see great gains.

Been a busy last couple of days! Uni, work, illness, but have managed to train though! i'm not slacking.

Will update either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Journal

Ste, after a couple weeks of training, you'll have more of an idea where you'd like to play hopefully, as will the coach. I read your off to Indonesia for 3weeks, nice way to prepare for preseason .

Right, on tuesday I trained legs, then thursday was upper body, went out for a few drinks thursday night then woke up Friday feeling **** - severe manflu I think which escalated as the day went on. Saturday, and I was bed bound, no sleep, little food and had to cry off from Rugby (last league game of the season!). So wasn't in a good mood. Feeling better today but won't tempt fate and will leave next session until tomorrow.

Anyway, lifts...

BB Squat
50 x 5 x 3
60 x 3
70 x 3
85 x 3
95 x 3
105 x 3
60 x 12

**I'm chasing 110 x 5, pb is 110 x 3 which was done a few weeks ago, but I'm desperate to try and make my squat more respectable.

Walking lunges / BB Calf Raise Superset
10kg x 10 / 60kg x 20
10kg x 10 / 60kg x 20
10kg x 10 / 60kg x 20

SLDL
70kg x 8
70kg x 8
70kg x 8

Ab Circuit:
Sprinter Situps > V-Ups > Toe Touches > Hip thrusts > Repeat.
10, 10, 10, 10.... 90 secs rest, 12, 0, 0, 0

Average session.


Repetition Upper Body.

BB Bench (this was meant to be DB Incline, but  my adjustable DB's were being used by a mate).
<90sec rest between sets)
60kg x 25
60kg x 10
60kg x 10

** Was hoping for far more to be honest!

Chinups / Rear Delt Flyes superset
BW x 6 / 10kg x 8
BW x 6 / 10kg x 8
BW x 6 / 10kg x 8

** Only did 3 sets due to time constraints, pretty pissed off with my chinning ability though.

Military Press / PP
50kg x 8
50kg x 5+3
50kg x 4+4
50kg x 4+4

** Not happy with this either. I was keeping rest periods pretty low, but my pressing seems to have dropped nearly 10kg over the last couple months. ****ing ****.

Reverse BB Shrugs / EZ Curls Superset
50kg x 12 / 22.5kg x 15
50kg x 12 / 22.5kg x 15
50kg x 12 / 22.5kg x 15

40minute session. But wasn't entirely pleased. Really want to progress on all my lifts, but having been ill the last couple of days I'm not very optimistic! I'm planning on entering the MT shapeup comp too, so going to have to pull my finger out

Journal

Ah i see you are entering the competition. Well...good luck on this im sure you will be even more motivated to try and win the £100 of supplements you could get :)

Hello my friend, I see you're back again.