Huddersfield Giants Academy Q&A Part 1

I recenty undertook a Q&A session with players/parents who are a part of the Hudderfield Giants academy regarding the ins and outs of training to be a professional athlete. There was a large attendance and some really useful questions were asked from both the boys and parents alike, and while there were way too many questions for them all to be included, here is a summary of the discussion.

Part 2 to follow shortly!

WHAT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SHOULD A 15 YEAR OLD BE DOING? IS IT SAFE TO BE WEIGHT TRAINING OR SHOULD I BE STICKING TO BODY-WEIGHT EXERCISES?

There is a fairly common belief I hear thrown around that strength training should be avoided by teenagers; that it stunts growth and can be detrimental to bone development etc. While I fully understand a parents’ apprehension to condone their child’s involvement in something that, from an outside perspective may appear dangerous, it is an argument that I totally 100% disagree with. My first argument for this point is that the aim of strength training is to replicate movements that these youths will perform whilst playing the sport. The old adage: ‘don’t train muscles, train movements’ is precisely right when looking purely at conditioning. Secondly, if you look into the mechanics of a press up / hop / bound, and also take into account the collisions these boys will be encountering on the field, then you will realise that forces involved in these actions are way more advanced than any that will be experienced in the controlled environment of a gym. Not only will lifting weights help develop correct movement mechanics (and so help prevent injury) but it is also going to help with force development and performance and will also create the foundations of strength that can be built on into adulthood. A development of this argument can be seen when examining even younger age-groups; when you consider that landing after a 1-legged hop applies roughly 2-4x their bodyweight being transferred through the weight-bearing leg, a youngster playing hop-scotch is encountering more forces than they would ever be exposed to in a gym environment.
The counter-side to advocating weight training however is that... it must be the correct strength training that is being performed. Guidance on form and progressive development is key and is not something that can be generalised to everybody, especially teenagers. As a very general rule, unless you are with a skilled coach then I would keep the repetitions high and would always focus on form before weight. I would also avoid the split sessions of chest/back/arms etc that a proportion of inexperienced gym-goers are likely to adopt. A full-body session of pushes, pulls and leg-orientated exercises is about as detailed as you can go as a general recommendation.

What if I don’t have access to a gym?

Although the gym is an ideal environment for development, it is by no means the only option out there to youths wanting to increase their functional strength/capabilities. Several types of home equipment (some better than others!) are a useful tool and I especially am keen on the use of chinning bars, medicine balls, therabands and home weights. In addition, the individual’s body weight can be utilised through various exercises to encourage suitable resistance. Again, thinking in terms of pushes, pulls and legs (with core being implemented individually or within the other movements), A simple session could include press up variations, pull up variations, squats whilst holding a moderate weight (a bag of sand etc) or single leg squats off a table and a plank circuit to finish. In addition it is important not to forget cardiovascular fitness, especially in a stop-start high intensity sports such as rugby league. There are a whole heap of suitable exercises out there, but generally the work-to-rest ratio should be kept to 1:1. One of my personal favourites is to alternate between jogging and sprinting up and down a pitch, with a rest time matching the time it takes to complete 1 full run. Done to the desired intensity (near max!) 8 of these runs should be sufficient to induce high levels of fatigue.

What should I be eating before and after a game?

There’s no revelation in this answer, the simple fact is that a player (like any healthy adult) should be eating plenty of protein, veg, and complex carbs. The carbohydrates (wholemeal breads, brown pastas, high-fibre cereal, basmati rice etc..) are going to be the main source of energy and should be taken intelligently to match when they will be needed (i.e. before a match/training session to increase energy reserves, after a match/training session to replenish energy reserves). If you’re having a meal before you have a period of down time or before you go to sleep, try and limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Protein is the main source of fuel for muscle development. If you want to develop bigger/stronger muscles then you have to overload on this food so that you have an excess amount leftover once you have taken what you need to keep your body ticking over. Generally protein should be consumed regularly throughout the day, however I would suggest taking more prior/after training sessions and games and also when you go to bed as these are the times when it will be needed by the muscles for work/recovery.

How important is sleep for a player?

Leading on from the last point, sleep is incredibly important for all athletes. It’s the main time when your body is recovering and fuelling the muscles that you use when training. You need sufficient rest after a tough session so that you are able to recover sufficiently so that your body can adapt to undertaking the stresses that you are placing on it. Without proper recovery you will begin to train whilst still slightly fatigued and that can lead in a downwards spiral to a loss in performance. In addition, sleep is also an important factor when thinking of your mental capability. In sports such as rugby league there is no question that a player needs to be mentally alert in order to execute moves and react to the game around them. Without gaining sufficient sleep you’re putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage.

How important is breakfast?

Being the first meal you’re taking in after essentially being ‘shut down’ for 8 hours, breakfast is an important part of waking the body up. Talking in simple terms, the food kick starts your body into becoming more active through increasing what’s known as your metabolic rate (in other words it increases your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns energy to simply stay active and keep all of your cells alive and ticking over). Breakfast is also important as it provides your body with the energy that it constantly needs to perform effectively when training or recovering from a hard session.