Gym'll Fix It

I was down in the gym tonight going through my usual low intensity regime to satisfy my conscience. There were a couple of yanks going through their routine, keeping everyone informed of the numbers of reps and weight on the bar. Whilst they rested between sets they spent the time making ridiculous hand movements and shuffles, presumably in tune with their iPod. Its vanity draws them to the mirrored weight rooms. They couldn't run around the block for ya I'd say.

When I go home I usually head for the gym with Gearoid or Conor. Last time back, it was with Conor, to spy on his regime which has seen him beef up considerably in the last couple of months, supplement free. It's an impressively structured work out, not too time consuming and just 10 exercises. The impact was clearly visible in Kinsale's recent Championship game where he was holding lads off with ease and kicking scores freely.

While we were down there, we bumped into Donal Murphy, Conor Lane and Peter Fitz. Its the same everytime I go with most of the lads regular gym goers. Conor Lane spends more time in the gym then on the pitch these days having had a terrible run with injuries. When he gets back he'll be a menace for any forward given the amount of work he's done in there.

You'd see lads from other clubs in there too and it struck me the last time how important its becoming. Even lads playing Junior take their training very seriously these days. Obviously having the lungs and the skills are still the most important points but if you can add some serious strength to the equation it will be a great asset. You'll power your way through tackles, win ball you shouldn't win and suffer less injuries.

It motivated me to get my act together a bit more in there. When I have applied myself I've had less injury problems and seen improvement in things like my striking in hurling. If you let it slide though, the good work is quickly lost. You have to be at it all the time. Crusher's knee is coming around now so it we'll start to push eachother over the coming months.