# Teenage Rugby Player - need advise



## dipifipi (Aug 26, 2007)

first of all, hey everyone! discovered this forum and thought u guys could sort me out. I'm 16 and playin school's rugby. This year i'm playing senior rugby with the 'bigger boys' and need to bulk up. I've been working hard in the gym the last few months and using whey protein supplements to help me along (H&B - was on offer at a tenner a container). What i would like to know is if you would recommend me using some form of creatine aswell as protein (looking at bulkpowders.co.uk as prices are great and delivery to N.I is not too steep!)

your help is greatly appreciated,

Phil


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

well first off welcome to the board...

to get bigger you need a decent diet then once this is sorted then add things like creatine.

Please do not say that your diet is sorted as you would not be asking for advice to get bigger if it was 

Post up your diet along with your weight to see where it needs changing

as a side note if you are wanting to build and put on mass that chest routine you have been given is useless....


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## Jock (Apr 8, 2003)

As Paul said, your diet is key, supplements will help but they won't make up for a poor diet.

One thing I would advise is not to get too hung up on 'bulking up', I have seen some really talented rugby players (union and league) get too muscular and end up sluggish and slow because they've been told to put on weight by an ill-educated coach who knows little about functional strength.

More muscle does not always equate to better performance, you've got to remain agile and athletic not just a blob of muscle.

If union is your game then it will obviously depend on your position but on the whole stick to the big 3 (bench/squat/deadlift) and other multi-jointed lifts like shoulder presses/dips/lunges/chins etc.

You might want to think about periodizing your training so that you can develop strength and power respectivley eg 6 weeks strength/hypertrophy then weeks speed/power. I'm training primarily for power and my workout (in the gym) is all olympic lifts done quickly (eg cleans, high pulls, jump squats, hand clap press ups, push press etc)

TBH with the demands of a season it'll be hard to put much mass on so I would just get your diet sorted then, go all out in June/July 2008.

I'll attach this pdf article I found whilst trawling the net, it should give you a better idea of what you need to be dooing

Strength%20Training%20for%20Rugby%20Union%20-%20The%20General%20Preparation%20Phase.pdf


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## dipifipi (Aug 26, 2007)

thanks jock, i'll take that on board.. and that article makes good reading! cheers guys!


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## aretians (Jun 8, 2007)

Hi Bud

Have to agree with Jock, as a player for over 20 yrs I have seen many different types of physique and body types and to be honest the gym bunny look has always struggled to keep and maintain fitness throughout the long English season. One of my pals is constantly injured and can only ever play 10 games before something breaks, tears or dislocates, then off for a few months.

IMO I wouldnt go too mad on bodybuilding just keep it simple squat/press and deadlift as Jock states.

Look at the older players Martin Johnson, Gavin Hastings etc they were never ripped up just solid strong old boys, the new age of player such as Andrew Sheridan, Mike Tindall seem to spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch, I can only assume that the big weights along with the lack of flexibilty leaves them prone to injury

I have only played 4 trial matches so far this season and everytime it has taken me 4/5 days to recover and get back in the gym, infact I am not sure that I can continue with being an active rugby player and a bodybuilder.

Hope this helps and keep up the rugby bud.


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## paulo (Feb 17, 2007)

i was coaching somone your age to get into senior team, as well as doing his rugby/fitness training twice a week we did-squat,bench,chins,shoulder press-that was it 1 warm up 3 hard work sets, plenty food and he put on couple of stones


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## dhall (Jun 11, 2007)

hi there....

I'm the same age as you and was in the same position as you but a season earlier, being asked to play up 2 years for my school. I only found out i would be playing for the u18s at the beggining of the season, so I had little time to put on weight.

I gradually put on weight until halfway through the season, where i stopped gaining and just started maintainng it.

I reccomend comsuming massive amounts of calories each day, through eating alot, and also high calorie supplements. Also my club coach reccomended HMB to prevent muscle breakdown.

What I learned is that if you want to put on weight and play, you have to be totally deidcated to rugby and the gym and eating

...nothing else. wich means 1 rest day a week,, then u train with your team, and when your not doing that, your working hard in the gym!!

Its a killer , but if u can push yourself to that level.. your body adapts and your a bettter player!


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## hutchings_18 (Jan 10, 2008)

Hi there, I know the thread hasn't been posted on for a while, but I came across it and hope someone might be able to add a bit more information to it for people like myself.

I'm 26, a rugby union player, doing a lot of cardio work for most of the season, but am looking to put a bit of work in the gym over the next 6 months (mainly because I'm moving from the wing to Outside Centre and would like to bulk up slightly).

I've been training up the gym (heavy weights) on and off for about 8 years and have always bought supplements to aid the workouts. The last lot of supplements I used were:


Reflex Tri-Matrix Evolution (as a pre-workout "pick-me-up" and creatine intake)

Norateen Heavyweight II (legal testosterone booster)

Reflex Instant Whey (Protein intake)

This combination of supplements DID help me, but it's now almost a year on and was wondering what the best supplements are on the market at the moment, simialar to the above (i.e. creatine, testosterone, protein)? All need to be legal, of course.

I've been advised that Cell-Tech is good, but it's expensive. I found that Tri-Matrix seemed to be the closest supplement for a cheaper cost. I also sampled Maximuscle's Cyclone which (if I can remember) had a combination of creatine, BCAA, protein, and carbs. Some rugby friends of mine have suggested EAS Phosphogen and a supplement called Mammoth.

I'll probably look to buy the same as last time, but thought a few members of this forum may have some supplement information that they could share before I do 

Thanks in advance,

HUTCH.

--------

I'm 13st12 at the moment, looking to reach close to 15st.


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## hutchings_18 (Jan 10, 2008)

Just to let you know...

I've bought 2 months supply of:

Universal Animal Stak2

CEE

Hydrolized Whey (quick release)

EAS Pure Protein (slow release)

ZMA

I've just come to the end of the 1st month.

I haven't put on as much weight as I would have liked, but have now hit 14st exactly. I've noticed a great improvement in the amount of weight I'm lifting, and despite the lack of weight I've put on, I've noticed that my physique is looking better.

I'm hoping that the 1st month has been slow because my body is getting used to the supplements, as alot of manufacturers recommend 2 months on their supplement (perhaps that's marketing?), so I'm hoping that the 2nd month will show better improvements on the weight gain side.

Will let you know in a month! 

p.s. I've measured myself and the only physical gains/losses I've seen are on my chest (gained) and waist (lost)... the rest stayed the same (calves, thighs, arms). Bit of a problem with leg weights at the moment though, as I've slightly injured my knee in rugby, so I've been laying off the leg weights.


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## Jock (Apr 8, 2003)

Mate don't bother with all that crap, you can spend thousands on all those supplements and get minimal benefit

Henson and Lewsey etc get all their supps foc and they are in hard training (6+ hours a day) one or two recovery supps are ok along with whey and possibly glutaimine but there is no need for Cell-Tech, Norateen etc

You need a solid diet before anything else, eg 1.5g/2g per lb of bodyweight etc.

It sounds as if you are making good progress anyway so just stick to what you are doing.

Do you play for Treorchy?


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## hutchings_18 (Jan 10, 2008)

To be honest, I put on a good few pounds when taking Norateen, but it's way too expensive for it to be a regular supplement. I'm happy with the strength gains on the supplements I've mentioned in my previous post, but I've only put on a couple of pounds. Was hoping for at least 6lb by now 

Hopefully the second month will see a bit more improvement!  But at least they are working where it matters most... improved strength.

Yeah, Jock, I play for Treorchy... into my 5th season now. You play union?


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