Hey guys, I guess it’s been a couple of years now since I’ve been on here, but I just wanted to thank you again for all your input.
I went to college and my good habits were sorely tested. My first trimester was hard between my inexperience in the gym, schoolwork, and the whole social scene. I joined rugby as a winger that trimester and after the season ended, my coach told me to get bigger. I worked hard for the next two trimesters and the following season, I had grown enough that I was moved to prop/hooker (although admittedly, I am a very small prop). That was our best season in the history of my college. We won state championships and ended the season ranked 12th in the nation (Divison III). Now we’ve been moved up to Division II for the next season.
My training isn’t ideal because I only really have one three month period where I can really focus on getting stronger. The Fall and Spring trimesters are both rugby seasons and when I go home for the summer, I only have the bodyweight stuff. Nevertheless, I’ve been making progress. I now weigh between 185-190 lbs and here are my maxes:
[quote]Dare wrote:
Hey guys, I guess it’s been a couple of years now since I’ve been on here, but I just wanted to thank you again for all your input. [/quote]
No joke, it’s truly awesome that you came back for the follow-up.
Sounds like you busted your ass, got it done, and actually achieved something. Sad fact is that’s more than a lot of beginners we see.
Great work. Keep going. Don’t be a stranger. Any other questions, just ask.
Well, it’s been more than a year since I last posted on here. I am going into my senior year of college now and it seems like just yesterday that posted that first question about what program to do. My strength has continued to increase, albeit slowly. I’ve broken 325 squat, 425 deadlift, 250 bench, and 190 overhead press although I’ve remained about 185 pounds.
I went to Eastern Europe last summer and regressed a lot and went down to 170 (I’ve never felt so hungry all the time). I’ve since been working back up. More importantly than just the lifts however, my rugby performance has improved vastly. I am faster and more explosive than I’ve ever been. I was elected both president and captain of my college rugby team and this summer I’ve been playing with men’s club team in a nearby city.
I just wanted to thank you guys again. You were really helpful when I was just starting out. It’s been an uneventful trip thus far but I’m in it for the long haul and I am in no rush to force the gains.
Ha, glad to hear things have been going well for you, man.
I was going to say, the 14-month strength progress really has been super slow for whatever reason. I understand you dropped some bodyweight for a while, but still.
is awesome to hear. So something is working.[/quote]
x2.
Sometimes we can forget that the purpose of training (for most people) is not just getting more weight on the bar, but enhancing one’s athletic performance, physique, etc. So if the guy is a better rugby player now than before, he’s definitely on the right track.
is awesome to hear. So something is working.[/quote]
x2.
Sometimes we can forget that the purpose of training (for most people) is not just getting more weight on the bar, but enhancing one’s athletic performance, physique, etc. So if the guy is a better rugby player now than before, he’s definitely on the right track.
Kudos, OP.
[/quote]
x3
If you’re not a pro powerlifter, no-one cares how much you squat, but its effects on the field can be awesome.
[quote]Vitruvian_Physiq wrote:
Pretty solid for a beginner routine, good emphasis on compound exercises.
You should do well OP[/quote]
I know, right? That seems like a good plan he has on page one. If we had, like, future vision or something, we might be able to know how far he got in, like, three years time.
[quote]Vitruvian_Physiq wrote:
Pretty solid for a beginner routine, good emphasis on compound exercises.
You should do well OP[/quote]
I know, right? That seems like a good plan he has on page one. If we had, like, future vision or something, we might be able to know how far he got in, like, three years time.[/quote]
Maybe he’ll come back in, say, 2015 and let us know whether it worked. Maybe let us know how it affected his rugby career, you never know.