Weight training in the AFL: Talking to Brandon Ellis

While weight training is a popular recreational activity for everyday people, it also has a very important place in professional sport. In most sports, a strong, lean physique is required for athletes to compete at the elite level, making it a priority of professional sporting clubs across the world. The AFL is no different, as clubs work to ensure the development and maintenance of player’s bodies.

Young gun Brandon Ellis is nearing the end of his first season at Richmond. After being picked at number 15 in this year’s draft, the 19-year-old has played all but one game of the Tigers 2012 campaign. He was rewarded for a consistent season with a Rising Star nomination in round 17. Ellis is seen by many to have an “AFL ready” body, largely due to his weight training routine throughout his junior years at West Coburg and Calder Cannons. Upon arriving at Punt road, the running defender has returned to the gym to continue working on a physique that can withstand the rigorous demands of the AFL.

Today I spoke to Brandon to get an inside look at weight training at Tigerland.

You started taking your footy pretty seriously a couple of years before you were actually drafted. This involved hitting the gym to add some size to your frame. Give us an insight into your weight training and nutrition during this time.

Because I had to put on size I wouldn’t do too much cardio to make sure I was in a calorie surplus. I hit the gym four times a week and did a lot of strength exercises – bench press and dumbbell bench press for example. The three main muscle groups I worked was chest, back and legs. I wouldn’t do arms or shoulders too much because they’re being worked with the bigger muscle groups. I saw legs and glutes as being pretty important.

After being drafted you had a customary physical assessment at Richmond. They would’ve told you what you needed to work on and given you a weight-training program. Tell us what they recommended. 

I’d put on quite a few kilos with my training so when I got to the club my skinfolds were pretty high – I had a high percentage of bodyfat. The club said that they wanted me to maintain my body shape because I was pretty solid. But they wanted me to lose some fat and add some lean muscle, which I did with their help. I’ve focused on that all year and I’ve achieved some pretty good results. The program they gave me involved a lot of strength training, normally working three sets of 6-8 repetitions. I was doing exercises such as heavy bench press until failure.

We have a heat chamber down at the club so they put me in there a lot for cardio sessions. When I got down to 81 kilograms they just put me in the gym to get a lot stronger.

How many times a week are you in the gym at the club? Does it differ between the off-season, pre-season and the season proper?

Pre-season we’d be in the gym Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so 4 sessions a week. We’d do three upper body and two leg workouts, on alternating days. During the season our weight training depends on what day our game is on but we’d do maximum three sessions a week. The mid-season workouts are all about maintaining, not putting on size. This is because all that work is done in the pre-season.

The off-season is a bit different. When the season ends we get ten days off – when we’ll do nothing at all. Then we have a set six-week training program where we’ll do three running sessions and three weights sessions per week. They want us to get away from the club so I’ll probably train at my local gym and do a few runs around Princes Park.

Talk us through a typical mid-season weights session at Tigerland. 

Yesterday, for example, I did some upper body and a bit of legs. Bench press is a massive exercise at Richmond, they smash us on that. For back, we’d do bent over rows, chin-ups and pull-ups. Then we’d do some explosive exercises, such as pushing a barbell up and catching it. That’s basically all we do for upper body – it’s not much but it’s enough to maintain.

For legs, we’d do a lot of single-leg squats and single-leg deadlifts. Earlier in the week we’d do leg training with weights but sessions later on in the week would just be bodyweight exercises.

Does the club recommend any supplements?

Not really. That said, we do use some Musashi products, bulk protein powders mainly.

There’s a gym junkie in every team. And there’s also a guy who’s pushing a bit more than everyone else. Who’re those figures at Richmond? 

The gym junkie would have to be Angus Graham, he’s always there. The other one is probably Matthew Arnot, he’s a first year player and he’s just a bull. He loves the gym; he’s always doing circuits and tensing in the mirror.

The Power of Motivation

You wake up at 10 am despite setting your alarm for 7.30. You’re sore from your workout the day before. It’s freezing outside, there’s nothing to eat in the house and you feel like going back to sleep. That’s when you decide that there’s absolutely no way you’re going to the gym today.

Everyone has a day like this at some time, that’s just the way it is. On those difficult days, we need something special to give us a bit of a boost. For those who are not intrinsically motivated, a source of motivation is needed – and the internet is a great place to look. Be it music, video or something else, a strong dose of motivation can be the difference between a big workout and a waste of time.

Video

Youtube is a treasure trove of motivational videos and this is why it should be your first stop. Some videos are specialized to certain sports, some feature scenes from movies and some simply rely on quotes to get the message across. Here are a few of the best.

How bad do you want it? – Training footage of a college football player hoping for an NFL call up, coupled with a great speech by Eric Thomas.

When? – Based around a series of of quotes and cuts to scenes of sporting and political greatness: Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X and more.

Nike commercial (2010) – A montage of sporting clips coupled with a powerful speech  doubting the theory of evolution and the claim that ‘only the strong survive’.

Inch by inch speech – Al Pacino’s pre-game speech to his players from the climax of the 1999 film Any Given Sunday. One of the most famous inspirational speeches of all time.

Rocky Balboa’s speech – The classic lecture an emotional Rocky gives his son in the final film of the boxing series. Motivational background music has been added to make it even better.

Music

With the abundance of iPods, iPhones and mp3 players in general, many use music for an extra kick both before and during a workout. So put those earphones in and add these tunes to your training playlist.

• Pendulum – Witchcraft (best track for training!)
• Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
• Prodigy – Breathe
• John O’Callaghan ft. Sarah Howells – Find Yourself
• Skrillex – The Devil’s Den
• Nero – Innocence
• Pendulum – Watercolour
• Audiomachine – Reaching (so good it doesn’t need vocals)
• Eminem – Not Afraid
• Eminem & Lil Wayne – No Love
• Fort Minor – Remember The Name

Talking nutrition with Jacob Schepis

One of the most widespread weight training misconceptions is that if someone works hard at the gym and lifts heavy weights, they will soon become cut and jacked. However after spending an hour at the gym, there are still 23 more left in a day – which often go to waste. Too many lifters are either unaware of the importance of nutrition or choose to disregard it. This may be due to a range of things – stereotypes, conflicting knowledge or sheer laziness – which always ends up with the same result: hindered progress.

Jacob Schepis knows his nutrition inside out and back to front. As the founder, owner and head trainer at JPS Health & Fitness, he has seen first-hand the huge role nutrition plays in achieving weight-training goals. Despite being only 21, Schepis has been doing his own training for years and has been learning as he goes – he obtained his certificate 3 and 4 in fitness in 2010. He has used this knowledge to not only to help his clients, but also to achieve his own results. At 5’7″, Schepis currently tips the scales at 77 kg and boasts an incredible body fat percentage of 6%. He runs his business, does his own training and studies business/law at La Trobe University yet he still finds time to maintain his diet.

Today I had a chat to him to find out why nutrition is so important in weight training.

There is a popular saying in weight training: “30% of the work is done in the gym and 70% is done in the kitchen.” Why is nutrition so important for muscle development?

Nutrition is the most important factor in making any body compositional changes, whether it be dropping body fat or building lean muscle. Our nutrition and intake of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) will determine our hormonal status and significantly influence your bodies capacity to either build muscle and burn fat. Training is merely the stimulus to which the body must adapt to. However, it is what we eat and when we eat it that will determine how our body adapts to such stimulus, whether it be growth or weight loss.

Weight training is fundamental for those trying to either add size or cut fat. How do the contrasting goals of bulking or cutting affect a person’s diet?

When your goal is to build lean muscle, it is critical to ensure that your caloric intake is at a surplus. Additionally, ensuring that adequate carbohydrates and protein are consumed will ensure that you are anabolic (regenerating tissue). Alternatively, if your aim is to drop body fat, then you should continue to consume adequate amounts of protein to spare muscle. This is due to the fact that maintaining lean tissue will improve your RMR (resting metabolic rate) drastically. When ‘cutting’ (dropping fat), depending on your current body compositional make up, it is important to be cautious and limit the consumption of carbohydrates. If this is your goal, you should consume them at 3 key times: breakfast, pre workout and post workout.

What is an ideal pre-workout meal?

An ideal pre workout meal will depend on your current goals. If your goals are weight loss, I’d suggest having a high-protein meal with some polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. If muscle gain is your goal, similarly a high-protein meal with some low GI carbohydrates for glycogen store replenishment as well as energy.

Apart from a whey protein shake, what else should a lifter consume post-workout?

Egg whites are a great source of protein and which have a great amino acid profile and have a high bioavailability.

Many lifters complain that they simply don’t have time to prepare necessary meals. What are your favourite quick, easy meals?

My favourite fast and simple meal is two cans of 135g tuna in spring water mixed with spinach leaves, capsicum and cucumber. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and some apple cider vinegar and you have a great low-carb high-protein moderate-fat meal. Perfect for both muscle growth and weight loss, however this will depend of course on when you consume this meal.

Alcohol is detrimental to weight-training progress. Tell us why.

When seeking to make physical adaptions, alcohol is your worst enemy.

Not only does it contain empty calories, but as an energy source, alcohol disrupts all other metabolic processes. When we consume alcohol, it goes straight to our liver. Once it hits the liver, our body produces enzymes in order to oxidize the alcohol because we cannot store it, and thus it must be metabolized immediately.

Additionally, alcohol decreases testosterone levels, which are extremely important to either building muscle or burning fat. It also negatively impacts muscle protein synthesis –  that is rebuilding muscles.

Give us your five favourite high-protein snacks.

Chicken breast, tuna in springwater, whey protein powder, kangaroo fillet and casein protein powder.

There is a lot of suspicion about supplementation in relation to weight training. Many doubt that supplements are natural – some even tie the word to steroids or cheating. Can you explain why supplementation is so important and tell us your favourite supps and why?

Supplements are as only effective when added to or ‘supplementing’ an already sound nutritional and training program. Taking all the supplements in the world will not help you create a cut and jacked physique.

My favourite supplements are whey protein, glutamine and BCAAs.

Before we go, tell us how people can find out more about JPS Health and Fitness and get in touch.

Website: www.jpshealthandfitness.com.au & email: Jacob@jpshealthandfitness.com.au

And also Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Bodybuilding: The new generation

From its origins in 18th century Europe to the limelight of the ‘Arnold’ era , the sport of bodybuilding has come a long way. This rise continued into the late 2000s when the internet allowed bodybuilding to take yet another step forward. The modern days of widespread computer access have seen a slight changing of the guard. While Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be the most famous figure in bodybuilding, the internets amateur bodybuilding identities are now helping make the sport more accessible and popular than ever.

While the early concept of bodybuilding dated back to 1880 in Europe, it was almost 100 years later – in the 1970s – that the sport was really recognised by Western civilisation.

This exposure was largely due to a the popular 1977 film Pumping Iron, which provided a rare insight into the bodybuilding lifestyle of America’s best, namely Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger. It threw Schwarzenegger into the spotlight by showing what the Western world had never seen before – huge, muscular physiques and a daily routine built around weight-lifting and strict, frequent meals. He went on to win the sports most coveted title, Mr. Olympia, a record seven times. However the publicity was not all positive, as the sports rise also drew great attention to the sports most controversial issue – anabolic steroids. Since the film and Schwarzenggers rise to fame, ‘Arnie’, steroids and California’s famous Muscle Beach have been inextricably linked to bodybuilding. Despite this, bodybuilding was always seen as an ‘exclusive’ sport and simply not a realistic option for everyday people.

However in the modern world, this perception has changed. Bodybuilding has become a far more accessible option, both as a sport and as a lifestyle choice. The internets initial function –  connecting people with information – and its additional newer goal – connecting people with people has propelled bodybuilding to a wider audience. The creation and emergence of websites such as Bodybuilding.com and Muscle & Strength have enabled everyday people to find out more about both bodybuilding and weight-training in general. Bodybuilding.com also provides a large forum for enthusiastics to talk and discuss a wide range of topics, both related and unrelated to the sport. It was in this forum that the first and most-popular ‘internet bodybuilder’ shot to fame.

Aziz Shavershian was a teenager from north-western Sydney, who picked up weight training in order to change his skinny ectomorphic build. After adopting the alias Zyzz, he went on to post regularly in the forum. His rapid progess was quickly noticed and, along with his popular YouTube videos and trolling antics, Zyzz was soon the face of the internet bodybuilding generation. He and his group of friends, who also used nicknames, used social media sites Facebook, YouTube and Formspring to spread their unique message – that weight-training lead to a happier more fulfilling life, thanks to the confidence that came with it. However this bodybuilding revolution came short and tragic end. In 2011, while holidaying in Thailand, Zyzz died of an undiagnosed heart condition. The news resulted in not only an outpouring of grief all over the internet from his friends and fans, but also a new desire to ensure that his legacy and message would live on.

Other internet bodybuilders, such as Zyzz’s brother Said aka Chestbrah and friends Supaturk, Babolimp and Philrayho have become more involved through their Facebook pages in order to pick up where their friend left off. Victorian amateur bodybuilder Naso, also a profilic internet user, takes a more informative and educational approach through his popular Facebook page.

Zyzz and his army of internet bodybuilders, like Arnie before them, inspire and motivate thousands from all over the world to take up weight training. However this modern generation spreads the message with an alternative, person-building goal in mind. Today, more and more people are getting to the gym and slotting weight-training and diets into their daily and weekly routines.

Arnold Schwarzenegger took bodybuilding onto the international stage, but the new internet generation of bodybuilders bring a more lifestyle-based form of the sport to the masses.

Rest in peace Aziz Shavershian