M3 | SHRED2SHRED 56

I LOVE rugby and it's obvious who my team is (The World Champions)....but if you visit me at all you already know that.

The amount of rugby played annually around the world is immense but specifically in the southern hemisphere is crazy.

The year starts with the Super 14.... 14 southern hemisphere teams made up from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....more than 3 months of super intense rugby. A South African team is the super 14 champion this year

Then we had the British and Irish Lions rugy tour. Which we won.

Then came the tri nations competition....which we won.

Now we are in the middle of domestic rugby...The currie cup competititon which a South African team will definately win. LOL.

And then...............comes The Springbok tour of England.......

ooooh.....shivers run down my spine at the very thought of it.

But getting back to reality....that is the VERY physical game of rugby for almost the whole year with very few breaks in between.

These guys are absolutely world class athletes and train very scientifically with all the latest equipment, coaches and techinical staff and that's how they manage to play at top level most of the time.

We however.....are not...

We need to pace ourselves. If we are to enjoy a lifetime of health and fitness...periods of interval resistance training, strength training, hypertrophy and other forms of training are very necessary and at regular intervals. Rest, I believe, personally to be necessary as well, not only for the body but the mind.

Our minds get bored and tired of doing the same thing day in and day out and the best way to fix this is an annual schedule.

Periodise your training over the course of a year and plan for the whole year ahead. That way you know you won't get bored but you also won't be in the position of not knowing what to do, when a mission is complete.

Plan rest periods, different kinds of cardio exercise and so on...take your time, make it fun...and you'll find that come the end of next year....you will be THE MACHINE you always wanted to be....AND....the lifestyle will have become a habit.