Missed the game at the weekend, only after watching it on Sky+ after listening to everyone praising Donegal. I'm amazed at the physical condition of them Donegal players and the fitness levels of them were unbelievable, as good as some professional athletes. I was wondering what sort of training methods Jim McGuinness and Rory Gallagher use on their players. Are they constantly in the gym? Constantly doing sprints? Eating proper food?
Not getting carried away I believe if we can beat Dublin Sunday we'll give Donegal a good crack in the final but I don't want be looking past Dublin.

NIXX (Mayo) - Posts: 98 - 29/08/2012 20:43:13    1255314

We're tellin' you nothin' ;)

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1446 - 29/08/2012 21:03:42    1255330

the training regime of donegal is pure bull s--t,when they meet dublin they will meet the fittest team in the country,and they will look ordinary out on their legs from 58 mins and the dubs will canter to 2 in a row

D5dub (Dublin) - Posts: 283 - 29/08/2012 21:10:56    1255334

Some running, some puking, more running, more puking.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5030 - 29/08/2012 21:14:47    1255337

Donegal aren't doing anything that every other county team with a good S+C coach isn't. The key, on and off the pitch is intensity. Like Dublin last year, these lads would run through brick walls to get it done.

Of course they are eating right, but I hope everyone reading Rory Kavanagh's interview recently hasn't decided to start eating 8 times a day. He needed to do that because he was to be playing in the middle and most intercounty midfielders are around 14/15stone of lean muscle. Mark McHugh certainly isn't eating 8 meals a day because his role doesn't require the bulk that Kavanagh's would.

I find Donegal a fascinating team and I have the absolute utmost respect for them, but everyone was asking these questions of Dublin last year too. Intensity/Desire/Hunger call it what you want, that's what it is, not any new and innovative training techniques. Jimmy certainly has built up a great myth about this team - make no mistake this is his intention, the man's got a degree in Sports Psychology and he's using it superbly both in the media and with his team.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 29/08/2012 21:20:16    1255343

GetOverTheBar
County: Tyrone
Posts: 475

good post

D5dub (Dublin) - Posts: 283 - 29/08/2012 21:30:49    1255355

I wonder if they stay away from the ice baths like I do!.....need to protect the aul gooh gaahs!!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 29/08/2012 21:51:24    1255373

What ever they are doing it's working for them! In great shape. Saw the article about Rory Gallagher having to put on 1 or 2 stone and eating 8 meals a day. Crazy stuff.

NIXX (Mayo) - Posts: 98 - 30/08/2012 08:18:57    1255390

D5dub
County: Dublin
Posts: 87

1255334
the training regime of donegal is pure bull,when they meet dublin they will meet the fittest team in the country,and they will look ordinary out on their legs from 58 mins and the dubs will canter to 2 in a row
----------------------------------------------------------

Dublin will meet the fittest team in the country on Sunday. ;-) Cian O'Neill has been superb with since coming on board!

killer_88_ (Mayo) - Posts: 2040 - 30/08/2012 08:28:56    1255393

NIXX, that's pretty standard even for club players. What is impressive about Kavanagh is that he's lost absolutely no mobility whilst doing so.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 30/08/2012 10:09:37    1255437

Spinach, Spinach and more Spinach.

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 30/08/2012 11:57:22    1255506

D5dub

i think not

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 30/08/2012 12:24:38    1255529

GetOverTheBar
County: Tyrone
Posts: 476

1255437
NIXX, that's pretty standard even for club players. What is impressive about Kavanagh is that he's lost absolutely no mobility whilst doing so.

If you put on muscle correct it will not affect mobility, it will in fact make you quicker, just look at sprinters as an example.

ballaghmen (Mayo) - Posts: 318 - 30/08/2012 13:24:28    1255577

NIXX
County: Mayo
Posts: 70

1255390
What ever they are doing it's working for them! In great shape. Saw the article about Rory Gallagher having to put on 1 or 2 stone and eating 8 meals a day. Crazy stuff.

yes and he is only a selector.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5522 - 30/08/2012 13:41:07    1255600

S goldrick, are you sure he wasn't talking about Rory of Jimmy's Winning Matches fame?

donegalboy (Donegal) - Posts: 120 - 30/08/2012 13:58:59    1255612

If you put on muscle correct it will not affect mobility, it will in fact make you quicker, just look at sprinters as an example.

I agree, to an extent. But you ask Usain Bolt to go and play 60 minutes in Croke Park, make sure you have the paramedics on standby because he's not built for that type of endurance. When Conor Gormley put on too much mass it seriously hampered his ability to man mark and was well exposed in certain instances by quicker players. Horses for courses and all that. My point is that the S+C of the players is based on the needs of the collective team, rather than sending that individual to do endless bench pressing, which whilst impressively fills out a player fit jersey, doesn't do anything with regards to football fitness.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 30/08/2012 15:19:39    1255690

On the quest for Sam - Hunger is a key componet to success , so eating 8 meals a day is counter productive. I thought Jimmy McGuinness would know this?

FairShoulder (Armagh) - Posts: 333 - 30/08/2012 15:31:38    1255698

30/08/2012 15:19:39
GetOverTheBar
I agree, to an extent. But you ask Usain Bolt to go and play 60 minutes in Croke Park, make sure you have the paramedics on standby because he's not built for that type of endurance. When Conor Gormley put on too much mass it seriously hampered his ability to man mark and was well exposed in certain instances by quicker players. Horses for courses and all that. My point is that the S+C of the players is based on the needs of the collective team, rather than sending that individual to do endless bench pressing, which whilst impressively fills out a player fit jersey, doesn't do anything with regards to football fitness.

Good S+C should be focusing on the individual needs of each player and their position and how each player is built physically not the needs of the collective team persay. Players in central roles will do more endurance work compared to corner forwards who'll do more speed work etc.
And a Usain Bolt would last those kind of times and does do that kind of running
my brother is an underage national finalist in 100m and 400m and as part of their athletics training the sprinters reguarly do seriously long cardio, long bursting, runs

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 30/08/2012 15:33:55    1255701

I seem to remember in Tadgh Kennellys autobiography he talked about putting on weight in Sydney. Again he was told to do this. Extra weight when it is muscle is not a bad thing. The opposite infact. And an AFL game is 80 mins too.

irishtom (Donegal) - Posts: 219 - 30/08/2012 15:40:44    1255703

Apologies, Rory Kavanagh's interview. If you look at the AFL players though, they're bulked up and some of them are the fastest in the game, can jump higher than anyone. Why are the likes of Conor Gormley (mentioned above) lost their pace because of bulking up while AFL players don't?

NIXX (Mayo) - Posts: 98 - 30/08/2012 16:24:29    1255745