What was your training like before you joined SW7 Academy?

In September 2023 I dislocated my knee and tore my ACL playing rugby. I was really only training my upper body and I felt like I didn’t have much direction because I was following a set programme though my local rugby club but it wasn’t tailored for my rehab. I appreciate that when coaches are dealing with a lot of players at a big club it’s difficult to get that 1 on 1 time that it specifically for your goals.

Before SW7 Academy I was mindlessly doing rehab and training almost separately, my session were long and I have no doubt I was overtraining.

What appealed to you about SW7 Academy?

I first came across SW7 Academy on Instagram and thought it was exactly what I needed in my situation. With my injury rehab I liked that the Signature Programme was  specifically designed for me and my goals. I really liked that SW7 Academy was built for rugby players and athletes. You see a lot of online personal trainers out there that are big, they know their stuff in the gym but they’re not necessarily an athlete and what they can do doesn’t transfer to the pitch. With SW7 Academy they don’t just have the knowledge of how to train athletes but they had the personal experience of playing rugby at the highest level and with that combination it was a no brainer for me. I know Sam Warburton had numerous injuries throughout his career and was confident they would look after throughout my rehab process.

What progress have you seen since joining SW7 Academy?

Before my injury I was spending a lot of time in the gym without much focus, the blocks were quite generic and quite long. I would follow blocks for say 6-8 weeks. My blocks in my programme now are say 3-4 weeks and it’s really refreshing, the blocks are shorter and intense but it’s easier to progressively overload.

Following the nutrition plan that comes with the membership has been great because it has allowed me to keep my weight up, when I had my surgery I was really aware that I didn’t want to lose muscle mass in my legs. Over the past few months, I have made huge strength gains following the programme. The week before joining the academy I did strength training with my club and my 3 rep max with the bench was 115kg, fast forward 3 months and I am able to bench 135kg for three which I’m really happy with. Apart from the strength gains I’ve also managed to gain 9kg most of which is a good weight!