Interview with Bryce Cavanagh

[JoeyFantastic]

Catching Up With Bryce Cavanagh
6 July 2012, 3:54 pm
By The Editor

A notoriously busy time for the strength and conditioning department we talk to Head of Fitness Bryce Cavanagh as he cracks the whip during pre-season training.
A year into his role as Head of Fitness we talk to Bryce in a two part series as he gives us an insight into the S&C department.Starting off.....
"From the other side of the earth Munster have a reputation back in Australia for their culture & their discipline, and the way they play reaches everywhere and it was no different when I rocked up. The culture of the place is exceptional and that makes it easy to work with the players. They are willing to work, they have that work ethic, they are disciplined and they are relentless in what they do and that just makes my job easy.
At the beginning I tried to come in and not go bananas with making changes, but the changes we did try to make took time. It’s a unique environment with Limerick and Cork, everyone keeps talking about it, but it’s not that things can’t happen; things maybe just take a little bit longer.
We’re evolving and that’s the big thing for us as a group and that’s the big thing we’re trying to push, to keep moving forward, keep changing and keep getting better and I think we did take steps last year but I think there’s more to go.
We’re passionate about trying to get better all the time, we won’t stop evolving and it’s all very positive.
I think the players responded to some of the new initiatives we brought in. I think the staff as a whole, all of us, have bought in to certain aspects of the programme that we’re looking to implement and that’s made a big difference.
Room to improve.....
I still think that we as a department (strength and conditioning) could value add to the performance on the field more and I still think we’ve more room for improvement as a group, and that’s the players and the S&C staff included.
We’re looking to progress on things we did last year with regards to our injury prevention. That was well documented last season with a couple of the players, and guys retiring like David Wallace and Denis Leamy, and that’s still a big focus for us and we are trying to link in with the physios a lot more and work on the injury preventers like mobility, stability, and strength work.
We’re also looking at evolving other aspects of the programme, like transference, so taking the gym work and then transferring it into workable strength on the field. For example, for the breakdown, we’re taking the max strength & upper body strength that we do in the gym and we’re trying to transfer that through some wrestling and linking in with some mixed marital arts which finally we can apply to rugby.
There’s a good little melting pot there in the middle between on the pitch and what we do in the gym, bringing in outside voices and ideas and being able to mould that with our rugby specific ideas into hopefully something that will impact on the field.
We’re trying some innovative things like altitude training. There’s a new facility built up in Limerick so we’ll try and get a link in there. We’re looking to use it for injured players more so where load becomes an issue with guys, and how we can train them or optimise their fitness without breaking them by just running them all the time.
Some of the more mature players might drop a session from time to time but rather it being a session with no work we can put them in an altitude chamber on a bike or a rowing machine and there’s no load really going through their legs, but because they are at altitude their lungs and their anaerobic systems have to work a lot harder.
We’re also looking at the nutrition side of things. We’ve had Graeme Close here for the last number of years coming over from Liverpool, and we’ve been fortunate enough to get an assistant dietician Warren Bradley on board that’s going to be here 24/7 now. So we really think that’s an area we can improve on with the players, with Warren who can just knock on a player’s door on any night basically checking out the pantry.
We’re keeping on top of guys and keeping them honest a little bit more, there are guys out there crying out for that help."

[MrsMcGahan]

Red haired, wirey build..................bet he's a right bar steward slave driver in training.
Andy Reid, that's the sort of guy I'd like to train under

[JoeyFantastic]

Red haired, wirey build..................bet he's a right bar steward slave driver in training.
Andy Reid, that's the sort of guy I'd like to train under

About the only thing Andy Reid could train anyone for...

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6d2...-with-tim-roth

[MunsterLux]

…with Warren who can just knock on a player’s door on any night basically checking out the pantry. We’re keeping on top of guys and keeping them honest a little bit more, there are guys out there crying out for that help."

[SD13]

"with Warren who can just knock on a player’s door on any night basically checking out the pantry"
I'd love to know how thats going down with the players.

[Red October]

I'd be more concerned that there are seemingly guys out there crying out for that help.

If there are, then I'd offer them the help the once and then offer them the road.

[blackwarrior]

For example, for the breakdown, we’re taking ... some wrestling and linking in with some mixed marital arts which finally we can apply to rugby.

Arts from mixed marriages is it? I'd be interested in them myself...

[Bosco]

mixed marriages

You know how it is, she is from a Thomond family, he from Garryowen one, the talk of the town

[FORWARD....]

Arts from mixed marriages is it? I'd be interested in them myself...

Just the usual Cork and Limerick mixture probably...

[Cowboy]

Dougall looks stockier than previously thought. Low to the ground too alongside Stringbot.

[Thomond78]

Hmmmm.

On the altitude thing, just thinking... The thing about altitude is that you get a lower partial pressure of oxygen, because the ambient pressure is lower, just as you get a higher partial pressure of oxygen when you dive, because the ambient pressure is higher. So, you have a lower Pp02 in what you inhale, get less oxygen in, and it hurts like hell after five to ten minutes of exertion because it's like someone puts an enormous jubilee clip around your ribs and gives it a quarter-turn shut (been there, not pleasant).

But... A diving first stage delivers the tank gas to the bit in your mouth, the regulator, at ambient pressure; if you're 30m down, and the water around is exerting 4 Bar of pressure, it'll deliver the tank gas to you at 4 Bar, and you'll breathe it normally. If it's air, at 4 Bar, you'll be breathing it, and will get a much higher PpO2 (and more nitrogen, too, which is why you need to off-gas). You have to watch your depth, as your Ppo2 can get dangerous above certain levels - oxygen toxicity is dangerous stuff, and you can't use tank gas with increased oxygen below a certain depth as a result.

You can use blends of tank gas with more oxygen than normal air in them to avoid getting too much nitrogen on in normal diving; it's usually called Nitrox. But, you could blend tank gas with less oxygen than normal air in it (increased nitrogen, or you could do a mix with helium which is inert), breath it through a normal regulator, and it would deliver that reduced-oxygen air to you at the same pressure as outside. You'd breathe normally, but you'd just be getting less oxygen in what you're breathing. It's the same effect in terms of the oxygen in your system as being at altitude, but without the other hypobaric effects.

So, blend a tank to the same settings as being at altitude - at Jo'burg's altitude, that's 81% of sea-level oxygen, so have a tank mix with 17% oxygen instead of 21% - stick on a nose-clip, stick in the regulator, pedal away mad on the exercise bike. And it can be done anywhere where the team are. Small pony-bottle of O2 for afters to flush out the nitrogen/helium and get you back to normal O2 levels. Very easy to arrange - there are guys in almost every dive centre who could blend the tanks for you just as you want them. Much cheaper, much more portable.

I must be missing something here, because someone would surely have thought of this before if it was this simple. But I can't see what the problem would be. Any thoughts?

[MrsMcGahan]

Are you sure it's cheaper? Maybe wearing that gear will restrict some of the things they want to do.

[Thomond78]

Hypobaric chambers cost millions. An Apeks first and second stage, plus bottle, would knock you maybe €300, and you can use it fish-bothering, too. And if they're just on a bike, strap the tank onto the bike and off you go. Be interesting...

[MrsMcGahan]

I bow to your infinite expertise, your highness.
Mods!
Ban him immediately please.

[JoeyFantastic]

I've done a bit of scuba diving too, do you think we could get jobs as fitness consultants?

[hellovating]

the biggest problem with this new high altitude training facility is, of course, its location.....

[Thomond78]

I've done a bit of scuba diving too, do you think we could get jobs as fitness consultants?

I've got Nitrox certification and a book on deco. You can be my assistant, deal?

[Dumptruck]

the biggest problem with this new high altitude training facility is, of course, its location.....

Not at all, it's actually in a perfect location - in the eastway business park, just off the link road from UL ...oops...

[hellovating]

TINRM

[Thomond78]

Had a quick word with an anaesthetist friend with an interest in hypobaric stuff. Turns out it is being done. He reckons a standard mask is better than a reg, but pointed at these guys:

http://go2altitude.com/trademill.html

http://altipower.com/sports/index.html

It would definitely seem worth checking out, because it's cheaper than loading 50 people onto a plane and flying them somewhere high for a fortnight. That said, the combination of their hypoxic stuff and Spala sounds instinctively like a match made in fitness heaven.

[hellovating]

we seem to be missing some recent posts....

anyway, for those interested.....

http://www.ul.ie/news-centre/news/ir...re-opens-at-ul

[East Terrace]

Hypobaric chambers cost millions. An Apeks first and second stage, plus bottle, would knock you maybe €300, and you can use it fish-bothering, too. And if they're just on a bike, strap the tank onto the bike and off you go. Be interesting...

But Munster are not actually building a Hypobaric chamber. I presume they will be renting sessions in the one at eastway. That will not be costing anywhere near millions..

[Dumptruck]

But Munster are not actually building a Hypobaric chamber. I presume they will be renting sessions in the one at eastway. That will not be costing anywhere near millions..

They won't be renting it too much , they will be promoting it by using it.

[Thomond78]

But Munster are not actually building a Hypobaric chamber. I presume they will be renting sessions in the one at eastway. That will not be costing anywhere near millions..

As you'll see from the interview, only for injured players, not the squad in general (because, simply, it's not big enough - seven people only). But if we look at alternative options, we can get the benefit of whole-squad altitude training at much lower cost than either building a larger chamber or all heading off to altitude. For example, the "sleep high, train low" approach might be doable. Can't hurt to have a look at it.

[Bitter As A Lemon]

the biggest problem with this new high altitude training facility is, of course, its location.....

What 5 mins drive from UL !?
Not exactly a huge distance...

[fullback15]

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/10602.php some interesting stuff- he gives us some clues as to what some of the coaches responsibilities are- names some of the new strength coaches

Here's part 2 of our catch up with Head of Fitness Bryce Cavanagh.


Gym to training ground.... "There’s basics the guys have to get done, like they have to be strong, they have to be able to squat and we’ve got benchmarks there but the trick is when they get there how do we use that strength or how do we use that conditioning.
That’s more so important during the season because we are able to manipulate training sessions where we can take some of the stuff we’re using in the wrestling and we can incorporate that into skills sessions, like Axel with his breakdown work.
It’s almost like killing two birds with one stone, we get a conditioning benefit out of it and they get their coaching benefits out of it. That’s the way forward as we try to maximise our time. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, everyone wants a piece of the player’s time and you just can’t keep adding to it. You just can’t keep training more and more and more, it’s about trying to find a common ground.
For example every Wednesday we do conditioning games, they’re fun, the players like them and the guys don’t realise they’re working that hard. But we’re getting a conditioning benefit and Ian Costello is getting his decision making and continuity work so there’s a two pronged attack.
We’ve just managed to get a deal with Catapult, a GPS company who have provided us with over twenty GPS units so we can quantify those conditioning games and we can see exactly what we’re getting out of the players.
Tough times....
I think they say guys like us need a sadistic streak to be a strength & conditioning coach. We try and hide it but I get a grin on my face when we’re running through a session and guys are struggling or guys are breaking, but I know I’ve done my job and I know it’s a bit of an old school mentality but we need a bit of that.
Munster prides itself on work ethic and prides itself on doing more than everyone else and it’s our job to monitor the players doing more than everyone else. But we need to be smarter about doing that because the more we do we don’t want to risk them with injuries and what not.
But that is the culture here, and I could write the best physiological training programme that there is, but I really think there’s a mental aspect to conditioning as well and that’s 50% of what we do.
It’s all about taking players to that dark place, so when they are in a game like Northampton last year and there’s 41 phases in the last few minutes and they’re off their feet and ROG kicks goal there's a perfect example of that feeling. I love seeing something like that because I feel as though in some way we have had an influence on them to go those 41 phases and not break mentally.
Players hate that yes and players thrive in it but you do learn a lot about players from it, and on occasion we sit there on the side-line with a smirk.
Players fronting up.....
I laid down the law before breaking up for off-season, and we set some sessions and tough work for the players to do on their own. We gave them 2 weeks off and I told them to build the guilt, and then they had 3 weeks of work to do on their own before they came back.
I threatened to send guys back to the academy training in Rockwell if they didn’t come back in good shape and that was directed at all the squad. I wanted to and expected to send someone back.
But in the end I was trying to find someone to send just for the sake of dropping someone back because I was that impressed with them ,and now it looks a bit soft but I couldn’t find anyone who hadn’t done the work.
They’ve really come back in good nick and standouts for me would be Stephen Archer, he’s come back in unbelievable shape. Sean Dougall who’s come on board this year looks like from a physical aspect that he’s an impressive athlete and even some of the young guys are fronting up. We had a very tough session last week where academy players Ronan O’Mahony and Corey Hircock stood out so it’s across the board really.
Changes for next season.....
There have been big changes within the Strength & Conditioning dept. and within the whole department. Within mine I’m really happy where we’re at.
I know we’ve only been at it three weeks but we’ve got Aidan O’Connell there, who’s obviously been here a number of years, Will Cuddihy an intern from last year has come on board, Will Douglas who formerly worked with the Welsh Rugby Union side and PJ Wilson who’s done some work with the Cork footballers and come through the academy system helping out there.
I couldn’t be happier with the crew that we have, they’re enthusiastic and have a great work ethic and I think the players are really responding to the personalities so that’s fantastic.
Within the wider group we’re really looking forward to the gaffer (Rob Penney) coming along. We’ve had skype calls with him, and the philosophies we have and what he wants from a strength & conditioning department seem very much aligned and we’re looking forward to working with him and Simon Mannix.
We’re all working really well together and I’m looking forward to the season ahead."

[Munsterboy]

Good to hear Stephen Archer is putting in the work. This is potentially a make or break season for him.

[munsterbouy]

I believe they were cookery lessons for one player in order for him to have a better diet ?? who might that have been ??

[Captain Average]

What 5 mins drive from UL !?
Not exactly a huge distance...

I think he was being more tongue in cheek, saying that the location isn't very high altitude...
That's how i read it anyway.

[hellovating]

I think he was being more tongue in cheek, saying that the location isn't very high altitude...
That's how i read it anyway.

no, he had it right..... its location is probably about 85km too north for some.