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The life of a professional athlete is filled with highs and lows, challenges and triumphs. It’s a daily grind of training, preparation, performance and recovery as athletes seek constant improvement. We caught up with Hytro athlete and former England international Josh Charnley to discuss his rugby league career and learn how he reaches his maximum level for performance.
With two league titles and three Challenge Cups, Josh Charnley is no stranger to success. Currently on loan at Leigh Centurions, he has scored six tries in his last ten matches – taking his career tally to 263. “My goals haven’t changed over the years,” he said. “I’m still hunting that number one spot in the try-scoring charts. I want to be part of a successful team. To do that, I’m bettering myself and also trying to help some of the younger boys. I give them pointers and try to teach them things.”
The early signs are encouraging. After topping the Betfred Championship, Leigh now enter the play-offs for a chance to progress into the Super League. “We’ve not really spoken about promotion to be honest,” said Charnley. “We are all trying to stay grounded. You can’t get ahead of yourself.”
The whole season comes down to this. As training picks up in intensity, player availability for the crunch games will become ever more important. “I religiously use Hytro BFR Recovery Shorts every day, just to make sure that I’m ready to go when I’m next back in training,” said Charnley. “I also use the Hytro BFR Training Tee for my upper body. I wear that on lighter workout days when I still want to get the same results as going heavy. Strapping in doesn’t aggravate my joints and still gives me a pump.”
Charnley has been using Hytro BFR since suffering an injury to his ACL. On the recommendation of his physio, he used Hytro to speed up his recovery. The results soon ensured that it became an essential part of his training toolkit. And Hytro isn’t his only hack when it comes to recovery. Josh has been known to take cold water dips in Chorley Reservoir. “I also make sure I’m sleeping well,” he added. “I invested in a good mattress called Levitex and that’s been massively important for me. I also go down to FLX for a deep stretch and get myself a good massage at SB Sports. They all complement each other to keep me as fresh as possible.”
After a long, competitive season that has seen Josh turn out for Warrington as well as Leigh, he can look forward to the break that follows the play-offs. “I usually give myself two weeks off then I start ticking back over again,” he said. “I do a lot of runs on a variety of surfaces – road, hill and trail – using lower intensity runs but also adding in sprints. I do like the movement side of things. This coming pre-season I’ll be doing a lot of barbell work. I can’t let myself slip so I’ll be having to watch what I eat too!”
First, though, there’s the small matter of the play-offs. And, beyond that, reclaiming the top try scorer title. “It’s going to take regular and consistent gametime,” suggested Charnley. “I’ve got trust in the team. I know that with them, I’ll be up there!”
Get your hands on your own pair of Hytro BFR Recovery shorts via shop now.
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