TJ Reid on the one gym exercise that he swears by for strength and speed

When TJ Reid talks about gym-work, he's worth listening to.

The Kilkenny sniper is one of the strongest, leanest players in the game. His chest bursts out to the seams of his Kilkenny jersey and his arms test the boundaries of the new tight-fit gear. When you see what the Ballyhale Shamrocks man spends his time at, outside of the hurling field, it's less of a surprise that he has such a strong, imposing physique. TJ Reid comes from a farming background, so any spare-time he does have is taken up with manual labour, which as many old-timers will tell you, 'is ten times better than what any gym can do for you.' In fairness, lifting 25kg bags of meal is no mean feet. https://www.instagram.com/p/BWs-AevBvwP/?hl=en&taken-by=tjreid12 https://twitter.com/RedMills_Agri/status/809418034326736896 Recently, Reid has taken a step back from the farming in order to pursue a business venture in the fitness industry. Reid runs his own gym, 'TJ Reid Health and Fitness' in Kilkenny city, and by all accounts the gym is class, with some expert guidance being provided to members by Brian Cody's senior star. The 29-year-old was speaking to Beat 102 103 on Tuesday morning, when he revealed the importance of gym-work in his game.

"It's either flexibility, rehab or strength and conditioning. If you're not putting that extra percent effort into it, the person down in Waterford or the person down in Galway will and you'll be left behind."

Reid gave some interesting advice on the confusing aspect of gym-work that affects many players; what they should do on the week of a game? Many players keep their normal routine and do too much, while others, they ignore their gym programme for the week, in order to be full of energy come game day. The Kilkenny forward maintains that players should still go to the gym, but only lifting light weights to keep your muscles ticking over.

"A week before the game, it's just some small lifts to make sure your muscles are strong and not fatigued. You need to make sure you're keeping all your energy for the game.

The business owner is an avid believer in plyometric exercises. Plyometrics is defined as, "exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength)."  

"Coming up to Championship, then, you'll be doing more explosive lifts, such as plyometric based stuff, plyo-bags and plyo-boxes and lifting your max force as fast as you can.

Examples of such exercises include box jumps, standing jumps, high knees, squat jumps (with bags). They are based on the principal action of rapid muscle lengthening followed by rapid muscle shortening and are a good way to maximise power and speed. Reid isn't forgetting about the farming, though, even when he's in the gym. https://twitter.com/_tjreid/status/870693379583037444 You can listen to Reid's insightful interview with Beat 102 103 right here.