229 hours: Inter-county S&C investment so far this year

Eight teams get to play in Croke Park this weekend, 24 other teams may be licking their wounds having not made the final stage of the Allianz Football League.

I sat down with a current inter-county player this week and discussed the amount of strength and conditioning work they had undertaken so far this season.

This player's first session with the county was a comprehensive fitness testing session on Wednesday, 28 September.

The battery of test consisted of the following.

Yo-Yo test: This test is like the old-fashioned bleep test the main difference is most yo-yo tests have a rest period after every 40 metres (2 x 20m) distance covered, compared to the beep test which is a continuous test.

The Bronco test: This is a hard-aerobic running assessment where participants must complete a sequence of shuttle runs over 60m, 40m and 20m for five sets. The participants' aim is to complete the test in as quick a time as possible. The total distance covered is 1200 metres.

Body Fat: This test involves measuring different sites of the body using skinfold callipers. The total sum of the sites measured is added up and then using various body fat charts based on age, type of test carried out the body percentage is calculated.

Jump Test:The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a test during which the player squats to their preferred depth and then jump as high as they can. The primary purpose of this jump test is to measure the lower-body power and lower limb strength.

Gym tests including the most weight the player can move safely and proficiently 3 times, which included squat, deadlift, weighted pull-ups, bench press, mid-thigh pull and core stability.

Based on the scores the players achieved in these tests they were then furnished with a strength and