DUSTIN Martin enjoyed an extraordinary season in 2017, winning the Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith Medal to go along with the Tigers' drought-breaking premiership.
But how did he gain such an edge on the competition?
Richmond’s strength and conditioning coach Luke Meehan has revealed, on the inaugural episode of ‘The Inside Game’ podcast, how Tigers superstar Dustin Martin trains differently to other players.
“He’s very driven and really, really easy to work with,” Meehan told host Bec Goddard.
“He’s so genetically blessed that, if anything, we do less with him than what we would do with other guys.
“We feel like if we did a program with him which we would maybe do with one of the younger, developing guys, that it might be too much.
"He's so powerful and has such brute force, he doesn't require a lot of work in the gym.
“We love to tap in on the minimal effective dose . . . do the bare minimum with him to get the maximum result.
“He’s just awesome to watch in the gym. He comes in, gets it done.
“He sets a great example for the younger guys.”
Meehan said Martin's gym workload wasn't as intense as some of his teammates, and also revealed how programs are tailored to each player's strengths, not their weaknesses.
Listen to the full podcast to hear about Luke's approach to strength and conditioning and how it's taken the Tigers to new heights.
This week’s episode guide…
2:55 – What is strength and conditioning?
05:45 – How Luke optimises players' strengths
06:30 – Luke's favourite part about working at Richmond
07:43 – How Covid impacted Richmond’s 2020 and 2021 plans
09:45 – How Richmond's hub gym set-up gave them an edge
13:15 – Luke's contribution to Richmond’s incredible success
15:10 – How Luke helped Dustin Martin win a Brownlow Medal
16:23 – Tapping into different players' strength and conditioning needs
17:28 – Takeaway Tips, fuelled by the John West Protein Plus range
18:31 – Why Luke's allegiances are almost torn
19:24 – Quick Hands: Which player has benched the highest weight? Who's the biggest gym pest?
