With 98 caps for Ireland, 200 turnouts for his home province of Munster and multiple games for British clubs, former rugby player Peter Stringer is quite the legend in the world of rugby. Now retired, the scrum-half has a new career in fitness.

Even if you are not familiar with rugby, hearing that someone played for their country close to one hundred times is impressive.

And Peter Stringer’s playing career lasted longer than the average rugby player. He retired at 40, a rare thing in a sport that is famous for knocks and career-ending injuries. Stringer says luck played a part in his longevity, but it was also down to taking care of his body.

“A lot of my friends had to retire early with bad shoulder and knee injuries. I was lucky in that regard. Anytime I go injured, my recovery was so much better than anybody else’s. I was out of the game for five weeks when I injured my cruciate ligament in my knee, but I didn’t have an operation, which normally happens after that type of injury. I’m a non-drinker, which is unique in rugby. I don’t smoke.

I always had my nutrition and training on point, so anytime that I got injured, that helped me get back from injuries a lot quicker than was expected.”

FOCUS ON NUTRITION

The Corkman kept up his intense routine of nutrition awareness and training to suit his body, to ensure he made it to forty still playing the game he loved.

“Many of the professional sports people I played with didn’t understand nutrition when they retired. We had nutritionists, and strength and conditioning coaches. I wanted to understand what I was eating and how I was training, so I asked questions. I researched.”

After retirement, that interest led him to setting up his new online platform (peterstringer.ie).

“If top athletes struggle, you can be sure that people from other backgrounds will also struggle. I want to help people who have busy lives and don’t know how to structure their training and eating habits.

Many people are scared by the gym, so this will offer them a platform to get people into that space where they are happy and able to go.” Having hit the big 4-0 milestone himself, he knows all about keeping himself in top form despite the years creeping up.

“The last five years of my career, I decided to give myself every chance of doing the best I could and playing at the highest level for as long as possible so that I was able to finish on my terms, injury-free. I finished my last game feeling fresh and strong. That was a huge confidence boost.”

And he has some handy tips for everyone else - surprisingly, motivation is not one of them. “Don’t get caught up in needing to be motivated. I’m not motivated every single morning to get up and train. If people wake up and don’t feel motivated, that’s completely normal. Take motivation out of the situation and instead make it a habit.

Whether it’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning, whether you have half an hour or twenty minutes, make sure to do it every day.

“Everybody’s different in terms of how busy their lives are, so it is about trying to create habits so that it becomes an automatic thing, and it becomes part of your schedule.”

‘Might’ is another word to leave out of our lives, says Stringer; it is all about being proactive and forming new, healthy habits.

“If someone says I might go to the gym after work or I might go for a walk tomorrow, most of the time they won’t do it. For me, it’s all about factoring exercise into your week. Sit down on a Sunday and make out your schedule like any other meeting you have at work, or if you’re at home with the kids, whatever the case may be, you get your twenty minutes done by putting it in the diary. “I know it’s easier said than done, but write it down because if it’s written down, you become a lot more accountable, and it makes it harder to shy away from.

“If you have a busy morning ahead of you, get your gear ready the night before. Don’t leave it until the morning, it will be another stumbling block. Find your sticking points, overcome little hurdles and turn them into habits.”

HOUSEWORK TRAINING

The good news is that if the gym is not your thing, there are plenty of ways to hit your step count in your average day. Among them are Stringer’s suggestions to walk around your house when you are on the phone and, if you work from home, try using a standing desk rather than sitting at a table. “If it’s a thing where you can’t get to the gym, get your steps by being active. If someone has a sedentary lifestyle, their training might be a case of going for a walk. It can be easier to get your steps in as part of your day-to-day life and not look at it as training. You would be amazed how many calories you can burn and steps you can get in by doing the daily housework. Hoovering, folding the clothes, changing the beds, it’s all exercise.

Don’t underestimate things; just because you haven’t been in the gym doesn’t mean that you’re not working hard.”

“If you can get your cardio stuff done as part of your day and not focus on that as your training session, that is optimal.

Ultimately, it’s all about nutrition and resistance training.”

Resistance training is essential for health and fitness, but not always something older people think about. Stringer is determined to change that. “As we age, people need to use weights. People have this perception that lifting weights is for body builders.

No matter what age you are, pick up a dumbbell or a couple of big water bottles, something that adds a bit of weight. When I get to eighty, I want to be independent. I want to be able to move around unassisted.

If I fall, I don’t have to worry about broken bones. Resistance is a big part of maintaining a healthy body.”

As we age, we are more prone to aches and pains from old injuries, but Stringer reminds us that if old injuries come calling, it does not mean that exercise must stop.

“Never work through an injury; it sets you back, you get frustrated, and more likely to eat from boredom. It is a matter of doing what you can pain-free. The pool is a great place to exercise if you have an old aching injury that is common as we age. If it’s a shoulder injury, get out walking; try a stationary bike if it’s a lower leg injury. It is about finding your way without injuring yourself further.”

Love of exercise starts young in the Stringer household. Four-year-old Noah loves imitating his father in the gym.

“He lifts dumbbells, and he loves the treadmill, with supervision of course. It’s important for kids to know that exercise is fun and to find out what they like. Let them try everything. Whatever they like doing, they’ll continue” Noah’s brother Oscar is a little young yet; he was born at the start of lockdown in March 2020.

ULTIMATE HELL WEEEK

“It was tough for my parents and my wife Debbie’s parents, seeing the new baby through the window, but it was lovely for us as a family. We made the most of having all that time together. I didn’t find lockdown too hard; we had a new baby, which was a great distraction, but I adapt, I get on with things, that is what I do.”

The ability to adapt served Stringer well as he took on a massive challenge; RTÉ’s Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week The Professionals. He faced an arduous training regime by former members of the Army Ranger Wing.

“It was the complete opposite to rugby, which is all about optimal sleep, proper nutrition, recovery, being in the best possible shape. They want to deprive you of every bit of sleep, they don’t want to give you any food. They want to see how you cope under the pressure of being in a horrible state, mentally. It was horrific.”

Despite it being a demanding experience, Stringer is glad to have taken part.

For more visit peterstringer.ie