Conor Ferguson, European Youth Olympic Competitor and Youth Commonwealth Medallist Swimmer. He swims for Ireland at Youth level and has big ambitions for the future.
Here is his story,
Take it away Conor:
My journey so far..
I started off my journey in Templemore swimming club at the age of 8 and at the age of 11 I moved to Larne swimming club to be coached by Peter Hill. I became an Irish champion at the age of 12 and by the age of 13 I took my first U16 ulster record and three British titles. I broke my first Irish junior record (18&U) and Ulster senior record at the age of 14 in the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Canadian age group championships and set the 5th fasted time in world for my age in history. From this point I realised what I wanted to achieve in this sport and that is to become an Olympic gold medallist.
At the age of 15 I competed for Ireland at the European Youth Olympic games in Tbilisi, Georgia and came 2nd in the 100m and 200m backstroke, I then travelled to Singapore to represent Ireland at the 5th Fina World junior Championships (18&U) where I came 11th, 12th and 13th in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, after this competition I travelled straight to New Zealand to train for 3 days before I competed in Samoa at the Youth Commonwealth Games where I came 1st in the 100m backstroke, 2nd in the 200m backstroke, 2nd in the 50m backstroke and 3rd in the 4x50IM mixed relay. This year I have represented Ireland at a senior level in the Luxembourg euro meet where I picked up 3 junior gold medals, a bronze senior medal in the 100m backstroke and and silver senior medal in the 200m backstroke. I then competed at the Swim Ulster Dave McCullagh meet and I qualified for European junior Championships in July and European Senior Championships in May where I will represent Ireland. I missed my Olympic A standard by 0.29 of a second in the 100m backstroke but I still have many competitions that I can try to achieve this standard. During this meet I broke 6 records: 2 which are Irish senior records in the 100m and 200m backstroke.
Training
Currently I am training 24 hours a week: 18 hours in the pool and 6 hours in the gym. A typical training session in the pool would consist of a warm up, some HVO sprints (anaerobic work to get heart rate raised for main sets), 2 main sets : one specific for 200m backstroke followed by a cool down and one specific for 100m backstroke also followed by a cool down, then we would work on technique so I would work on specific Backstroke drills. After this is completed we would do a swim down. A typical session like this would be around 5500m and takes 2 hours. It is also Important to be at every session 15minutes before it starts to complete any rehab to prevent injury occurring. I do my gym sessions at Crossfit Castrum in Belfast and my strength and conditioning coach is called Steve McQuillan who is an ex swimmer who has represent Ireland. We would work on being explosive as we are trying to develop power on my start and turns in the pool. Popular exercise would be weighted Muscle ups, Weighted pull ups, cleans, snatches, squats etc.
Diet
I wake up at 5:00am on weekdays and would have scrambled eggs, 2 slices of toast and a small bowl of cereal for my breakfast. I then would train from 6 to 8 and afterwards have porridge with a banana and an apple. At 11am we have break in school where I would eat 2 chocolate muffins and some toast from the canteen. At 12:30pm I have my lunch which would consist of a sandwich( chicken, bacon and mayonnaise) an orange, a packet of crisps, a biscuit, a breakfast bar and a yogurt. After school, 3:30pm, I would have another sandwich (tuna and sweetcorn) and then go train again. When I get home from Training I would have my dinner which usually consist of pasta, meat and vegetables. Before I would go to be I would always have a glass of milk. During the Day I would carry my water bottle around school with me because it is crucial that I stay hydrated during the day. I would monitor this by how frequent I go to the toilet.
More links to my current success and aspirations below;
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/swimming/conor-ferguson-is-out-to-rule-the-world-of-swimming-34123303.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/35745377
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/34610100
Thank you Conor for this interesting insight into your training, diet and current winnings.
Best of luck and I hope you qualify for the 2016 Olympics, if not 2020 is a guaranteed spot for you!!
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Contact details below;
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
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Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
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Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7
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