bloodandfire
Well-Known Member
RANGERS young guns Leon King and Josh McPake are undergoing gruelling, military-style, commando training in a bid to cement their place in Giovanni van Bronckhorst's first-team plans.
Scotland Under 21s defender King made his Ibrox breakthrough last season and is aiming to be a first team regular this season, after the departure of Leon Balogun.
McPake has had several loan spells away from Rangers, but is determined to make an impact this season and force his way into the Europa League Finalists' squad.
The duo are well into their usual pre-season training routine with Rangers, who jet off to Portugal for a training camp next month.
But the pair have bolstered that with remarkable ultra-tough sessions with a former military personal trainer, who runs specialist training, with the promise to push the players to new levels.
Former Royal Navy personal trainer, Ross McGaffney, founded Commando X Fit in Hillington, Glasgow and has 'welcomed' King and McPake to his work-outs.
He said: "My background of physical training and fitness is a bit different from normal people. So what I am trying to do with the lads is give them a little bit of adversity in life alongside their training.
"It's not just strength and conditioning, it's also mindset work as well to make sure they are mentally strong as well as physically strong.
"There are young guys out there who are given such a lot at such a young age and are never really told ' that's not good enough.' They have got another ten or 20 per cent in there. They just assume what they are doing is enough.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/9058595/rangers-release-new-2022-23-home-kit/
"Life isn't easy, life is tough and if you can take that on board when you are doing your pre-season work and take that onto the pitch, then it will give you that five or ten per cent more.
"I'm a bit of a sadist. I don't allow them to do the bare minimum to get by.
"I set them a challenge or a work-out within a certain time frame. Now they might canter along and think that it's good enough, but then I'll move up a level and go again
"A lot of it has to do with how we are talking to them and we do explosive work, speed and power, all that kind of stuff.
"I find out who they are then and then try and strip it down further to discover what they can really do."
And McGaffney has been impressed with the work of King and McPake.
He said: "Leon and Josh have been doing amazing. I didn't know the lads.
"Josh for example had a thought process of what he could do and it turned out it was far less than what I thought he could do.
"He said to me that it was the hardest thing he'd ever done after a session and I told him he was being ridiculous because the hardest thing he will ever do will be in a few weeks! This is just the start.
"If he and Leon buy into the process then he will reap the benefits.
Scotland Under 21s defender King made his Ibrox breakthrough last season and is aiming to be a first team regular this season, after the departure of Leon Balogun.
McPake has had several loan spells away from Rangers, but is determined to make an impact this season and force his way into the Europa League Finalists' squad.
The duo are well into their usual pre-season training routine with Rangers, who jet off to Portugal for a training camp next month.
But the pair have bolstered that with remarkable ultra-tough sessions with a former military personal trainer, who runs specialist training, with the promise to push the players to new levels.
Former Royal Navy personal trainer, Ross McGaffney, founded Commando X Fit in Hillington, Glasgow and has 'welcomed' King and McPake to his work-outs.
He said: "My background of physical training and fitness is a bit different from normal people. So what I am trying to do with the lads is give them a little bit of adversity in life alongside their training.
"It's not just strength and conditioning, it's also mindset work as well to make sure they are mentally strong as well as physically strong.
"There are young guys out there who are given such a lot at such a young age and are never really told ' that's not good enough.' They have got another ten or 20 per cent in there. They just assume what they are doing is enough.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/9058595/rangers-release-new-2022-23-home-kit/
"Life isn't easy, life is tough and if you can take that on board when you are doing your pre-season work and take that onto the pitch, then it will give you that five or ten per cent more.
"I'm a bit of a sadist. I don't allow them to do the bare minimum to get by.
"I set them a challenge or a work-out within a certain time frame. Now they might canter along and think that it's good enough, but then I'll move up a level and go again
"A lot of it has to do with how we are talking to them and we do explosive work, speed and power, all that kind of stuff.
"I find out who they are then and then try and strip it down further to discover what they can really do."
And McGaffney has been impressed with the work of King and McPake.
He said: "Leon and Josh have been doing amazing. I didn't know the lads.
"Josh for example had a thought process of what he could do and it turned out it was far less than what I thought he could do.
"He said to me that it was the hardest thing he'd ever done after a session and I told him he was being ridiculous because the hardest thing he will ever do will be in a few weeks! This is just the start.
"If he and Leon buy into the process then he will reap the benefits.
