Men’s Fitness Australia – June 2017

130 MEN’S FITNESS JUNE 2017

Billy the

Comeback

Kid

What was the darkest period during your time out injured?

The toughest time was eight months after my first shoulder

recon[March2016]whenIgotthenewsthatIwouldhave

togetitre-operatedon.Thatwasprettyemotionalforme

andquitetoughtoswallow—goingthrougheightmonthsof

rehab and pain, then knowing that I’d have to go back there.

How did you get through it mentally?

Ithinkfamilyhelpedmethroughit.Ihaveaverysupportive

wife; she’s been great through this two-year period. And I’ve

gottwochildrenwhodon’treallycareaboutDadthefootball

player.TheyjustcareaboutDad.Andtheclubhasbeenvery

supportive.Havingthatgoalofwantingtoplayagain was

also key — to reach the heights I reached before.

What’s your goal this season?

MygoalwasprobablyfulfilledwhenIplayedmyfirstgame

back in round three. That was a huge achievement. Now,

I’mjustbacktofocusingandbetteringmyperformance,

andbecomingthebestplayerIcanbe.

What’s your mantra when the going gets tough?

I try to look at the overall picture and remind myself of

howgoodI’vegotit.ThenIseeit’slittlethingsgettingme

down,notalife-threateningthing.It’simportanttokeep

things in perspective. When you have a young family,

that does that for you.

YouwerethewinneroftheAustralia’s Greatest AthleteTV program

two years’running. What’s your approach to working out?

Our[Storm]coachCraigBellamyhasasaying:“Theharder

youwork,theluckieryouget.Ithinkit’sagreatmotto. You

need to work hard to get the breaks in our game.

What kind of fitness does an NRL fullback need to succeed?

My position involves endurance, speed, agility and strength,

soyou’vegottobeajackofalltradeswhenitcomestofitness.

SoIfollowatotalbodyprogram—withasmuchemphasison

lowerasupperbody.Ilovetheexplosivedrillsandlightweight

speeddrills,especiallysprints.Ialsoenjoybodyweight

exercises: chinups, pullups, pushups and situps. I’m not huge

onliftingbigweights—Iliketokeepmyweightsexplosive.

You said you like pullups. How many can you bust out in succession?

Aroundthe20mark.

How do you keep your training program fresh?

Iliketotraintomusicinthebackgroundandchangeup

my routine on a regular basis, so that my mind and body

stay stimulated.

Who’sbeenthehardestopponentyou’vefacedinyourcareersofar?

[Ex-NewcastleKnightshalfbackandrugbyleagueImmortal]

AndrewJohns.Notsomuchphysically,butjustthewayhe

alwaysputpressureonyouwithhiskickingand running

game.Hewasverytoughtoplayagainst.

When you’re not carving up opposition defences, you’re writing kids’

fiction books on rugby league. What’s the motivation for that?

I’mprettychuffedwhensomeonecomesuptomeandtells

metheirkidsaren’trightintoreadingbutthey’llreadmy

books.It’soneofthepurposesofdoingit.Iwasn’tagreat

readerwhenIwasakid.Youcanhavethosestruggles

throughyourwholelife.Ihavetwochildrenofmyown,and

I’vepushedthemintoreadingasmuchaspossible,soIget

abigkickoutofachildthatisn’tnecessarilyagiftedreader,

who’s improved their reading through my books.

Billy Slater is an ambassador for Powerade.

The Cooldown

BillySlaterhasbattledthroughthepain

of two shoulder reconstructions to star

fortheMelbourneStormagainin2017.

HerethechampionNRLfullbackreveals

histipsforconfrontingadversity,maxing

training gains and what it takes to be

Australia’s Greatest Athlete.

INTERVIEW BY ASHLEY GRAY