GRAND SLAM BY JOHN PLUMMER HE'S FAMOUS FOR HIS GIRLFRIEND, HIS FAKE TAN AND WAXED LEGS, BUT RUGBY STAR GAVIN HENSON IS ALSO ONE OF THE FITTEST AND STRONGEST RUGBY PLAYERS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SNAPSHOT BIRTHPLACE Bridgend DATE OF BIRTH 1st February 1982 LIVES Cardiff HEIGHT 183 cm WEIGHT 94 kg CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Winning the Grand Slam with Wales and the Celtic League with the Ospreys. Going on the British and Irish Lions tour in 2005. AMBITION To play in the World Cup TRAINING ADVICE Be prepared to give your whole life over to rugby, so make sure you enjoy it. It's only a short career.

Gavin Henson has just enjoyed his first summer off since becoming a professional rugby player six years ago. "I've always been on tour so I haven't had a proper break since I was 18," he says. Given his tabloid reputation as the preening, playboy partner of singer Charlotte Church, you could be forgiven for thinking he has spent the past few months sipping pina coladas on the beach. But although he wants to start the season half a stone heavier he has been striving to add muscle rather than fat to his six-foot-plus frame. Henson, 24, has been bulking up in anticipation of the biggest year of his sporting life, which culminates in the World Cup in France in September 2007. After looking like a Greek God two years ago when he was the darling of the Welsh team that won the Grand Slam, he looked more like a victim of a Greek tragedy last year when injuries and suspension stripped him of his powers on the field and provoked some stinging criticism off it. So, the chance to make the most of a rigorous 12-week pre-season training period has been more valuable to him than all the column inches in the British tabloids. "I love keeping fit, I don't feel right unless I'm in good condition," he says. "It was depressing when I had my injury because I couldn't do anything and everything that I had built up over the last three or four years got lost. So it was great to have the summer off to get it back because there won't be any breaks between now and the World Cup." Henson has set himself highly specific fitness goals for the season ahead. "First of all I want to get my weight back up to 98 kg," he says. "Then I want to be able to run 3 km in less than 12 minutes although we're not tested for that, we're tested on sprints and hopefully I can get my speed down for the 40 m tests we have: I want to do 40 m in five seconds or 5.0 something." As for strength: "I want to be squatting 200 kg for three reps," he says. "My best now is 180 kg for three, so not far off. You need strong legs in this sport." Strength is as important to rugby players as the ability to dive is to footballers. Without it, you won't get far. "It increases your power, it increases your fitness level and it enables you to break tackles or ride tackles and carry out your skills in the contact area, which makes the game a lot easier," says Henson. Although he has always been one of the bigger boyos, he has still had to work hard from a young age to harness his natural power. "I started weight training just after my 16th birthday," he says. "My parents didn't want me to go too soon, they wanted me to fully grow first. At 18 I started taking it more seriously." By then he had signed professional terms with Swansea and was rucking down with hairy-arsed giants with forearms the size of Popeye's. "When I came on the scene I knew I had to put weight on," he says. "So every year I've tried to put on half a stone." Through intensive weight training he has managed to achieve his goal, beefing up to 98 kg at the start of last season. He regards that as his fighting weight: heavy enough to take the biffs, but light enough to still be quick. At first he managed to get bigger and stronger despite the efforts of his club's training programme, not because of it. Henson, with trademark bluntness, is damning of the regime at his formerclub, which merged with Neath to become the Ospreys when the number of professional clubs in Wales was reduced to five regional outfits in 2003. "It was a pretty unprofessional club at the time," he says. "Switching to the Ospreys was a real eye opener: it was so professional and everything was monitored. Before things were quite amateur. "It's so much better since the switch to regional rugby in Wales. Now we have our fitness coach who monitors us and he gives us programmes every three months at a time, which is overseen by the Welsh management as well. We've also got a nutritionist, and if he thinks you need to put weight on he advises you." Seeing his fitness nosedive last season, due to a groin injury and a seven-week suspension for elbowing an opponent, was tough. Most people put on weight when they're injured and forced to do nothing, but not the hyperactive Henson. Being laid low left him half a stone lighter and shorn of much of his strength. "It was a very frustrating time with the injury and then getting the suspension straight away," he says. "I wasn't fully fit when I came back and I couldn't sprint. The Welsh team wanted to fast-track me because there were a lot of injuries and obviously the display against Ireland wasn't one of my proudest or best moments." After that he couldn't wait for the season to end. He knew the only way he could rediscover his form was to rediscover his fitness, and he needed to get off the playing treadmill to achieve that. If he didn't he'd be finished. Few sports have progressed as rapidly as rugby union has over the last decade; backs weigh the same as forwards used to, while forwards today push weights that some powerlifters would be proud of. "The game has changed even in the last year," he says. "There are youngsters coming through who are bigger and stronger than anyone before them so you've just got to keep ahead of them." So while his Welsh teammates were preparing to fly to Argentina for a bit of old-fashioned thuggery against one of the world's more brutal sides, Henson began a 12-week summer training meltdown in Cardiff with the intention of getting his weight back up to 98 kg. "Normally, after the end of a season, I would have four to six weeks off but this time I decided to train right through," he says. He even worked out during his two-week holiday abroad with singer Charlotte Church, to make sure he reported back to pre-season training on June 26 in good shape. The rest of his training took place at the gym he has had installed at the Cardiff home he shares with Church. "It's got everything that I need," he says. "Bench press, squat rack, dumbbell rack and all the cardio equipment so I don't need to go to another gym. Obviously because everyone knows who I am, going to the gym is quite stressful. People want to talk to you between sets and reps and that's the last thing you want to be doing when you are there to train." He has even got his more vocal other half interested in pumping iron. "She trains," he says. "She really enjoys it but she only uses light dumbbells. I have to monitor her on it." Henson attributes New Zealand's playing superiority to their superior conditioning. "We measured our average fitness against theirs and yes we are a little bit off but we have made a lot up so we're catching them," he says. "Polynesians are naturally bigger and more powerful but we're not that far off." Like most experts he thinks the All Blacks will be the team to beat at the World Cup but adds: "They do tend to peak quite early before World Cups so it will be interesting to see how they handle it." Only South Africa and France offer a viable alternative, he says. "Those three are definitely going to be the favourites," he says. What about Wales, kings of the northern hemisphere in 2005? "Let's see how we get on in the Six Nations first," he says. He's more bullish about their prospects of regaining the Six Nations crown. "We'll have all our players back so I don't see why not," he says. THE WORKOUT Rugby is all about speed, power and being able to smash into people very, very hard. Weight training is therefore a fundamental part of every professional player's training programme because it builds muscle to shield the body from the battering that awaits as well as being a vital component of speed and strength. Henson proved in 2005, when he tossed England's Matthew Tait around like a jockey, that he isn't lacking in power. He cultivates it through twice-weekly weights sessions during the season with the Ospreys and four sessions a week during the off-season at home. Off-season is for bulking up; in-season is all about maintaining. Two exercises are king: power cleans and jump squats, moves that work all the major muscles explosively. "I do a lot of power cleans and can do 120 kg for three," states Henson, who nominates Gareth Thomas as the strongest player pound-for-pound in the Welsh team. If Henson plays on a Saturday, a typical week's training begins with a light recovery session on Sunday. "I go for a light jog on the running machine for 20 minutes to flush things out, or I go on the bike for 20 minutes," he says. He's not a fan of swimming. "I don't like the chlorine in the pool," he reveals. "I have a feeling it's bad for you." Monday begins at 8am with a weights session with his teammates, starting with power cleans and jump squats. "The reps do change, sometimes it's four sets of five but they're usually kept low because it's all about power," he says. "If you're moving heavy weights fast then when there are no weights around you, you can go faster again." The players follow these two moves with exercises for all the muscle groups, such as bent-over rows for back, bench presses for chest and shoulder presses. Sessions last about an hour and are followed by video analysis of games and a rugby session on the pitch. The Ospreys have two rugby sessions lasting about 90 minutes each on Tuesdays, starting with touch rugby. Then on Wednesday the players are back in the gym for a similar weights session to the one on Monday followed by more video analysis. Thursday is a rest day and Friday is a relatively light day because of the match the following day, so the players might just do some sprints and a steady team run. Henson tries to eat small meals every two to three hours and has used supplements since he turned professional at 18. "Most players take them, they make life so much easier when you're on the go," he says. "They get your fitness up and your weight up." On the last Lions tour he signed a sponsorship deal with Maximuscle and now gets all his products from them. "It's a massive help," he says. He uses Viper for rehydration in conjunction with Cyclone, which contains whey protein and nutrients, and also uses Promax for fast-acting whey protein. He also uses a product called Ache-Free for extra nutrients. They will play an important part in helping him get through a season that could see him play anything up to 35 matches for club and country even before the World Cup begins. Careers are getting shorter as the game has got more physical and Henson reckons he'll do well to keep going beyond the age of 32. "Rugby's one of the toughest sports because you need such a wide range of fitness," he says. "You have to sprint, go to the gym, be able to put weight on, be agile." Does he ever get bored of the training? He smiles. "Noway. I get my enthusiasm from beating times I set before and seeing the benefits physically and that's what drives me." HENSON'S DIET BREAKFAST Porridge and four egg whites Peanut butter on toast Promax: to increase the protein content of his diet Protrient: to support his immune system. Pre-season is very intense training and this cansuppress the immune system Ache-Free MID-MORNING (AFTER TRAINING) Salmon with vegetables Cyclone: to promote muscle growth and recovery Ache-Free LUNCH Lean meat with vegetables and potatoes MID-AFTERNOON Fruit and energy bar Progain: for additional calories when trying to increase weight Ache-Free DURING TRAINING Viper: to prevent dehydration and prevent muscle breakdown EVENING MEAL Lean meat or fish and vegetables SUPPER Weetabix or bran flakes Promax: to prevent muscle breakdown throughout the night Ache-Free M&F Gavin Henson is supported by Maximuscle and for more information on the products he uses go to www.maximuscle.com