GET STRONGER with Marcello Wainwright
Marcello, 23, returns for his second season with the Toronto Arrows. Marcello is proud to play for his own home team. He began playing rugby in high-school and has never looked back. A player who benefited from the Toronto Inner-city Rugby Foundation (TIRF), Wainright spent summers interning with the program to give back, and will often spend off-time attending clinics and events to bring the game of rugby to kids who might not otherwise benefit from its great values. Marcello gave us insight on the aspects that make him a great rugby player:
What is your favourite exercise to do during your workout?
MW: Definitely front squats.
How often do you weight train vs. train cardio?
MW: I train weights 2-3 times a week. Cardio training happens mostly from on-field training so that would be around 3-4 days. Anything extra is 1-2 times a week.
How often do you eat throughout the day? What foods make up your daily diet?
MW: I try to have 4 meals a day (or 3 with an added protein). I don’t snack much, and I like to have a lot of meat and eggs while balancing vegetables too of course. I eat a lot of kale salads.
How important is music to your workout and what is your song of choice to get motivated?
MW: When I’m working out alone, music helps to block everything else out and focus. My usual genres are hiphop/rap, and anything by Run The Jewels is perfect.
What sort of supplements do you take?
MW: I only take whey protein and vitamin D.
What is your favourite cheat day meal?
MW: You can never go wrong with pepperoni pizza.
What is your guilty pleasure?
MW: I would say a large Dominos pizza all to myself, but that only happens on a rare occasion. And some Netflix with that, obviously.
Who is your favourite workout partner?
MW: When I’m with the team, I pair up with others that are my size, usually back row or hookers, so we can challenge each other a bit. When I’m away from the team I’m happy to lift alone.
What are some of your fitness goals?
MW:
- Complete the Bronco Test in under 5 minutes
- Completing a half marathon in the off season
Do you consider load management important in rugby?
MW: Yes, it’s hard to be at your best if you’re playing every minute of every game. It helps to have a bit of rotation in the squad and allow players to fully recover before pushing themselves to their limits.
Do you prefer working out in the morning or evening?
MW: I prefer to workout in the morning, if I can get it done early the rest of the day usually goes better.
