Extra Reps with Rennie Curran

I have an in-depth story on Rennie Curran's workout routine in Sunday's Telegraph, but there was plenty more from my interviews that didn't make the paper. Here are some excerpts from my reporting along with a YouTube video of Rennie working out prior to his freshman year at Georgia.

Rennie Curran on his workout plan: "Usually, it depends on whether I'm working out with the team or on my own. If it's on my own, I have three other trainers I work with, and they all have me doing different workout things. One day I work out flexibility, quickness type things, mostly injury prevention. Another guy I do my heavy lifts with, auxiliary lifts. I'm always doing something different whether it's injury prevention and high reps with light weight or heavy weight with a little bit of reps just to keep my body progressing and not to plateau."

Curran on working out in-season vs. out of season: "In the season it's kind of hard to stay in the weight room that much because you're always out on the field, but you try to get in there as much as you can. At least three days a week just to maintain your strength."

Curran on his early days in the gym: "I got in with the heavier guys, with the linemen, and that paid off because I was always lifting heavier than I should have been, and that's how I ended up being up stronger than a normal guy for my size. They split us into groups now, but I still like the habit I formed when I was younger where it's lifting, even if it's 10 pounds heavier than what the sheet says, I still do that. Just try to aim high always, and it pays off."

Curran on his eating habits: "I'm always eating a lot of carbs and a lot of protein, anything that will keep my weight up. I try to stay away from sweet things, Coke and stuff like that. I never drink any carbonated drinks. I usually just drink fruit drinks, chocolate milk, Power Aid, water. It's real hard. Once in a while you might get something that's not too healthy – some greasy food from Peaches or something – I might eat that once a week, knowing that I'm going to go into the weight room and work it off anyway. For me, it's all about moderation. That's what I learned when I met with our nutritionalist. That's what she said was it really didn't matter what you have, but it's how often you have it and the portion of how much you're having, so I really just watch my intake of whatever."

Curran on other players who impress him in the gym: "For a guy that's not that big, Asher Allen impresses me with his workout. Rashad Jones, Shaun Chapas, Kiante Tripp is a beast, Tanner Strickland broke the squat record with 700 or something ridiculous like that. Clint Boling, me and him worked out together while we were in high school before we got up here."

Curran on what he listens to while he works out: "I like listening to anything that's uplifting, talks about struggling. T.I., Jeezy, Wayne, anything that gets you pumped up. It's like game day really."

Dave Van Halanger on what makes Curran so special: "A lot of it is genetic. He was born and God gave him certain gifts and talents. But I think the think that makes Rennie good when he comes in here mentality-wise, it's different than a lot of guys. He comes in with a true focus that today I'm going to be great – not good, great. I'm going to use what I have in here and the gifts God's given me to be great. Every set that we put on paper, every rep that's there, every weight – he does. You never have to question. You have one or two guys that you know the last set or last rep, they only do six instead of eight. Not Rennie. He's doing every one. So his training is outstanding, but his mental training is even better. Then his persona, the way he carries himself in here, it's such a great help to our strength staff, because he uses that leadership. Now, even as a sophomore, I can point and say, ‘Hey, if you want to do it the Georgia way, do it that way.' Because he does it. He's very strong – four hundred and fifties, sixties in the bench press."

Van Halanger on Curran's desire to do everything at the highest level: "There's some guys that can't do that, but that's a great way to do it. When you've got to do something – academics, weight training, practice – do it with everything you've got. Then when you're done, just be sociable. Rennie is great example of everything – we call it the Georgia way. It's just how you do it. Well, what is that? Rennie Curran is the Georgia way. He does everything the right way. You always can point to him. If there's a group of kids that comes in here and he's in the middle of a workout, you can say, ‘Hey, Rennie, can you take a minute with these kids?' And Rennie will go talk to them for three, four minutes of just sharing. He's everything you want in a football player and as a person."

Van Halanger on his first impressions of Curran: "Boy, he's small. It's going to be tough. This is the SEC. Those linemen are 6-7, they'll cover him up. He's strong and he works hard, but each day, I gain more confidence. Wow, this guy's a little different. He packs a whallop. And then when you saw him practice, you knew right away – boy, he's unbelieveable. But your first impression is, he's not very big and this is a big man's conference."

Van Halanger on Curran's football ability: "He's got football instincts. A lot of guys have great motors, but they don't know where the heck they're going. Rennie has a great motor, but he knows where he's going every play. That's why he can be places people don't think he can be. He already knows, he's studied that key or that movement and bam – it's those football instincts."

Van Halanger on Curran's approach: "He's such a self-motivated kid, and he puts great expectations on himself to do great things. That's the way he approaches life. I'm going to do great in every area. He really emulates great things. He's come from a tough environment, tough situation. He appreciates life, he appreciates every day, and he's going to make the best out of it. He's not going to let a day go by where he's not doing his best. He always wants to be first – every running thing, we probably do 15 different runs, and he'll do unbelievable in every one of those things. He's got to be the best."

Van Halanger on using Curran as a role model: "When I have an issue and I have to bring a guy into my office, I can point to certain guys. Well, Rennie is a guy you point to. Why don't you work like 35? If you work like him, you won't be in here feeling like everybody is not giving you a break. Make your breaks. Rennie didn't say, ‘Oh, I'm not tall.' No, he said, ‘I'm going to do everything I can to be great' and he is. He takes the things that God's given him and multiplies his talents."

Shaun Chapas on his impressions of Curran: "He's a freak. You just look at the kid, he's just a big ball of muscle. He's got the work ethic, obviously the way he looks like does is because he works hard at it. Just the other day, we were lifting and it was kind of like, we had lifted, went and ran, we came back in and guys will get in a little extra. I was in there doing a little shoulder press or something, and he was over there just all glistened and gleaming. I think he was doing bicep pressdowns. He just looked like a Hulkamania model or something. He looked like a war daddy."

Marcus Dowtin on working out with Curran: "Every time I work out with Rennie, you'll be pretty drenched in sweat. They give us a workout, but it's about the intensity you go into the workout with, and that's what really helps him out."

Dowtin on the mental aspect of weight training: "The way I come in to weight lifting is a mind-set. I think anybody could lift a house if their mind was set to it, so once he sets the bar to what we're supposed to do, it's about going in knowing you can do it. He puts the heavy weight on there, and I just go with it. Most of the time I can get what he's getting, some of the times I can't."

Clint Boling on working out with Curran: "It motivates me so that one day I might be able to bench more than him or throw a little bit more weight around than he does."

Boling on Curran's attempt at the bench-press record: "That's just kind of Rennie's personality. He always expects to do big things, even coming in as a true freshman, breaking records, that's just the way he is."