Tom Curry has undergone a remarkable transformation since England’s World Cup final loss, notably augmenting his strength alongside his already formidable speed, solidifying his status as England’s most formidable flanker.
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During the 2019 championship, the English flanker carried a weight of just 98kg.
Nevertheless, Tom has dedicated significant time to rigorous training in the gym, amassing an impressive 12kg of pure muscle mass to his physique since that time.
Curry revealed all during a Q&A with Muscle & Fitness.
MF: You’ve bulked up since you first burst onto the international scene – how has that affected your game?
TC: “My brother [and Sale teammate, Ben] and I have been in the gym since we were about 13 with our dad so it’s always been on my schedule, whether I was playing or not, to be working out and building strength.
“But then it all came down to an injury: I dislocated my wrist and that gave me four months to work my legs. I noticed massive improvements from those sessions and gained a lot of muscle. I’ve always been topping up in terms of upper body, too.”
MF: Presumably you were eating big as well?
TC: “Yeah nutrition has been vital. I found that by having a plan in place for what to eat and sticking to a diet designed to help build muscle for a few months you start to see it all come together.
“In season my diet is much more about the carbohydrates – lots of pasta – but otherwise I base much of my diet around protein first and then build in the carbs. I absolutely love chicken. It’s not exactly exciting but it works for me.”
MF: What’s on the menu before before a big game?
TC: “Game day is pretty weird for me. I’ll eat in the morning, but I’ll go for something pretty safe like pancakes – just in a greater volume than normal.
“Then I’ll be snacking on bars until the game, looking to add an extra 1,500 calories before kick-off.
“I can’t really stomach post-match shakes so I usually just have milk after the game.”
Curry became the youngest player to start an international for England in 90 years when he made his senior bow in Argentina on the 2017 summer tour.
DID YOU KNOW? Tom studied at Oundle School – where the master in charge of rugby was their uncle and former England international John Olver.
BEST RUGBY TRANSFORMATIONS:
#1. Richie McCaw
Below, we look at five other rugby stars who transformed their bodies to get themselves into top condition.
Rugby fans cannot believe McCaw’s body transformation as the All Blacks legend showed off he has lost muscle mass since hanging up his boots.
Since retiring, the double World Cup-winner has become obsessed with ultra-hardcore marathons and has shifted a lot of that weight to give him a speed advantage.
The 41-year-old, who weighed 107 kg, is now closer to 87kg since dropping the weight.
For context, that’s a weight drop of over three stone.