Mat Warriors lift Great North Rugby Challenge in Bots

MATABELELAND Warriors are in a celebratory mood after winning the recently held Great North Rugby Challenge in Francistown, Botswana.

Despite the tournament played at the Old Francistown Stadium being for seniors, Warriors, coached by Ruben Kumpasa sent their Under-21s who proved too strong for their opponents. Warriors defeated Botswana University of Science and Technology 45-10, saw off Botswana Accountancy Club 66-14 before they thumped a select team 50-10 in the final.

Warriors were meant to play against Jwaneng Rugby Club before the final but the match could not take place since their would-be opponents had suffered a number of injuries that had left them depleted but some of their players played against the Zimbabweans in the final.

The tournament was meant to have six teams, four from Botswana and two from Zimbabwe. In the end there were three from Botswana and one coming from Zimbabwe. Highlanders were supposed to send a team but they failed to do

machines and free weights in some imaginary gun-to-thehead either/or question, most bodybuilders would probably pick free weights. It’s accepted wisdom that old-fashioned iron is superior for gaining mass. Comparing one similar exercise to another, this is generally true, and you can certainly get a great upper-body workout with only free weights. However, machines are nearly mandatory for training hamstrings and calves, and it is unlikely most bodybuilders would build better quadriceps using only barbells and dumbbells rather than the variety of thigh machines a well-equipped gym would offer.

For this reason, if forced to choose one or the other, remember that you can actually train all of your body more thoroughly using machines exclusively.

Luckily, you need not choose

between machines and free weights. You require both, because some free-weight exercises cannot be duplicated with machines and vice-versa. There is no pulley or lever equivalent of the deadlift or the power clean, and using a mechanical device can never replicate the stress of a free-weight squat or bench press. Likewise, any attempt at performing machine lifts such as standing calf raises, leg curls or triceps pushdowns with loose iron is impractical at best.

You can potentially benefit from all exercises, regardless of the equipment you choose. so.

Seeing that their juniors have been active in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board Under-21 League where they played in the semi-finals, Warriors took a team mostly made up of youngsters to Botswana.

“We opted to send juniors because they have been active and took just three seniors. It was a competitive tournament, our opponents were more physical but we had more structure, we played flowing rugby,’’ Kumpasa said.

Prop Patrick Mcklin took the Player of the Tournament while Emmanuel Zangari was the Top Try Scorer with six tries.

Not every exercise suits every person, however. Perhaps, owing to your phy s i ol o g y, some don’t stress your muscles the way they should; others are awkward. But you won’t know unless you try. You should use every machine in the gym and also experiment with all of the standard freeweight exercises. Perform a new exercise for several workouts to see how your body responds. Just the shock of something new is often enough to cause a growth burst.