While AFL debutants are recognised for their talent and training, an important physical element of their preparation is often forgotten.

Many of the 18-year-olds picked up in the national draft arrive at their new clubs with light frames and not much meat on their bones. The harsh truth is that young players are simply not considered for selection until their body is ‘AFL-ready’.

The amount of work that goes into transforming the physiques of draftees is seldom recognised or discussed.

Brandon Ellis has just finished his first season at Richmond. Taken at pick 15 in this year’s draft, the running defender has played all but one of the club’s games this year and was rewarded with a Rising Star nomination in round 17.

The 19-year-old arrived at the club with a solid build that was seen by many to be AFL ready. This was largely due to a strict weight-training regime that Ellis had implemented during his junior days at both West Coburg and TAC Cup side Calder Cannons.

‘I hit the gym four times a week and did a lot of strength exercises – bench press and dumbbell bench press for example. The three main muscle groups I worked was chest, back and legs,’ the highly rated recruit explains. ‘I wouldn’t do arms or shoulders too much because they’re being worked with the bigger muscle groups.’

In the effort to get size onto his adolescent frame, Ellis was eating almost everything he could get his hands on, while at the same time neglecting cardio activity.

Upon arriving at Punt Road, the under-18 All Australian defender underwent a customary physical assessment in order to ensure that his body could withstand the rigorous demands of the AFL.

His pre-draft bulking progress impressed Richmond’s conditioning staff. However after a skinfold test, they saw it necessary that he reduce his body fat percentage slightly over the pre-season.

‘The club said that they wanted me to maintain my body shape because I was pretty solid. But they wanted me to lose some fat and add some lean muscle, which I did with their help.’

The 2011 Vic Metro representative spent time doing cardio sessions in the heat chamber at Punt Road. Once he reached 81 kilograms, he was sent to the gym to work on his strength.

During his physical assessment, Ellis was given a program by strength and conditioning coach Matt Hornsby. It focused on strength training, so the young defender would often find himself doing exercises such as heavy bench press.

The program was structured over the pre-season, when players could commit a lot of time to gym work. Ellis found himself in the gym four days a week during this period, doing three upper body and two leg workouts on alternating days. However this was reduced slightly during the season as the players conditioning goals changed.

‘Pre-season we’d be in the gym Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. During the season our weight training depends on what day our game is on but we’d do maximum three sessions a week. The mid-season workouts are all about maintaining, not putting on size.’

Even though they are currently only using gym work to maintain, the Tigers are still made to work hard.

‘Yesterday, for example, I did some upper body and a bit of legs. Bench press is a massive exercise at Richmond, they smash us on that. For back, we’d do bent over rows, chin-ups and pull-ups. Then we’d do some explosive exercises, like pushing a barbell up and catching it. For legs, we’d do a lot of one-leg squats and single-leg deadlifts. Earlier in the week we’d do leg training with weights but sessions later on in the week would just be bodyweight exercises.’

The off-season, however, is quite different. The players desire to rest and relax is acknowledged, but they are eventually required to resume some less intense training.

‘When the season ends we get ten days off – when we’ll do nothing at all,’ Ellis explains. ‘Then we have a set six-week training program where we’ll do three running sessions and three weights sessions per week.’

The young defender says that the off-season training program is meant to take place away from the club. Players are instructed to train at their local gym or park after giving their bodies the club-imposed 10 day rest period.

But, according to Ellis, this break will be harder to handle for some at Richmond. ‘The gym junkie would have to be Angus Graham, he’s always there.’

Now that his impressive debut season has drawn to a close, with a heartbreaking draw against Port Adelaide, Ellis will turn his attention to rest, recovery and relaxation. Later this year the exciting young Tiger will return to the club for another grueling pre-season to ensure he is at peak fitness for his second year of AFL football.

John Lindon is a second-year Bachelor of Sports Journalism student at La Trobe University. You can follow him on Twitter: @jagrlin