Considering the inescapable demands put upon the inter-county player, Cian Lynch shared his experience of the GAA's growing gym culture.
Limerick's Cian Lynch is not alone in suggesting that the demands put upon inter-county players leave little by way of a chance at ordinary living.
"It's gone so full-time now," the reigning Hurler of the Year explained on Monday's OTB AM, "lads sacrifice everything.
"You're getting up on Monday morning, finish up work at 5pm and you're straight to the gym for 5:30pm for an hour-and-a-half session there.
"You'll do the gym twice a week maybe, and training probably three times on top of that."
After completing his fifth season with Limerick's senior hurlers, the Patrickswell man's year ultimately ended in disappointment; National League and Munster championship winners medals doing little to assuage the regret of not regaining their All-Ireland crown.
While the weekend's decisive clash between Kilkenny and Tipperary will be all the more difficult to watch for Limerick's not being involved, Lynch is nevertheless looking forward to righting the narrow wrongs of 2019 next year.
Physical preparation will be high among his list of priorities.
"Everyone tries to better themselves as an athlete," he explained, "whether it is extra gym work or hurling drills.
"The gym is massive though the way things have gone."
A development not unique to hurling alone, Lynch acknowledged the potential such work can have in the performances of Dublin footballer, Con O'Callaghan.
"Looking at Con O'Callaghan there the way he's developed over the past couple of years, he's massive," stated Lynch.
"The performances have shown as well as a result.
"Like, when I came in onto the Limerick team at 18, I think I was about 73 or 74kg.
"If you're only 74kg now at 18, you're very light. So I made a decision myself, and with Joe O'Connor, our strength and conditioning coach, I was given a programme to help me fill up a bit.
"I do enjoy the gym, and it is a great way to clear the head and mind."
You can watch Cian Lynch's interview in its entirety here.
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