KEY POINTS:
It's not all the training Mils Muliaina is finding hard work - it's all the eating. The 25-year-old is using the conditioning window to bulk up to strengthen an injury-prone shoulder and build extra power to bust tackles.
That means hours of work lifting heavy weights in the gym. It also means Muliana has to eat more than he normally does and, strangely, it's the load on the plate rather than on the weights bar that he's having a tough job handling.
"I'm not a big eater," says Muliaina. "I have never been able to put weight on. The nutritionist has given me some guidelines and I found it really hard to eat enough in the first couple of weeks. I tried to eat a couple of sandwiches the other day and I really struggled.
"I'm getting used to it now and I suppose I'm pretty lucky that I'm able to eat as much as I like. It's quite exciting as I have never been able to hit the weights the way I would have liked. In the last few years, I have been carrying an injury coming into the season and that means I can't get through the work in the gym."
The big change for Muliaina has been the introduction of red meat - something he had avoided for much of his professional career. He says that aversion began when he made the nationalsevens team as a teenager and fell under the tutelage of coach Gordon Tietjens, famed for weighing his players every morning and controlling their food intake.
"I normally eat chicken four nights a week," said Muliaina. "That's a hangover from my sevens days - I can hear Tietj's voice in my head whenever I look at red meat. I'm getting used to the changes now and I think I'll stick with this diet when I start playing again."
The combination of the training and diet have seen Muliaina gain 5kg this year - climbing from 89kg to 94kg. He reckons he can maybe squeeze another kilo on to his frame and maintain the speed and acceleration that makes him such a counter-attacking threat.
At 89kg, Muliaina was a relative lightweight against the likes of Wallabies Chris Latham, Mark Gerrard and Lote Tuqiri, all over 100kg.
"I definitely feel there have been occasions when I could have made more effective tackles if I had been a bit heavier," says Muliaina.
"With the extra weight and bulk I'll feel more confident that I can compete more effectively when I go into contact."
With the extra weight, he'll also give the All Black selectors peace of mind about selecting him at centre. Head coach Graham Henry has repeatedly talked of the need for physical presence in the midfield, arguing that at test level No 13s need to be around 100kg to break tackles and defend aggressively.
Muliaina was used at centre sporadically last season. That pattern may continue this year but, if Muliaina returns to Super 14 and shows he has developed a power game to supplement his craft, agility and vision, then he might see more time at centre.
