1. We are up and down due to the Autumn internationals so it is hard to keep some form of fresh approach to training and playing. One week playing league, 3 weeks off. it disrupts your rhythm - IF YOU LET IT!

2. To this end I feel that Olympic Lifitng has been invaluable, normally two days out from the weekend on a thursday AM. We normally combine an Olympic lift with some form of contrast plyometric exercise with no rest inbetween and finish off with some assistance exercises. Lots of sets, little reps, explosive as possible and then the assistance exercises have remained the same throughout this little cycle of 4 weeks. I have noticed a definite improvement in sharpness on the rugby pitch as a result with lifts going up too. A typical rugby fitness session could look like this

1a Clean and Jerk - No rest 6-10 sets (including warm up building to a 3 RM) - no rest

1b Box Jumps - adding an extra rep with each set then resting for up to 5 minutes.

Assitance work could be 3-4 sets of chins, dips, incline bench, step ups or rows. Take your pick. My legs are weak so it is normally two leg exercises.

3. Tuesday strength work. Same format really, just out and out strength with 4 weeks of deadlift than 4 weeks of squats then 4 weeks of deadlifts - you get the picture. This has been working well too.

4. Really becoming shit hot on the nutritional side of things and even getting a couple of sun beds each week. 3-6 minutes, more vitamin D, feel 100 x better. need i say any more? I have upped my intake of sodium bicarbonate, iodine and magnesium and vitamin C ascorbates. It has, to be honest, kept me as fresh as  a daisy.

5. Learning to rest. You don;t get picked on what you do in the gym. It helps but taking rest as important as training is crucial. Roll out the pool, saunas etc. You may wonder where i get the time? Get up early.

6. Having a back off week ever 4 weeks from rugby. Sometimes you can’t avoid the training side of things but when you are looking to improve your rugby fitness in the season then back off from training a bit in the 4th week. It keeps things fresh.

7. This Xmas period will be fun for the guys building to the next league match on the 9th Jan. So..we are mixing things up. There are 4 weeks to go after this weekend. we will be hitting the pool, putting on a strongman competition (team based) and working on skills. We have set a goal of winning the next three so this period is crucial. As for this period I will be stepping it up. 4 weeks is actually a good period of time to really get the horsepower motoring in the right direction.

p.s make sure you check out my basic nutrition for rugby course. this is a great start to how to eat like sports person with real life, applicable strategies (because I do it myself!!!!!).

More to follow…..comments are always welcome

I love olympic lifting. Repeat - I love olympic lifting. I normally slot it in to the training week on a Thursday before training and 2 days before a match. I normally use a clean pull, power clean, hang clean, hang snatch and mix it up. here is a clean pull.

However, an amateur who can barely squat without crumpling to the floor…is another debate.

You see all lifts take a HUGE amount of time to coach and learn. So for all you lab rats out there here is a position.

YOU HAVE 15-20 AMATEUR RUGBY PLAYERS FIRST SET IN THE WEIGHT ROOM (IF YOU ARE LUCKY). WHAT DO YOU DO? WHAT’S MORE MOST IF NOT ALL DO IT WITHOUT YOUR SUPERVISION. WHAT DO YOU DO?

here is what I would do…strongman conditioning.

If you have time to develop power and coach olympic lifting then great. Begin with the clean pull. However, if you are like 99% of amateur coaches then you don’t. And please DON’T do what I have seen and prescribe your players olympic lifting without even showing them how to do them. That would be as about as effective as an odourless fart.

BONUS week this week! Here is a great drill too to improve fitness and conditioninig around the tackle zone.  You can set the height of the rope to whatever height you like. This is a good intense drill.

Get Fit for Rugby

Step 2 - spend your next session in the supermarket and the kitchen.

In terms of fitness 4 rugby, the best mass building exercises are simple. In fact if you are looking to pack on mass quick then add more food to your plate and more weight on the bar whilst sticking in the weight room to a sound diet of the exercises below.

1. Deadlifts

Number one ranks the deadlift and there is a strong enough reason why this is important in getting you fit 4 rugby. Why? Because it is a total body movement that at the same time allows you to shift obscene amounts of weight. The hormonal effect is therefore much greater with this exercise.

I am not a huge believer in functional training for rugby. In this respect you try and mimic as closely as possible the actions you perform on a rugby field. If you try and do this you will get weaker. I know, I have tried it. It doesn’t work. Stick with the big guns and get strong with the loads you are lifting. THAT will have a direct carry over onto the rugby pitch.

Who cares how much you can bicep curl? I care how much you can squat or deadlift. A good motivational tool is to download your country’s powerlifting scores and see how close you can get to them. Why?

a) Powerlifters are bloody strong

b) It is great motivation for you to keep hitting the gym if you are looking to notch up your ‘total’

Likewise I am not going to try and instruct you on technique. Get a coach who can look at your technique allowing you to get the most out of it. There are so many individual flexibility issues that can only be spotted with a trained eye. However, remember some coaching cues if you are on your own in the weight room. These include, arse down, chest up, look straight ahead. I mean have a look at this deadlift and let me know what you think.

Deadlifts for rugby are best performed in sets of 3-5 working with 70-85% of your best effort for 1RM. During the season I would train them once per week. In the season train them once per week.

A sample workout for your deadlift (for strength) would be:

Mobility Drills and Activation Exercises - 5-10 minutes

1. Deadlift 8 x 3-5 up to 180s rest

2a Back Extensions 4 x 15-20

2b Hanging Leg Raises 4 x 15-20

3 GH Raise 2 x 5-7 (you can start with these if you find these difficult)

2. Squats

Like the deadlift, squats are great if you are looking to improve your fitness 4 rugby. There are many progressions too if you can master the full back squat including the depth that you are looking for.

Begin with the box squat and the ‘art’ of forching your hips back to allow the muscles of the posterior chain to fire and give you the all important surge coming out of the hole. Placing a pause at the bottom of the squat will build that explosive starting strength that will allow you to bust tackles.

You have to earn the right to squat full depth and taking into account the flexibility issues that ALL rugby players have I very much doubt that a strong lordotic or arch in the back can be held, keeping the spine in neutral throughout the movement. If this is the case then again use a coach to look at your movements.

Use single leg variations for progression. Try this - put a barbell on your back and try Bulgarian split squats for sets of 5 and then tell me that you NEED to do a back squat all the time.

A sample routine for the squat would be:

Mobility Drills and Activation Exercises - 5-10 minutes

1 Box Squats - working up to a 1RM over 10 sets with a 180s rest interval

2a Split Squats with DB 3 x 8-10 - rest 60s

2b Chins 3 x 10-12 - rest 60s

3 Shrug with External Rotation 3 x 8 - rest 60s

3. Bench Press

I like the bench press for rugby. Why? a) if the player is lifting good loads this has a direct psychological bearing on his confidence. Everyone likes to bench b) It is a great upper body movement that allows maximum muscle recruitment allowing you to pack on size in the upper body.

Here is a tip - find a good powerlifter or strongman who can teach you HOW to bench for rugby. Technique is crucial in this regard. Your set-up and execution will translate to more loads if you get it right. More often than not it is NOT about your structural weaknesses but simply a question of your technique that can make the most immediate gains AND allow you to work around any shoulder issues you may have.

A sample workout for the bench press can include:

Mobility and Scapula Work

1a Bench Press 6 x 5

1b Wide Grip Chins 6 x 5

2a Press Ups 5 x 10-12

2b Inverted Rows 5 x 10-12

3 Side Bridging 3 x Hold

4. Military Press / Chins

Why have I put two exercises in? Well, alot of rugby players can’t handle overhead pressing. They are so beat up in this area that to further risk impingement around the sub acromial space is not worth it. Only if you wish to spend the time getting it fixed! Most lads don’t. In this case stick to chins and working good scapula control if you are wishing to improve your fitness 4 rugby.

During the movement focus on depressing the scapula. If you can’t get the movement then look for a coach. Use a lat pull down too to cue the movement.

If you are capable of lifting your arms above your head without any discomfort and good range of motion then the military press is an excellent tool for building mass. I mean how are you going to lift in the line-out? Duck into the back line if the ball goes out of play?

A routine could include

Mobility and Activation Work - 5-10 minutes

1a Military Press 5 x 5

1b Chins 5 x 5

2a Dips 3 x 10

2b Lunges 3 x 8 each leg

3 Reverse Crunches 3 x 20

With fitness 4 rugby the basics and the simplest of tools always win out. Sure you can spend hours perfecting the angle of curl through the long head of your bicep. This will probably make you weaker in the long run as you forget about the basics as outlined above. Keeping adding weight on the bar, keep the technique sound and be consistent.

John Lark is author of Get Fit for Rugby and the course, Nutrition For Rugby. Download your free rugby fitness course here.

Nutrition for rugby in the modern era has moved more towards high protein shakes, carb feasts the night before a match and luminous coloured sports drinks.

Now far from me to throw a spanner in the works but the game is moving forward again, This time with a focus on obtaining optimal health and good nutritional habits. It makes sense. How you can expect to thrive in any sport, not just rugby, with an internal environment that provides you with as much energy as a corpse.

So here are some tips  for you to provide a more balanced body and give your performance a kick start.

1. Eat for health rather than ‘your sport‘

Eating for health requires that you take a more holistic approach to your nutrition for rugby than just eating to ‘put on mass’ or ‘lose fat’. 9 time out of ten using such a specific approach will mean you reach your goals but at the expense of your health.

Take for instance a very high protein approach. The pros of this approach will be that you will become leaner. You may also gain muscle mass. I mean who can argue with the weekend warrior whose diet consists of boiled chicken and egg whites. The problem, however, comes when you look closer at the sheer acid load of this diet. Imflammation, acidosis, leaching of your alkaline minerals, deoxygenated blood are all side effects that will affect your overall performance. In the long run, your performance is sacrificed for your looks.

2. Consume whole foods 90% of the time

This is easy to follow. When eating for rugby, look at your plate and snacks. How many of them come from unprocessed sources? I like the one step rule. How far removed from your food’s natural source are the objects on your plate? an orange is one step. A jaffa cake is about 20 steps. A lentil stew is two steps. Keeping this rule in mind it stands to reason that eating for rugby is simple. Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90 per cent of the time. This includes (but not limited to) vegetables, legumes, beans, seeds, nuts, oils, meats, poultry, fish, quinoa and brown rice.

3. Eat more alkaline fruits and vegetables overall

Electron rich, alkaline vegetables will provide you with energy for rugby and for life in general. Key veggies are anything green alongside the uber fruits such as avocado, tomatoes and low sugar varieties including blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals these powerhouse of nutrition will turbo charge your rugby performance by keeping imflammation at bay, hormones fully active and in balance and your muscle building potential in full swing. Look at gorillas!

4. Boost Your Oil Intake

Adding 1-2 tbsp of oil to your feedings will significantly enhance your health and well-being giving your rugby fitness a boost along the way. It stads to reason that the trillions of cells that make up our body are largely made up of fat, particularly the cell membrane that stands as a gatekeeper to nutrients coming in and nutrients coming out. Oils such as plant based oils, hemp, avocado and olive alongside pharmacy grade fish oil will reduce imflammation too allowing you to recover faster and maintain and much healthier condition of your body.

5. Up Your Water Intake

It stands to reason that if you follow the 80-20 rule when it comes to health (80 per cent of your results comes from 20 per cent of your efforts) that consuming far more water is top of the list. Upping your water intake to 3-4 litres of filtered, ionised and alkaline water will send your rugby fitness through the roof. Start by including some lemon juice in your water alongside using a good filter jug and some pH drops. Your energy for training and matches will be right up there.

Take one tip and implement one a week. Watch your training and match performances flourish alongside just being a healthier individual. Not a bad trade off!

John Lark is author of Get Fit for Rugby and creator of the Nutrition for Rugby course. Sign up for your free rugby fitness course now.

www.nutritionforrugby.com

Block 1 - Mobility 5 minutes

Block 2 - 10 minutes block of

Trap Bar Deadlifts x 3 @80% of BW

Press Ups x 10

Bent Over Single Arm Rows x 5 each arm - 12 kg DB

Did 9 sets so happy with that but could have cranked out 1-2 more

Block 3 - Sled Pulls - 25yrds each length with 80kg

15 lengths in 10 minutes

Felt great - 3 minute rest

Block 4 - Cosgrove Bar Complex

40kg 6 reps of Deadlift, Rom Deadlift, Bent Over Row, Power Clean, Front Squat (1/2 range), Push Press, Back Squat, Good AM

Rest 90s then repeat for 5 reps, rest for 90s then for 4 reps rest for 90s etc etc, down to 1 rep of each

Rest for 5 minutes and I needed it that was tough

Block 5 - Sled Pulls - 25yrds each length with 80kg

17 lengths in 10 minutes

Got angry and did a David Banner at the end to finish.

Overall really happy, mentally good and feel that when I do get back it will be in good nick rather than ‘look at him, he loves his food’ state.

Anyhow none of that so I thought I would show you what I have been up to in the weights room to try - aside from the obvious plethora of physio treatment at the hands of the Eamonn the physio who takes great delight in administering friction like his life depended on it whislt trying to maintain a coherent conversation.

For any injuries it is important to remember:

1) Get a correct diagnosis asap.

2) Look after it - if you insist on playing again quickly then make sure that what you do outside of the weight room/treatment room supports it so plenty of anti-imflammatory foods (veggies, omega 3 rich foods), rest and recovery sessions in the pool

3) You have other limbs that are not injured so work around it - work out and focus on what you CAN do rather than what you CANT do. There are a million ways to skin a cat and stay ‘in condition’ so find a professional who can guide you on this.

Here is my routine at the moment based. I train the leg pretty much every day but then again I don;t have an excuse and b) I am a dog when it comes to getting back playing. I am 10 days post Grade II MCL tear.

Session 1 (did this AM)

Box Squats 3 x 5 warm up, 3 x 5 work sets - ball busted the last set -

Squats 5 x 8-10

Peterson Step Ups 3 x 12 each leg

Session 2

In the pool

Session 3 (PM at training tonight)

Step Ups 5 x 8 each leg

Cosgrove Bar Complex

6 reps of all no rest between exercises then 5,4,3,2,1 with a 90 second rest between sets.

Deadlift, Rom Deadlift, Bent Over Row, Power Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squats, Good AM

I am using pain as my guide as to whether or not I repeat this sequence the following day or not. No pain. Train + more treatment. Pain = treatment and pool.

Now if you have time I would a) Get as much treatment as you can and then use pain as your guide merge the two sessions that are outlined above.

Basically after 10 days of keeping protein high alongside loads of veggies. Another 4 days to go with this and then we can phase in some carb days.

Without getting neurotic about counting calories this protocol is brutally simple an effective.

The nice thing is that he is still a strong bugger. Downside is that it is not the healthiest protocol to follow with too much acid in the diet.

Watch this space

Basically it is performed by allowing the player to fall forward and then resist the fall for as long as possible with their hamstrings. Needless to say - cue the laughter as Joe hits the ground using his face as a brake.

I have used this before in training. I will be using it again. Here is the progression that you can do to throw it into your warm up prior to getting into your rugby training.

Week             Sessions per Week             Sets and Reps

1                      1                                            2 x 5

2                      2                                           2 x 6

3                      3                                          3 x 6

4                      3                                          3 x 8

5-10                3                                          3 x 12,10,8

Source: Mjolsnes

Application for the Amateur Rugby Player

Use in your warm up drill. Pair up and get through them. Good if you have a player out with recurring hamstring pulls and you can liasie with your physical therapist/physio etc. Does create some soreness though so keep to the progression outlined above. That doesn’t mean you woss out of not doing it through fear of tiring your players. Just use it as a warm up drill.