Hey everybody!! I'm in university now, some small college more known for its pharmacy and dentistry in central california than anything else. They have a club rugby team and we compete with other schools around California etc. It's a pretty strong program and I'm wondering what would be some ways to build up some necessary muscles for rugby, outside of practice of course. This would be mainly for back play, I'm a smaller individual. Probably just any general workouts or advice for a winger. This is very preemptive questioning because we haven't been assigned out positions yet, but there is 75% certainty for me, using size and speed comparisons of my teammates, that I'll most likely be on the wing. I ask early because of the likelihood of this position and I also want to start early on conditioning so that I can be of use on the field and not a burden.
Deal Lift, back squat, front squat, and probably standing overhead press....and pendalay rows. I would imagine some burst exercise training, like plyometrics, would be beneficial as well.
ooph the coaches ive worked with at international rugby teams have guys starting with a westside barbell program (theres loads of variations, choose any) and bench press! there was a lecture i saw by an Australian team coach saying that teams that dropped the bench press pre and in season saw a 300% increase in shoulder injuries in season external rotation and rotator cuff exercises and stretching are good idea from general shoulder health in addition do some running, if youre playing wing then run fast! ideally go to some sprint or dance classes to learn some decent jump and sprint mechanics but thats optional (not optional if you want kick ass moves)
Have you trained with weights at all before? Movements I would concentrate on are: deadlift, front squat, chin ups/pull ups, dips (or standing overhead press of you can't do dips) and farmers walks. Learn how to do the movements properly before piling on the weight, and I like to remember the following idea: Movement quality > sets+reps > weight lifted Eat lots, sleep lots, lift lots. If you start getting weaker in the weight room or slower on the pitch, lift a bit less frequently and/or sleep and eat more. You'll probably get all of your cardio, sprinting, agility and "power"/collision training from the Rugby training itself, so you probably don't need power cleans or one legged anything, and you don't need to spend time on the ergo, treadmill or bike. Just get in, warm up for weight lifting by lifting lighter (and then progressively heavier) weights, do your 'work' sets, go home. Easy Good luck!
Really? Wow, maybe I should start benching again... OP - listen to Zaad, he knows more than me about exercise physiology (I didn't even call it sports science...) and actually works with other coaches and stuff, I just lift weights because it's fun...
You're on the money with pretty much everything youve said i've given up on the whole S&C thing, just not where my main interests lie In season your coach will have you do things the way they want it. but out of season: - try to get a lot of miles in from just walking - do some short sprints but only a few and rest as much as you want in between - focus on getting your movements better and you will get stronger - do single leg work like lunges and single leg extensions for high reps at the end of a weightlifting or sprinting session - sleep as much as possible
granted, i only played club rugby at my university for two years (4 seasons for club rugby in my area as we also had a spring season). but my training routine basically revolved around lifting. i didn't run during the season then because we practiced pretty hard four days a week, but i did run for endurance during the off-season times. terrific sport, great way to stay in shape. a torn acl playing basketball ended my rugby career. i started as a prop, then was moved to flanker where i stayed the entire time i played.
Here is a link to the Otago Uni Rugby strength programs. http://www.ourfc.co.nz/otago-university-rugby-club-conditioning.aspx There are different programs for different positions.
