[quote]BlakeRugby wrote:
Thanks for the input guys. There seem to be a lot of Rugby players at T-Nation.
My best position is #7 open side flanker because I have naturally good endurance and I’m a good tackler.
I think the consensus is that body fat % is not all that important. I think I’ll have to agree with that. You can’t tell who is going to be a good player by just looking over how a group of guys look. I know my speed and power were hurting when I ballooned up to 20% body fat. But now I think you guys are right that I should concentrate on improving performance and my body fat should take care of itself.
So far I have done a twelve week program working on weight loss, bulking, general physical fitness and doing medium length conditioning runs of intervals under a mile. I had great success with optimized volume training from Thibaudeau.
So now I think my best progression would be to go on a strength and bulking plan for 4 weeks. Then switch to lifting for power with Plyometrics and O lifts and training for quickness, agility and speed.
Do you guys have a good suggestion for a training program focusing on quickness, agility and max speed. I have been reading some of the Charlie Francis stuff here and have been using some workouts from the national sevens team plan. But I have just been putting things from many different sources together in a speed training hodge podge.
Thanks for the Help. Go Rugby.[/quote]
I played as a flanker myself and the main thing I learnt after playing a few games was that I had to be able to pick myself up the ground a very quickly after diving into a ruck and then having to chase the ball carrier to where the next ruck had formed. I found that doing this was the most exhausting part of the game.
To train for this I invented a drill where i would sprint for a short distance, say about 20 metres, then drop to the ground to do some sort of GPP exercise, like 5 pushups, situps, burpees etc. Map out a course on the rugby field or at your local park where you have designated stations to do each of the exercises. Ensure that the sprint direction changes constantly so that you simulate moving around the field like in a game e.g. sprint in a straight line on one leg, side-skip the next leg, run backward on another etc. Set up a leg with markers to run around so that you are running in a zig-zag direction. Have another leg where you have to pick up a ball on the run, run a few metres and then drop to the ground to simulate placing the ball on the ground in a ruck, then hop up again as soon as possible to move on.
If you have a training partner you can incorporate some exercises at a station such as using a small punching bag for 1 minute or doing medicine ball drills. One of the exercises near the end of the circuit, when you are tiring could be to have the partner grubber-kick a ball along the ground for yo to chase and practice securing a loose ball. There is endless variety as to what you can do.
If you plan a good circuit it will improve your condtioning and agility very quickly and you will be training in “match conditions” as much as possible, which is the most valuable thing.
Hope this gives you a few ideas.
Ben
PS I hope rugby’s profile and standard in the US improves so that we can have Australia-US Test matches regularly. Imagine Aussie and Yankee T-men going head-to-head in the ultimate T-game! Awesome!
