Training for Rugby #16376

New sports science findings to help you improve your strength, speed and agility on the rugby field

Training for Rugby is a fantastic new guide from Peak Performance written specifically for the rugby player who wants to improve his or her strength, speed, and endurance.

Elite rugby players and their coaches know that not all players should train the same way – at least not if they’re aiming for peak performance. Instead, rugby players should train to reflect the varying energy demands of their field positions. However, before we can do that, we need a better understanding of what is physically required for certain positions. Only then can we devise more suitable and more effective training programmes.

Sports scientists classify team sports like rugby as ‘intermittent sprint sports’ because, in the course of a match, players will alternate between fast running or sprinting, walking, jogging and standing. Rugby matches are a bit like random interval workouts – except that they also involve non-running activities, such as rucking, mauling and scrummaging. Training for Rugby addresses all these issues and more.

Read Training for Rugby today and here are some of the facts you’ll learn:

- How can coaches adapt aerobic and anaerobic training to meet the needs of players in different positions on the field?
- What’s the best way to enhance your ability to turn at high speed without injury?
- Which exercises specifically enhance a player’s ability to avoid tackles – or break straight through them if need be?
- How can rugby forwards make sure they get maximum benefit from time spent in the weights room?
- Which forms of pre-match conditioning are most responsible for sports injury – and should therefore be kept to a minimum?
- What’s the best way to adapt weight training programmes for youth players?

Here is a chapter by chapter break down of what you’ll find in this training guide:

Training schedules: Super 12 stats help show rugby players how to train to suit their specific position

Resistance training: How rugby players, especially orwards, can improve their sessions in the gym

Agility training: A mixture of conventional and alternative agility training methods for backs looking to break those tackles

Women’s World Cup training: A training diary from one player’s international season; it’s not just for girls!

Youth weight training: An English Premiership strength and conditioning coach provides help for future stars

Rugby injuries: A general guide to injury prevention, followed by specific management of shoulder and groin injuries

Coaching: How youth coaches are using a psychological questionnaire to deal with Underperformance Syndrome

What the scientists say: Exercise and recovery in rugby players

What the scientists say: Does ibuprofen delay the painful effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness

What the scientists say: Previous injury predicts in season problems for rugby players

What the scientists say: Can creatine work for younger performers?