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Rugby fitness equals general fitness? I think that if you talk about the many different aspects of fitness such as strength, power, speed, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning you are talking about the fitness that a rugby player is looking for. Yes you could argue that for different positions you need different focuses but weather you’re a winger or a prop you’re still going to do speed work and weights.

The rugby union preseason takes place during the summer and during this time there is a massive push for physical gains. Now most fitness coaches will vary on their approach but this is an outline of what is common during the summer period for pro rugby players.
Weights usually consist of three or more sessions a week with three sets of ten as a starting point for most players. As the season gets closer the sets and reps come down with more placed upon explosive movements, like Olympic lifts such as Power Cleans and Clean Pulls. The weights are also tailored with a plymetric program which will help ensure that speed ability is successfully transferred from the gym to the pitch.

With regards to running fitness I think it’s fair to say the days of running around fields for thirty minutes or even doing a 3k run are long gone. These have been replaced with fitness games played to incorporate the ball and running fitness. This is teamed with running intervals and speed endurance work trying to improve players’ ability to repeat efforts and recover quickly. In all sports the training has become very specific and rugby is no different. The idea is to run faster for longer, be as strong and as powerful as possible, while managing your weight and being at a size which will help you play your game how you’d like to. With rugby you really have to be competent with all aspects of fitness and after the summer when most physical gains are made the trick is to hold on to your fitness levels as the games start coming up.

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