In Season Training Program Backs

IN-SEASON
RUGBY TRAINING
PROGRAM FOR
BACKS
CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION
01. DETERMINING YOUR TRAINING NEEDS
02. STRENGTH/POWER WORKOUTS
03. ENDURANCE WORKOUTS
04. PREHAB/REHAB WORKOUTS
05. RECOVERY WORKOUTS
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
With the rugby season in full swing, you should be enjoying the fruits of your off
and pre-season training efforts. After all, that’s when you can make the biggest
impact on your fitness, strength, power, and performance. With no big games to
prepare for or recover from, you should have had lots of time energy to dedicate
to both training and recovery.
But, does that mean that, now the season is upon you, that you cannot make
improvements in your rugby-specific fitness? Are you doomed to maintaining
the same level of fitness for the rest of the season or, worse still, trying to play
yourself fit? Hell no!
Playing competitive rugby can highlight areas of your fitness that need to
be improved. In fact, a rugby match is the perfect test of rugby-specific
conditioning. Once you have identified any weaknesses, you should be able
to address them in the coming weeks and months, even though you have to
balance your training with the demands of the competitive season.
You won’t be able to follow a full-on training program – that’s impractical as

you’ll be playing most weekends, will need to recover from your most recent
game, and will still have to show up to team training a couple of times a week
too.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t strengthen your fitness weak links.
In fact, because you’ll only have limited time for extra training, you’ll be forced
to focus on getting the most from each and every training session you do, and
that’s a good way to improve performance fast. There is nothing like short,
focused training sessions to concentrate your mind and make you emphasize
workout quality over quantity.
However, because of limited time for training and recovery, you are going to
have to prioritize your time and energy. Realistically, you won’t be able to fix
multiple areas at the same time; you’re going to have to pick and fix one area at
a time.
Remember, this is the time to strengthen weak links, not build a brand-new
chain!
Because of this, you’ll need to do a little self-analysis and honestly assess your
current performance. There’s questionnaire in the next chapter to help you with
this. In most cases, this will simply reinforce what you already know – the areas
of your fitness that need work.
In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 3

Armed with this information, you’ll can then dedicate two training sessions a
week to fixing the area that need the most attention. Two sessions per week
might not sound like much but it’s important to balance extra training with the
demands of playing and recovering from rugby games, plus your twice-weekly
team practices.
As the season progresses, you should find that your weak link turns into a strong
one, leaving you free to either switch into maintenance mode or move on to
something else you want to improve.
Remember though, playing rugby and training hard take a lot out of your body,
so you need to make sure you consider rest and diet as well as training. A
healthy diet can help, as can using supplements designed specifically for rugby.
To facilitate proper recovery, make sure you:
 Get 7-9 hours sleep per night, and not just at weekends
 Consume 2.0 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight
 Eat adequate carbs to fuel your workouts and restore depleted

glycogen
 Get plenty of vitamins, minerals, and essential fats
 Use creatine, especially after before and after training
 Cool down and stretch after training
 Use contrast showers/ice baths after full contact training and rugby
matches
For more details on the importance of and how to speed up recovery, check out
our FREE e-book 10 recovery programs for the day after a rugby game
In-season training should complement and gradually improve your playing

performance. If you notice your performance dropping, you probably aren’t
paying enough attention to recovery. Revisit recovery to make sure you
don’t end up earning yourself a place on the reserves bench!

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DETERMINING
1 YOUR TRAINING
NEEDS
You’ve probably got more than a sneaking idea of what your current fitness
weak links are. They’re the things you currently aren’t doing as well as you
should, or as well as your teammates.
However, if you aren’t prone to introspection, answer these questions to

determine what aspects you need to work on.
Some-
Not Very
what
true true
true
Your tackles often fail to stop opposing
1
players
You often get pushed or pulled off the
2
ball
Opposing players are able to outpace
3
you or catch you
Your acceleration from a dead-stop is
4
not as good as it should be
You are unable to change direction deci-
5 sively, making it hard to avoid opposing
players
You are unable to maintain top speed
6
for the full length of the pitch
You need to take regular walking breaks
7
between phases of play
You often find yourself out of position
8 because you are unable to keep up with
the flow of play
Long phases of play leave you feeling ex-
9
hausted and praying for the next whistle

You frequently find yourself walking
10 during a match when you should be jog-
ging or running
You have to warm-up for a long time to
11 get your body moving before training
and games
You have a lot of aches and pains that
12
never really heal
You have old injuries that were never
13
allowed to fully recover
Taping up before a match takes longer
14
and longer as the season goes on
You habitually use NSAIDs, ice, or other
15
pain-relieving strategies
You still feel sore 3-4 days after a game
16
of rugby
Your playing performance is decreasing
17
week-by-week
You are unable to train effectively be-
18
tween matches
19 You feel tired all the time
Your fitness is decreasing noticeably

20
from week to week
Each color represents a specific area of your game and there are five questions
per area. The area with the most “somewhat true” and “very true” responses is
the one you need to work on. If more than one area stands out, chose the one
that will have the greatest impact on your game.
Strength and power

Endurance
Prehab/rehab
Recovery
If you aren’t sure if you have answered the questions honestly, ask one of
your teammates or even your coach. They will have seen you in action and will
probably have noticed areas where you need improvement.
Armed with this information, you should now get to work turning your
weakness into a strength or, at the very least, less of a liability.

STRENGTH/
2 POWER
WORKOUTS
Strength and power are different muscular fitness components
but are similar enough that they can be trained at the same
time. Where strength is all about maximal load, power is all
about maximal velocity. Strength and power are also very
closely related; the stronger you are the greater your power
potential is, and the more powerful you are, the greater your
strength potential is. It really makes sense to train both these
components at the same time.
Two strength/power sessions a week might not sound like a

lot but it’s actually more than enough when you consider the
demands of playing and practicing rugby. It’s also important
to differentiate between training for strength and power, and
training for hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy or bodybuilding usual involves time-consuming

split routines where muscles are trained once or twice per
week. While effective for building muscle, this is not the best
way to increase strength and power.
In contrast, developing strength and power for rugby is best

achieved using whole body workouts, focusing more on
training quality and intensity instead of volume. Short but hard
workouts will trigger the improvements you want but without
the need for lots of recovery. This makes whole body workouts
ideal for not only this phase of training but rugby strength
training in general.
As an added bonus, where hypertrophy training increases

muscle size but rarely does much for strength or power,
strength and power training will increase muscle size. It’s a
much more efficient use of your time and energy.
Here are your two strength and power workouts. Do them

several days apart e.g. Monday and Thursday.

Precede each workout with a few minutes of light cardio plus some dynamic
mobility and flexibility exercises. Also do a couple of sets of each exercise using
an empty bar or light dumbbells to fully prepare your body for what is to come.
Workout One
Exercise Reps Sets Recovery
1a Barbell front squat 3-5
4 3-4 minutes
1b DB squat jumps 6-8
2a Bench press 3-5
4 3-4 minutes
2b Clap push-ups 6-8
Chest supported dumbbell
3 Max 50% 60 seconds
row
4 Dips Max 50% 60 seconds
5a Single arm farmer’s walk 10-15 meters 60 seconds
3
5b Hanging knee raises 10-12
Workout Two
Exercise Reps Reps Recovery
1a Deadlifts 3-5 3-4 minutes
4
1b Power cleans from hang 6-8
2a Barbell shoulder press 3-5 3-4 minutes
4
2b Push-press 6-8
3 Chin-ups/pull-ups Max 50% 90 seconds
4 Skull crushers Max 50% 90 seconds
5a DB side bends 10-12
3 60 seconds
5b Rollouts 10-12
Workout notes
01 | These workouts use complex supersets. With this method, strength and
power exercises are combined so that you can a) train multiple muscle
fitness components at the same time and b) increase your performance in
both types of training.
Perform a heavy set of the designated strength exercise using around 90%
of your 1RM. After a 3 to 4-minute rest, then perform the corresponding
power exercise.

Because of something called post-activation potentiation, or PAP for short,
you’ll be able to generate more force in the power exercise than normal.
The power exercise will further excite your nervous system so that you
can then, after another 3-4 minutes rest, perform better in the strength
exercise.
If you feel okay, feel free to increase the weights for either or both
exercises set by set. However, make sure you terminate the power exercise
as soon as you notice you are starting to slow down or your performance
is otherwise declining. Think quality and not quantity; this ain’t no CrossFit
workout!
02 | For exercises 3 & 4 of each program, do as many reps as you can, rest
EXACTLY 60 seconds, and then crank out another max rep set. Select a load
that limits you to around 8-12 reps for your initial set. Because you are tired
you won’t be able to do as many reps. Rest another 60 seconds and go
again. Keep going until you are unable to do 50% of reps you did in the first
set.
For example:
1. 10 reps
Rest 60 seconds
2. 8 reps
Rest 60 seconds
3. 7 reps
Rest 60 seconds
4. 5 reps
Rest 60 seconds
5. 4 reps (and done)
This method introduces an element of self-regulation to your workouts. If

you are feeling good, it will take you more sets to reach the cutoff point.
If, however, you are still feeling the effects of your last game or training
session, you’ll fatigue sooner and will need fewer sets to reach the 50%
point.
03 | Perform the final two core exercises back-to-back as a superset. This will
save time and also produce a better workout. Do the first exercise and
then, without resting, immediately do the second exercise. Rest for the
prescribed duration and then repeat the pairing.

04 | If you want to change any of the exercises, make sure your
replacement is very similar. For example, swapping front
squats for back squats is fine but doing leg presses instead
of squats is not.
05 | Increase your weights from one week to the next, or as

often as you are able. Even the smallest increase will help
improve your strength and power. It may be a good idea
to buy some micro plates that weigh ¼ and ½ kilo as a
lot of gyms only offer 1¼ and 2½ kilo plates and that can
sometimes be too big an increase.
06 | End your workout with a few minutes of light cardio plus

stretching for all your major muscle groups to enhance
flexibility and ward off adaptive shortening.
Strength and power training do not need to be complicated

or lengthy to produce results. And nor should it be if you
also have to contend with the demands of playing and
training for rugby. Give each workout your all and you will
get stronger and more powerful, despite their simplicity
and brevity.

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3 ENDURANCE
WORKOUTS
Endurance can mean several
things but, in simple terms, it’s
your ability to resist fatigue. If you
often find yourself dragging ass
behind your teammates, are the
last one to arrive at the set plays
or are always counting down the
minutes until the final whistle, you
need more endurance.
Endurance is the combination of

aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The
two are inextricably linked and it’s
all-but impossible to improve one
without the other.
Aerobic fitness is the ability of your body to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen.
The more oxygen you can get into your body, the later you’ll need to make the
switch to the anaerobic energy pathways, and the sooner you’ll recovery from
anaerobic activities like tackling and sprinting.
Anaerobic fitness is your ability to generate energy without oxygen. As

mentioned, the fitter you are aerobically, the later this system will come into
play. Also, the higher your anaerobic fitness is, the less lactic acid will be
produced.
Because of the interaction of these two systems, it makes sense to try and work
on both aerobic and anaerobic fitness if your endurance is what you need to
improve.
Here are your two endurance workouts. Workout one should be done in a gym,
while workout two should be done on a rugby pitch. Do the workouts several
days apart e.g. Monday and Thursday. Each workout comprises of three parts so
make sure you do them all.
Precede each workout with 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by some
dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises to make sure your body is ready for
what is to come.

Workout One (gym-based)
Exercise Sets Recovery

1 Reverse Tabatas 8 20 seconds
2 400-meter repeats 4 Go every 3rd minute
3 5k time trial 1 N/A
01 | Reverse Tabatas
Your first exercise targets your creatine phosphate energy system. This system
produces a short burst of energy for very intense activity. Using a rower, sprint
flat out for 10 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds. Repeat eight times to total
four minutes. Do your best to cover the same distance for all intervals. Set the
resistance on high to give yourself plenty to pull against. No rower? Do sumo
deadlift high-pulls or burpees instead.
02 | 4 x 400-meter repeats going every third minute
400-meters is a horrible interval training distance. It’s a bit too far to be

considered a pure sprint but, on the other hand, it’s not so far that you can’t give
it plenty of high-intensity effort.
On a treadmill or a running track, start your stopwatch and run 400 meters as
fast as you can. Rest until your timer says three minutes and then go again. Do
your next set when the timer reaches six minutes, and your final set when it
reaches nine minutes.
03 | 5k time trial (pitch based)
Your final exercise is as much a gut-check as it is a way to develop your aerobic

fitness. Row or run 5k (5,000 meters) as fast as you can but while staying within
your aerobic training zone. That means you should still be able to control your
breathing and talk while you exercise, albeit only just. If you have to slow down
at any point, you were going too fast.

Workout Two
Exercise Sets Recovery

1 Rugby pitch suicides 5 2-3 minutes
2 T grid sprint Max in 12 minutes 60 seconds
3 1-mile time trial 1 N/A
01 | Rugby pitch suicides
This classic conditioning drill is used in a variety of sports

including hockey and basketball and for a good reason –
it’s an effective way to develop a high level of endurance.
It also delivers a semi-decent speed workout too.
Starting on the dead ball line at one end of the pitch,

sprint out and jog back to each and every line on the
rugby pitch until you reach the dead ball line at the
opposite. Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat for four more sets.
02 | T grid sprint
For this drill, place cones on the floor as shown in the

diagram, 10m apart. Sprint around the outside of the
T as fast as you can – totalling 40 meters. Rest for 60
seconds and then repeat but traveling in the opposite
direction.
Do as many sets as possible in 12 minutes.

10 meters
10 meters
Sprint

03 | 1-mile time trial
For your final task, simply run one mile (1600 meters) as fast as you can while
staying within your aerobic zone. Run laps of the pitch or a measured mile as
preferred. Alternately, run four laps of a standard running track.
Finish your endurance workouts with a few more minutes of light cardio and
then stretch your major muscles, especially your legs. This will enhance recovery
and will also help ward off stiffness while promoting increased flexibility.
Combined with weekly rugby matches and twice a week team training,
these workouts will soon start to have a noticeable impact on your
endurance. To ensure you make good progress, try and go a little faster
from one week to the next, compressing more exercise into the same time
frame.

4 PREHAB/REHAB
WORKOUTS
Prehab and rehab are very similar types of training. In fact, they
often involve doing the same exercises. The main difference
is their timing – prehab is done to reduce your risk of injury,
whereas rehab is done to hasten recovery, prevent an injury
happing again, and is performed after the fact.
Most ruggers have to deal with injuries; it’s part and parcel of
such a physical sport. In a lot of cases, rugby players just play
on through injury, and use tape or modify their workouts or
techniques to accommodate their various aches and pains.
A brief break from training and playing can also help rid you
of your injuries, or at least allow time for the pain to subside,
but ruggers are a tenacious, determined bunch and are mostly
loath to take time off. After all, your place on the team is not
guaranteed and if you can’t play, you may be replaced.
Most players need at least some pre-hab and rehab but, because
of their ongoing training and playing commitments, fail to do it.
That means that aches and pains can accumulate as the season
goes on so that, by the time the last game rolls around, it’s like
watching a scene from The Walking Dead TV show!
If you are feeling very banged up, it may be necessary to forgo

some other types of training so that you can get a handle on your
aches and pains. While this does mean you might lose a little
strength or fitness, you’ll lose a lot more if you are injured and
unable to train or play at all.
Here are two general prehab/rehab workouts for you to use. Do

them on non-consecutive days e.g. Monday and Thursday.

If you need more detailed information about prehab and rehab, make sure you
check out our FREE e-book Prehab for rugby – a joint by joint approach.
Precede each workout with 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by some
dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises to make sure your body is ready for
what is to come.
Workout 1
Exercise Sets Reps Recovery
1 Foam rolling 1 12-20 rolls N/A
2 Single leg balancing 3 30-45 seconds 30 seconds
3 Glute bridge 3 12 60 seconds
4 Bird dog 3 10 per side 60 seconds
Stability ball front neck
5 3 15-20 seconds 60 seconds
bridge
6 Face pulls 3 15 60 seconds
7 Cuban press 3 10 60 seconds
8 Full body stretch 1 30-60 seconds N/A
Exercise instructions
01 | Foam rolling – foam rolling is a form of self-massage that frees up your
fascia. Fascia is, in simple terms, the tissue the covers your muscles keeps
them separate. If you don’t have a foam roller head out and buy one; they
only cost about $20.00. Once you have your roller, you just lie down so the
muscle you want to treat is on top and then roll along the length of the
muscle to release any tension or adhesions. Make sure you cover all your
major muscles including your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, upper
back, lats, and your chest. Roll each muscle 12-20 times, spending more
time on any “hot spots.”
02 | Single leg balancing – instability is a leading cause of knee and hip injuries.
In a lot of cases, lost stability is caused by poor balance, a lasting effect of
injuries that have affected your proprioceptive or sensory nerves. Single
leg balancing helps restore balance and stability. Simply stand on one leg,
preferably in bare feet. Try to use your arms as little possible to correct
your balance. Instead, use the muscles in your feet. If you can manage 30+
seconds per leg, try closing your eyes or standing on a thick cushion.

03 | Glute bridge – weak glutes can have a big impact on knee and hip stability.
Joint instability is a leading cause of injury. Strengthen your glutes with
this simple exercise. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on
the floor. Push your hips up toward the ceiling until your knees, hips, and
shoulders form a straight line. Lower your butt back down to the floor and
repeat. Too easy? Tie a resistance band around your knees, hold a weight
across your hips, or use one leg at a time.
04 | Bird dog – this exercise strengthens your core, lower back, glutes, and
upper back all at the same time. Weakness in any of these areas can lead to
injury. Kneel on all fours with your shoulders directly over your hands and
your hips directly over your knees. Brace your abs and extend your left leg
and your right arm until they are parallel to the floor. Lower your limbs and
then swap sides. Inhale as you raise your arm and leg, exhale as you lower
them.
05 | Stability ball front neck bridge – neck injuries are all too common
for ruggers. Make sure your neck muscles are strong enough to resist
unwanted movement by performing this exercise. Place a stability ball
against a wall and lean your forehead against it. Walk your feet back until
you feel pressure on the muscles at the front of your neck. Hold for 20-20
seconds and then rest. The further back you walk your feet, the harder this
exercise will be. Make this exercise more multi-dimensional by rolling your
head from side to side and up and down.
06 | Face pulls – the muscles between your shoulder blades are called the
rhomboids and middle trapezius. They help stabilize your shoulder girdle
which means your shoulder joints have a stronger platform from which to
work. Keep these muscles in good shape by performing face pulls.

Stand facing an adjustable cable machine set to around chin-height. Attach
a rope-type handle. Grab the handle and, with straight arms, step back
to tension the cable. Using a split stance for balance, pull the ends of the
handles in toward your ears. Keep your elbows up but your shoulders
down and relaxed. Extend your arms and repeat.
This exercise works best with light to moderate weights and a slow tempo.
Too much weight will make you use muscles other than the mid-traps and
rhomboids.
07 | Cuban press – this exercise is a favorite of Olympic weightlifters and works

several shoulder functions all at once.
Hold a barbell with an overhand, slightly wider-than-shoulder-width grip.

Keeping your elbows above your hands, do a half-range upright row to
chest height. Next, rotate your arms out and away from your body until
the bar is level with your forehead. Then, press the bar up and overhead to
arms’ length. Lower the bar by reversing this movement. Use light weights
to avoid using muscles other than those targeted.
08 | Full body stretch – starting at the top of your body or your feet, spend at
least ten minutes stretching all the major muscles in your body. Hold each
stretch for 30-60 seconds. Relax, breathe deeply, and picture the muscle
lengthen to get the most from each stretch. Do not bounce as you stretch
because you will increase your risk of injury and make the stretch less
effective.
Workout 2
1 Foam rolling 1 12-20 rolls N/A
2 Hop and stick 3 6-10 per leg 30 seconds
3 Booty band squats 3 15 60 seconds
4 Dead bugs 3 10 per side 60 seconds
Stability ball back neck
5 3 15-20 seconds 60 seconds
bridge
6 Band pull-aparts 3 15 60 seconds
7 Supine IYTs 3 8 per exercise 60 seconds
8 Full body stretch 1 30-60 seconds N/A

Exercise instructions
01 | Foam rolling – as above.
02 | Hop and stick – rugby is not a predictable game, and so you need to be
able to establish stability in a more dynamic way. The more stable you are,
the less injury prone you’ll become.
Mark a one-meter by one-meter grid on the floor that looks like this:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
From left to right and top row to bottom, number each square one through
to nine. Stand on one leg in any square of your choosing. Ask a training
partner to call out any number other than the square in which you are
stood. Hop to that box and try to stick your landing with minimal wobbling.
Your partner should then select another square.
Continue hopping from one designated square to the next until you have
completed 6-10 jumps. Change legs and repeat. Make this exercise more
demanding by adding mid-air turns of 90, 180, or even 270-degrees or by
simultaneously passing and catching a rugby ball.

03 | Booty band squats – this exercise turns what is usually considered a quad
and hamstring exercise into a glute and hip/knee stability exercise. Tie a
resistance band around your knees and then step out into a shoulder-width
squat stance. Driving your knees out against the band, push your hip back,
squat down, and descend until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
Do not allow your knees to fall inward. Stand back up and repeat.
04 | Dead bugs – dead bugs teach you to use your deep abdominal muscles
to stabilize your pelvis and lower back when you are otherwise busy
moving your arms and legs. Lie on your back with your knees bent, thighs
perpendicular to the floor. Extend your arms straight up to the ceiling.
Brace your abs and then slowly extend and lower one leg to just above the
floor, while extending your opposite arm overhead. Do not allow your lower
back to move – not even an inch. Slowly return to the starting position and
repeat on the opposite side.
05 | Stability ball back neck bridge – this exercise strengthens the muscles on
the back of your neck. Sit on a stability ball. Walk your feet forward and lie
back onto the ball. Keep walking forward until the ball is against the back
of your head. Push the back of your head into the ball and then move your
feet just a little further forward. Keep your neck extended throughout; do
not allow your neck to collapse.

06 | Band pull-aparts – using nothing more than a resistance band, this
exercise is ideal for doing at home. In fact, every rugby player should do
one hundred reps of this exercise over the course of a day to keep their
shoulders healthy.
Hold a resistance band up in front of your face. Keeping your arms straight,
open your arms and stretch the band across your chest – just like you were
using an old-fashioned chest expander. Bring your arms back together and
repeat.
07 | Supine IYTs – this exercise complex works your shoulder joint and
shoulder girdle and is a time-efficient way to develop and maintain good
shoulder health.
Lie on your front on an exercise bench set to around 30 degrees, your head
at the high end. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging
down toward the floor. With your thumbs pointing forward, raise your arms
up until your biceps are next to your head. Lower your arms and repeat.
From behind, your body should look a little like the letter “I.”
Next, raise your arms forward but, this time, so that your upper arms are
approximately 45-degrees to your body. Lower your arms and repeat. From
behind, your body should look a little like the letter “Y.”
Finally, raise your arms out to your sides, so your upper arms are
perpendicular to your body. Lower your arms and repeat. From behind,
your body should look a little like the letter “T.”
08 | Full body stretch – as above.
Prehab can save you a lot of time on the reserves bench and doing
your rehab can get you of the injured list quicker. When it comes to
injuries, don’t just sit back and hope for the best – be proactive. The
same is true for recovering after injury. If you are feeling banged up
or want to avoid losing valuable playing time to otherwise avoidable
injuries, add these two workouts to your weekly training schedule.

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5 RECOVERY
WORKOUTS
Recovery is a big part of the rugby success
equation. What playing and training take
out of your body, you must put back in so
that you can do it all over again – often
just a day or two afterward. Incomplete or
slow recovery will severely hamper your
performance – both on the pitch and in the
gym.
While recovery will happen naturally, you’ll

recover quicker if you take a more active
role. Playing rugby at weekends, twice-
weekly team practices, and whatever other
workouts you need to do per week mean
that speedy recovery is not just desirable, it’s
necessary.
Rest days between bouts of physical activity

are essential but rest does not mean
sedentarism. In fact, if you just sit around
waiting for recovery to happen, it’ll end up
taking longer.
There are lots of ways you can actively

speed up your recovery, and you’ll find more
information on this topic in our FREE e-book
10 Recovery programs for the day after a
rugby game.
Here are two workouts you can use to speed up recovery. Use one the day after
your weekend match and the other after your last team training session of
the week. Both workouts can be completed at home with nothing more than a
skipping rope, an exercise band, a workout mat, and a pair of light dumbbells.
Note: these workouts are circuits. Do one set of each exercise to a) avoid
overloading any one particular muscle group and b) increase blood flow around
your entire body. There is no need to rush between exercises, and you should
not feel fatigued after any of the exercises or circuits. Just focus on moving your
body rather than overloading your muscles.

Workout One
1 Jump rope 3 1 minute
2 Sun salutations 3 5
3 Bulgarian split squats 3 8 per leg
4 Prisoner good mornings 3 12
60 seconds
5 Dive bomber push-ups 3 8
6 Band pull-aparts 3 12
7 Shoulder dislocates 3 12
8 Sky divers 3 12
Exercise descriptions
01 | Jump rope – jumping rope is a good way to get your body moving and
your blood pumping. Grab a rope and skip for 60 seconds. Try to keep your
shoulders relaxed and maintain a steady rhythm. Land as lightly as you
can and stay on your toes. Can’t jump rope? Do step ups or jog in the spot
instead.
02 | Sun salutations – this yoga sequence will help mobilize and stretch all
your major muscles and joints. It’s a great way to work out any stiffness
or soreness. Perform the following sequence slowly and under control,
moving in time with your breaths.
1. Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides
2. Raise your arms above your head
3. Bend your knees slightly and then lean forward, placing your hands flat
on the floor next to your feet
4. Step back and into a push-up position
5. Bend your arms and lower your body to the floor
6. Keep your hips on the floor and push your chest up with your arms –
look at the ceiling
7. Lift your butt off the floor, so your body looks like an inverted V – look
down between your knees
8. Step your feet back up to your hands so you are in a crouch
9. Stand up
10. Repeat

03 | Bulgarian split squats – this exercise is a good way to loosen up and
mobilize your hips and lower body.
Stand with your back to a low chair or knee-high step. Bend one leg and
place your foot on the step behind you. Hop forward into a staggered
stance. Bend your legs and lower your knee to within an inch of the floor.
Place a cushion under your knee if required. Stand back up and repeat.
Do the same number of reps on each leg. Concentrate on the range of
movement rather than hammering your quads; this is an active stretch and
not a muscle builder.
04 | Prisoner good mornings – lower back feeling sore after a lot of

scrummaging? This exercise can help. Stand with your feet hip-width apart,
knees slightly bent. Place your hands on your temples, elbows pushed back
to open your chest. Push your butt back and hinge forward at the hips.
Lean as far forward as you can without rounding your lower back. Stand
back up and repeat.
05 | Dive bomber push-ups – this exercise mobilizes and stretches your upper
body while pumping freshly oxygenated blood into your muscles which will
enhance recovery. It also provides another good hamstring stretch.
Place your hands on the floor, about shoulder width apart. Your feet should
be roughly shoulder-width apart too and your butt in the air. Bend your
arms and lower your shoulders down until your chest almost touches the
floor. Next, while keeping your hips down, push your body upward, so your
chest is up, your back arched, head up and arms straight. Hold the position
for a second and then reverse the movement to return to the inverted
“V” starting position. The motion should look as if you are “dive bombing”
under a low bar from the top position.

06 | Band pull-aparts – do this exercise to speed up upper back recovery and
fix any upper body postural issues you might have.
Hold a resistance band in your hands and raise your arms in front of you
to shoulder-height. Spread your arms and stretch the band out across your
chest. Return to the starting position and repeat.
07 | Shoulder dislocates – mobilize your probably stiff shoulders using nothing

more than a broomstick or a long towel.
Hold your towel/broomstick with a wide, overhand grip. Raise your arms
up and overhead, and then lower your arms behind you. Raise your arms
back overhead and return to the front. Repeat for the required number of
repetitions. Adjust your hand position to reflect your shoulder flexibility.
Move your hands out to make the exercise easier, or inward to make it
harder.
08 | Sky divers – this gentle exercise works your lower back and other postural
muscles which you’ll probably need after a hard game of rugby. It also
provides an excellent active stretch for your chest and shoulders.
Lie on your front with your hands flat on the floor on either side of your
head. Keeping your legs straight and feet down, lift your upper body and
arms off the floor. Next, sweep your arms back and touch your thighs with
your hands and then return to the starting position. Lower your chest and
arms back to the floor and then repeat.
Workout Two
1 Shadow boxing 3 1 minute
2 Sun salutations 3 5
3 Step through lunges 3 8 per leg
4 Single leg Romanian deadlifts 3 12 per leg
60 seconds
5 Deficit push-ups 3 8
6 Bent over shoulder presses 3 12
7 3-way shoulder raises 3 12
8 Hump and hollow 3 12

Exercise descriptions
01 | Shadow boxing – get your body moving and your blood pumping with this
classic exercise. Bounce lightly on your toes and throw some easy, smooth
punches at an imaginary target. Stay relaxed and make sure you move
forward and backward as well as side to side.
02 | Sun salutations – as above.
03 | Step through lunges – this exercise will mobilize your hips and knees
and help stretch tight leg muscles. Stand with your feet together and
your hands by your sides. Step back and into a reverse lunge. Next, step
forward and into a front lunge, leading with the same leg. That’s one rep.
Lunge back into another reverse lunge and then keep going until you have
completed eight reps. Swap legs and repeat.
04 | Single leg Romanian deadlifts – providing a dynamic stretch for your

hamstrings, this is an excellent alternative to static stretching.
Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides. Shift your
weight over onto one leg. Bend your supporting knee slightly. Lean forward
from your hips and reach down to touch the floor just in front of your
toes. Extend your opposite leg behind you for balance. Stand back up and
repeat.

05 | Deficit push-ups – this exercise will stretch your chest and shoulders while
pumping oxygenated blood into your muscles to enhance recovery.
Place your hands on 6-inch blocks e.g. books or bricks, or use push-up
handles. In the push-up position, bend your arms and lower your chest
down between your hands. Pause for a second or two and then push back
up. Focus on the stretch between reps as much as the push-up itself.
06 | Bent over shoulder presses – fire up your upper back, mobilize your
shoulders and stretch your chest and lats all at the same time. Use light
weights, just a couple of kilos, because this exercise is harder than it
sounds.
Raise and hold a light dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Bend your
knees slightly and then lean forward so your body is inclined to around
45-degrees. Do not round your lower back. Maintain this position and then
press your arms out and overhead, keeping them aligned with your body.
Lower your arms and repeat.
07 | 3-way shoulder raises – rugby hammers your shoulders and can leave
them feeling stiff and sore. This simple mobilizing exercise increases
shoulder range of motion and synovial fluid production while pumping
your deltoids full of freshly oxygenated blood.
Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides. Keep your
arms straight and raise your arms up and out to shoulder height. Next,
swing them forward so they touch in front of you. Then raise your arms
fully overhead. Finally, lower them back down to your sides. Continue until
your shoulders start to feel warm and loose.

08 | Hump and hollow – mobilize your lower back to relieve stiffness and pain,
an all-too common issue after rugby.
Kneel on all fours with your hips directly over your knees and your
shoulders over your hands. Arch your spine and imagine trying to touch the
ceiling with the center of your back, looking down and back at your knees
as you do so. Next, lower your back and try and push your belly down
toward the floor. Lift your head and look up at the same time. Smoothly
alternate between humping and hollowing your back to mobilize your
spine.
Other recovery strategies
Use the following methods to further enhance recovery:
01 | Go for a walk – a brisk walk will pump freshly oxygenated blood all around
your body, dissipating the waste products of intense exercise, especially
in your legs. 20-30 minutes is more than enough to speed up recovery
without tiring you out.
02 | Get a massage – this is not the time for a deep tissue massage. That will at
best be very painful, and at worst delay the recovery process. Instead, have
a superficial Swedish-type massage that enhances circulation, relaxation,
and lymphatic drainage.
03 | Go for a swim – a relaxing swim in cool water will help mobilize your joints
while reducing the inflammation that causes muscle pain. Focus on long,
smooth strokes rather than trying to swim fast or a long way.
04 | Contrast temperature therapy – alternate between hot and cold showers

or baths to increase micro-circulation, oxygenate your muscles, and speed
up recovery by flushing away the waste products produced during intense
exercise.

05 | Wear compression clothing – wearing compression garments may
improve recovery by limiting post-activity swelling and inflammation. This is
achieved by preventing fluid accumulation in and around muscle tissue and
therefore minimizing bruising.
Compression clothing also increases tissue temperature which can help

ease aches and pains and increase mobility and flexibility while reducing
the onset of DOMS. Wear compression garments for 24 hours after intense
training or rugby matches.
06 | Get more sleep – your body does most of its recovering while you sleep. If
you are putting your body through a lot of physical stress, make sure you
increase your nightly sleep quota to ensure your body gets the added time
it needs to recover fully.
07 | Supplements – supplements can play a meaningful role in post-rugby

recovery. There are many supplements to choose from but the best items
for recovery include:
Whey protein – rugby is a catabolic activity which means it causes muscle

breakdown. Repairing this damage requires protein. Whey protein is rapidly
digested, so it gives your muscles what they need as soon as possible.
Because it is mixed with water, it is easy to consume immediately after your
game and any other time that solid food may be inconvenient.
Branch chain amino acids – the branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) are
leucine, isoleucine, and valine and make up 70% of muscle tissue. These
amino acids are heavily catabolized during intense activities like rugby.
Consuming BCAAs immediately and during the days after a tough game will
help your muscles recover faster. They may also reduce the severity and
duration of delayed onset muscle soreness.

Glutamine – glutamine is the most abundant
amino acid in the body and as such performs
several vital functions including growth, repair,
and recovery of muscle mass. Glutamine
also plays a key role in the replenishment of
glycogen stores.
Fish Oils – fish oils, from the omega three fatty

acid group, are naturally anti-inflammatory and
can help reduce post-match muscle and joint
pain. The regular supplementation of fish oils
can also improve heart and brain function.
Creatine – creatine is a very popular, well-

researched and cheap supplement that plays
a vital role in the production of energy within
your muscles. Supplementation with creatine
can increase your energy reserves and enhance
recovery. Add five grams of creatine to your
post-match carb drink to kick start recovery.
ZMA – comprising of zinc, magnesium, and

vitamin B6, ZMA is a safe sleep aid that also
increases anabolic hormone production.
L-Arginine – this isolated amino acid is an effective vasodilator that opens

blood vessels allowing more oxygenated blood to enter your muscles. This will
enhance recovery by flushing out lactic acid.
Don’t leave recovery to chance; take a more active role to ensure you
recover as quickly and as completely as possible. That way you’ll be better
prepared for your next rugby match, training session, or team practice.
The older you are, the slower recovery tends to be, so make sure you take
recovery seriously if you are getting a little long in the tooth.

CONCLUSION
It’s never too late to improve your fitness for rugby – even if the season is in
full swing! However, with limited time and energy, it’s crucial that you focus on
workout quality rather than workout volume. After all, most of your time and
energy should be dedicated to playing rugby.
Do some self-analysis, identify the area you need to improve, and then dedicate
two short training sessions per week to addressing your weak link. With a little
dedication, what was holding you back at the start of season could become a
major strength as the season draws to a close.

Premium nutritional supplements designed to help
rugby players perform, recover and live better.
Ruck Science, LLC

2720 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX, 78746
ruckscience.com | get@ruckscience.com

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What are the main sections covered in the training program?

What are the main sections covered in the training program?

What should you focus on with limited training time?

What should you focus on with limited training time?

IN-SEASON

01. DETERMINING YOUR TRAINING NEEDS

02. STRENGTH/POWER WORKOUTS

03. ENDURANCE WORKOUTS

04. PREHAB/REHAB WORKOUTS

05. RECOVERY WORKOUTS

You won’t be able to follow a full-on training program – that’s impractical as

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 3

To facilitate proper recovery, make sure you:

 Consume 2.0 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight

 Eat adequate carbs to fuel your workouts and restore depleted

 Get plenty of vitamins, minerals, and essential fats

 Use creatine, especially after before and after training

 Cool down and stretch after training

In-season training should complement and gradually improve your playing

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 4

RUGBY SHORTS WITH POCKETS

The world’s most comfortable rugby shorts, with deep, strong

However, if you aren’t prone to introspection, answer these questions to

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 5

19 You feel tired all the time

Your fitness is decreasing noticeably

Strength and power

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 6

Two strength/power sessions a week might not sound like a

Hypertrophy or bodybuilding usual involves time-consuming

In contrast, developing strength and power for rugby is best

As an added bonus, where hypertrophy training increases

Here are your two strength and power workouts. Do them

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 7

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 8

This method introduces an element of self-regulation to your workouts. If

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 9

05 | Increase your weights from one week to the next, or as

06 | End your workout with a few minutes of light cardio plus

Strength and power training do not need to be complicated

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 10

Sample all 5 of our custom

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Endurance is the combination of

Anaerobic fitness is your ability to generate energy without oxygen. As

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 11

Exercise Sets Recovery

02 | 4 x 400-meter repeats going every third minute

400-meters is a horrible interval training distance. It’s a bit too far to be

03 | 5k time trial (pitch based)

Your final exercise is as much a gut-check as it is a way to develop your aerobic

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 12

Exercise Sets Recovery

01 | Rugby pitch suicides

This classic conditioning drill is used in a variety of sports

Starting on the dead ball line at one end of the pitch,

For this drill, place cones on the floor as shown in the

Do as many sets as possible in 12 minutes.

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 13

In-Season Rugby Training Program For Backs | www.ruckscience.com | 14

If you are feeling very banged up, it may be necessary to forgo