The Road Goes Ever On
Ashley Jones
As one season comes to an end, my thoughts turn to how to improve on what we did in the weight room for the next season. Often, this process is not only self-reflection but also looking back at what I had done previously to bring a new program to light.
The roots of this program lie in a previous attempt to “surf the curve” of force and velocity to ensure all aspects were covered in the week plan. I also wanted to integrate more unilateral movements into the plan to ensure balanced development and awareness.
Here then is my plan of attack for next season:
Lower Body
1: Primary Lower Body Force movement
2a: Bulgarian Sprinter’s Squat
2b: Borzov Hops/Knees to One Foot to Box Hop/Depth Jumps into Split Landing
2c: Hang Clean/Pull/Snatch
2d: Band Assisted Vertical Jumps/Band Assisted Long Jumps/Speed Box Hops (reps stay the same for 3 weeks)
3: 2 x Posterior Chain movements (Bilateral & Unilateral)
4: Lower Body CARE circuit
Exercise one, if the choice is a squat movement, will follow the following program:
Upper Body
1: Primary Upper Body Force movement
2a: Push Press
2b: Med Ball Drops/Clap Push-Ups/Upper Body Depth Jumps
2c: DB Single Arm Banded Bench/Incline Press
2d: One Arm Rotational Push to Wall/Half Kneeling MB Push to Wall/Standing MB Push (reps stay the same for 3 weeks)
3: 2 x Upper Body Pull movements (Bilateral & Unilateral/Horizontal & Vertical Plane)
4: Upper Body CARE circuit
Full Body Power
1: Power Clean/Pull/Snatch from Floor/Blocks/Hang
2: Banded Box Squats or Banded Step Ups, or Jump Squats
3: Banded Bench Press or Push Press/Jerk or One Arm Landmine Push Press
4: Hybrid CARE circuit
My loading cycle is based on a three-week linear intensification model:
Week One: 4 x 6
Week Two: 2 x 5, 3 x 3 OR 4 x 4
Week Three: 4 x 2
This loading cycle complies with Prilepin's guidelines and also allows for individual variation where required. I feel that this format allows each player to enter each game fresh and ready to express their abilities.
Here are some other options for a three-week progression for the plyometric components of the modified French Contrast Method programming for both upper and lower body.
Here are a few different options for unilateral movements that can be substituted into the programs or used as additional finisher movements as required.
Unilateral Strength Extras
Super Set Style
UB Vertical Push/Pull:
KB Single Arm Savickas (Z) Press s/s Half Kneeling One Arm Pull Down
Barbell Javelin Press s/s One Arm Barbell Shrug in Rack
UB Horizontal Push/Pull:
DB Single Arm Floor Press s/s KB/DB Gorilla Row
DB One Arm Incline Bench Press s/s DB One Arm 45 degree Incline Row
UB Hybrid:
Half Kneeling One Arm Landmine Press s/s One Arm Landmine Kroc Row
See Saw KB/DB Shoulder Press s/s DB Renegade Row
LB Squat s/s Hinge:
Step Ups s/s Reverse Lunge
Skier’s Squat s/s Single Leg Hip Thrust
Bulgarian Sprinter’s Squat s/s Contralateral KB Single Arm/Leg RDL
Often, there are a variety of week plan options based around game days. Here is my plan for changing up the gym sessions based on different numbers of days between games.
My off-season plan has allowed me to revisit my key concepts in Neural, Mechanical, and Metabolic programming, ensuring that each player gets what they need as a priority in their development.
I have summarized this program as a three- or four-day-a-week plan, with posters in the weight room. If you would like a copy of these, please email me, and I can send you a high-resolution version.
Ashley Jones is a strength & conditioning coach with 30+ years in professional sport across seven countries, best known for his work in rugby from club to international levels—including two Rugby World Cups with teams from both hemispheres. He was named NSCA Professional Coach of the Year (2016) and received the NSCA Boyd Epley Lifetime Achievement Award (2023). He’s also a long-time Elitefts columnist.
