Training for Metabolic Improvement

When a new group of rugby players assembles for the first day of the new training year, I have to assess them and determine what is the appropriate training protocol to get them as well-prepared for the season as possible. To start, I divide them into one of three groups based on their fitness test results, playing position history, and individual needs. In this article I will describe and outline the sessions that the Metabolic Group partakes in during the first month of the training year.

I sub-title the Metabolic Group, "fit and strong," primarily since they require a significant improvement in their metabolic (anaerobic/aerobic) capacity, but also need to retain the strength power qualities that are so important in the game. Some of these members also end up in the Red Flag body composition group as. Players in the Red Flag group are skin fold tested every two weeks and have regular meetings with our consultant nutritionists. These meetings involve cooking lessons, supermarket visits, and apartments consultations to check for refrigerator and pantry contents. They also perform 45 minutes on the spin bike each evening once training has concluded. Aside from these modifications, they train with the same methods as every other member of the Metabolic Group.

In this programming, weight room training is based on a circuit each day, followed by two major compound movements. Readers may be familiar with some of these circuits, as I have written about them multiple times in the past. The Saturday workout is a hybrid of Luke Borreginne’s weightlifters circuit, which I have mentioned previously. The sets and reps for the 4-week block are included below. They follow along the same lines as the rest of the playing group.

Metabolic Group (Fit and Strong)

Monday: Beastly Circuit 1 (6) + Close Grip Bench & Squat

Dead Lift/Power Clean from Hang/Front Squat/Push Press/Bent Over Row/Romanian Dead Lift + 3 minutes Cardio

Tuesday: Otago Circuit (5) + Push Press & Power Snatch

Row 300 metres in less than one minute/10 Full Burpees/10 x 36kg two-arm swing with KB/4 x 15 metres Shuttle Run/10kg Med Ball slam to ground, 10 each side

Wednesday: Beastly Circuit 2 (6) + Chins or Pendlay Row & Box Squat

Power Snatch from Floor/Overhead Squat/Push Press Behind Neck/Klokov Raise from Hang/Lunge/Good Morning + 3 minutes Cardio

Thursday: BW/KB Circuit (3) + Power Clean & Split Jerk from Rack

10 Mountain Climbers/KB Floor Press/10 No Momentum Sit ups/KB Renegade Row/10 Grasshoppers/KB See Saw Shoulder Press/10 Jumping Squat Lunges/KB Alternate Upright Row/10 Rock & Rolls/KB Alternating Snatches

Friday: Medley Conditioning (6) + Incline & Front Squat

30 seconds Prowler® push/15 seconds rest/30 seconds Sledgehammer Hits/15 second rest/30 second Kettlebell Swings/15 seconds rest/30 seconds Tire Flips/15 seconds rest/30 second Battling Ropes/15 second rest/30 seconds Push Up + Burpee/15 seconds rest

Week 1: 4 x 6 @ 75%

Week 2: 6/5/4/4 @ 75/80/85/85+%

Week 3: 5/4/3/3 @ 80/85/90/90+%

Week 4: 4/3/2/2 @ 85/90/95/95+%

Sets, reps, and percentages for the compound movements performed after circuits.

Saturday: Super Circuit (Pull, Push, Squat, Core) (4 – 6 times through)

Group 1

Upright Row (40)/Close Grip Bench Press (50)/Squat Jump (40)/MB Russian Twist

1 x Springbok Shuttle (30 seconds)

Group 2

Hang Cleans (50)/Shoulder Press (40)/Step Ups (50)/Hanging Knees to Chest

1 x Malcolm Drill (30 seconds)

Group 3

Bent Row (60)/Incline Bench (60)/Over Head Squat (20)/Sprinter’s Sit ups

Half-Gasser (30 seconds)

10 reps on all exercises.

Springbok Shuttle is a shuttle run with lines at five-metre intervals up to 25 metres. Players start at zero and run out to five metres and return to zero continuing in this format for 30 seconds and calculating how far they have run. The full shuttle is 150 metres.

Malcolm Drill starts with the chest to ground on the ½ way line. At a signal, get up and back pedal 10 metres, drop to the ground, get up, and sprint 20 metres forward. Drop to the ground again, get up, and back pedal to the start position. The best players will get slightly over two complete reps of this drill in 30 seconds.

Half-Gasser starts with the athlete lying on the ground on the sideline, chest on ground. At a signal, get up and sprint to the far side touchline, turn and drop down on the line. Get up and sprint back to the start position without dropping to the ground at the finish. Best players will do this in around 23 seconds. Distance is 140 metres.

The Running Component

Monday: Repeated Speed

Week 1 (May 5): 15 x 40 seconds work/20 seconds rest

Week 2 (May 12): 20 x 30/30

Week 3 (May 19): 25 x 20/40

Week 4 (May 26): 10 x 20/40, 10 x 30/30, 10 x 40/20

Tuesday: Conditioning Games (15 minutes) and Wrestling 5 x 1 minute/30 seconds rest & 3 sets x 6 Malcolm’s, going every four minutes

Wednesday: VO2 Grids

Week 1 (May 6): 3 x 3 minutes @ 20/20 rest 1.5 minutes between sets

Week 2 (May 13: 3 x 4 minutes @ 15/15 rest 2 minutes between sets

Week 3 (May 20): 4 x 5 minutes @ 10/10 rest 2.5 minutes between sets

Week 4 (May 27): 2 x 5minutes/4 minutes/3 minutes @ above intensities & rest periods

Thursday: Conditioning Games (15 minutes) & Prowler Relays & Wrestling 5 x 1 minute/30 seconds rest

Friday: Shuttle Run Variations

1.2km Shuttle Run

20m out & back, 40m out & back, 60m out & back x 5, in < 5 minutes

10 x Tietjens Shuttle 80-60-40 drill in < 30 seconds on the minute

Start on goal line, sprint to far 22-metre line, touch line with foot, sprint back to 22-metre line, touch line with foot, sprint to far 10-metre line, walk through to goal line.

The month of May is our heaviest loading month and the only month where conditioning takes precedent over rugby training. There is about 45 minutes of rugby content each day prior to the conditioning elements as detailed above. In June and July the shift is significantly towards rugby as the team prepares for trial matches, but there are still blocks of time allocated towards improving fitness qualities ahead of the competition start in August.