elitefts™ Sunday Edition

At present, a few of our players are having trouble increasing fitness without compromising performance as we go into our in-season preparation each week. Therefore, we have those players do the following circuit once or twice a week in conjunction with a strength/power session to ensure that we are continually challenging their metabolic systems.

The circuit was introduced to me last year by an Otago (a New Zealand province in the South Island, with Dunedin being the major city) legend, Tony Brown. It is a challenging 13-minute finishing session for our players. It must be noted, however, that ensuring good technique is a must, even while players strive to better their own personal best times and beat others'.

The heaviness of the kettlebell and medicine ball  can be modified depending on the strength and the training age of the individuals. This circuit works extremely well as a finisher in your program or in conjunction with any of the other circuits I have outlined in previous articles, especially the Beastly Circuit.

Modified Beastly Circuit

I have added a run component to the Beastly with the following options as the cardio component. The cardio component is completed after the six-exercise main weight training movements, performed for six reps each.

Option 1: VO2 grid for three minutes, 50 meters in 10 seconds, 25 meters in 10 seconds. Continuous for three minutes.

Option 2: 1 x 22m, rest five seconds, 2 x 22m, rest 10 seconds, 3 x 22m, rest 15 seconds. Repeat for three minutes.

Malcolm Drill

This drill is named after the legendary Great Britain rugby league player and coach Malcolm Reilly.

Start by lying on the ground on the halfway line. Get up, back pedal to the 10-meter line, travel down and up, sprint 20 meters forward to the opposing 10-meter line, travel down and up, back pedal to the starting position of the halfway line, and go down on the ground. That is one repetition. Complete as many as you can in three minutes.

Otago Circuit

  • 300-meter row, completed in less than 60 seconds
  • 30-kg kettlebell swings x 10
  • Full burpees with a jump finish x 10
  • 4 x 15-meter shuttle run
  • Overhead to ground side-to-side 20-kg medicine ball slam x 10

Complete the above circuit five times through.

Good luck, and if you have any other program options that have worked well for you and your players, please share them with us in the comments section under this article.

Thanks for reading.