Resistance training in-season

[CPDL]

Hi guys, apologies if this is in the wrong section but I didn't see anything about training elsewhere.. I'm joining my university's union team this semester (Sep/Oct) and was wondering about resistance work during the season. How do you lot manage your sessions?

I'll be squad training on Mon/Tues night and will have a game on the Wednesday, so I'm thinking full-body resistance on Mon morning & Friday with lots of mobility/stretch work during the week. Interested to see what other people do!

Cheers

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Last season we had training Tuesday/Thursday and games on Wednesdays
I used to split it up like:
Monday - 'Push' Workout
Friday - 'Pull' Workout
Saturday - Legs

Always aiming to have a days rest after a leg session, and preferably a couple of days before the next rugby training session


If you're doing two sessions a week then Monday morning and Friday could work well, gives you enough rest in between training and gym for your body to fix itself

 

[CPDL]

Cheers fella.

With the type of training I do at the moment I'll be conditioned enough to be squatting twice a week, currently do 3 squat sessions a week as it is, not a fan of bodypart splits.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm squatting twice a week at the moment too (regular squats on tuesdays, front and box squats on fridays), but only during the off season - did try it during the season but my legs were dead through training sessions

 

[CPDL]

Does only one guy in this whole forum go to the gym? lol!

 

[lhprop1]

I'm going to go against the grain here. When you're in season, you should be concentrating on rugby. Early in the season, you need to build your fitness and later in the season, you just need to fix your bumps and bruises and stay healthy. For the most part, you're not going to gain any useful strength during the season when so much of your energy is being used for running. A few light, full body sessions to get the blood pumping during season is all you should need.

I like to do some light (for me) and fast strongman events a few times a week to keep my mobility up and maintain my strength. Things like tire flips, keg carries, yoke runs, truck pulls, etc are great for this. I generally avoid deadlifting and squatting during the season, save for maybe one or two light deadlift sessions a month to maintain my form.

 

[JW.]

You should maintain and maybe add during the season (If possible). Preseason/Offseason full on, the only thing you've got to look out for during the season is that you are fully rested before a match and train carefully don't go trying stupid stuff and maintain form during the exercise you don't want to get injured in the gym.
So say you've got your match on Sunday, you don't train on Friday/Saterday. Training legs is simple you ask the coach what training you're going to be doing on specific days. And plan your Leg day in around that. Training upperbody before a normal training day is fine, it might hurt but it isn't going do to you much harm, and you can still function well. Unlike after having a good leg session .

 

[j-dawg]

You can get strength and size gains at any time, on or off season. Do your weights 4 - 6x per week in the off and 4 - 5 in season.

Simply do your weights in the morning on training days. I train on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday with a game usually on Sunday. My workout is this;

Monday
Chest, Triceps and Shoulders (Delts)
3x Exercises on each with a minimum of 12 sets per bodypart. Supersets thrown in where neccesary.

Tuesday
Biceps, upper back, Shoulders (Traps)
same as above

Wednesday
Thighs, Hams, Calves and Lower back
Very heavy Weights for low reps. Deadlifts for lower back and good mornings

Repeat again and have Sunday (or match day) off. Its hard but your body will step up and get used to it.

Before workout do a warm up like 10 minutes on the cross trainer and depending on which bodypart you've exercised do 10 minutes cool down. Sometimes you should do some hard cardio straight after a hard workout. Its a ***** but it works.

 

[JW.]

I have to disagree here, thats way to much. First off Deadlifting + Squatting twice a week is overdoing it (you don't gain extra.). You can squat more than 2x3 times a week but you can't add deadlift aswell. And definatly not during the season. Your CNS doesn't recover. Also not a fan of that schedule. The most important thing in training is rest/nutrition/training and probably in that order. It's all fine being a bodybuilder training 6 times a week because thats all they do. They just lift weights they don't train Rugby 2/3 times a week and then play a match. I'd say 3/4 times a week would be a max. Maybe 3 and add a day with plyometrics.

You're training for Rugby not to be a BB, you're trying to get faster/stronger/more explosive and bigger. Squats/Powercleans/Bench/Deadlift those would be your main exercises.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, that's not enough rest for during the season, in my books

 

[j-dawg]

Im just that type of player. Size, strength and explosiveness combined mean alot to me as a player. If that training schedule doesn't break you, by the end you will become unbreakable.

 

[JW.]

I didn't say you weren't but that shedule isn't ideal for a Rugby player. And a training during the season shouldn't be like if it doesn't break you, you become unbreakable. Because you don't you become injury prone.

 

[j-dawg]

It's not ideal for a rugby player. That routine is my personal routine and its not totally related to Rugby, as you can see. But the results of that routine have helped me in on the field. I can tell you playing prop makes you more injury prone than employing a routine like that. May be changing to blindside.