Hi CT,
What is your opinion about in-season training for athletes? I started playing rugby this year as a winger. Maybe the subject can be extended to football.
We just finished pre-season training which was very difficult for a starter. I couldn’t go to the gym due to the extreme soreness especially in the feet, ankle and knees. Now we are in-season, and adaptation pain is gone. Training days are Wednesday (with some running/sprint training) and Friday with less intense physical. Games are on Sunday, almost every week.
What I planned to do:
Once or twice a week, Monday or Tuesday and Thursday:
-Circuit training with a heavy barbell: Barbell on blocks, do a high pull, rest the bar on floor, do a power clean, a push press, a front squat, put the bar on the blocks. Repeat 5-6 times
-Squat, heavy like 5*4 with 10s rest between reps
-Some back exercises like barbell row / pull-ups
My goals are: Keeping strength during the season, becoming more powerful, fast and agile. Especially fast, I’m currently very slow for a winger.
I have access to a commercial gym (squat rack, but no prowler, sled, medicine balls ect…), and at home I have some Kb’s, two dumbbells and some bands.
What would be your guidelines?
Thanks.
I play men’s club rugby (D1) and played D1-AA football in college. During the rugby season all I’m trying to do with my strength training is work around injuries and not lose strength or hypertrophy. We practice 2 days/week and play on Saturdays so those are 2 “workouts” right there. In the gym I follow a 2-day split designed to address the aforementioned goals:
Day 1:
Bench Press SS Pullups 5x5
Military Press SS Pullups 5x5
High-Pull SS Face Pulls 5x5/6-8
Day 2:
Barbell Back Squat SS Leg Curl 5x5/6-8
Deadlift SS Walking Lunge 5x5/6-8
Ab Work 5x
Don’t worry so much about progressing during the season. You will likely see some increases in speed through your team training, but your lifting is going to be mainly maintenance. Use the off-season for getting stronger, faster, more elusive etc. You’re only in your first year playing, you have plenty of time to get better.
Thanks for your answers.
I’ll go for a two-day program in order to maintain strength, I chose the ¨531 for athletes¨, without accessory work for the lower body as I can’t handle it for the moment. I tried the first workout Monday and I am fresh for today’s rugby training. I still do my little explosive circuit (power clean, push press, front squat) at the beginning of the workout but I’ll adjust weight and intensity with the soreness.
I’ll get back later to post results!
[quote]LiftFreeOrDie wrote:
I play men’s club rugby (D1) and played D1-AA football in college. During the rugby season all I’m trying to do with my strength training is work around injuries and not lose strength or hypertrophy. We practice 2 days/week and play on Saturdays so those are 2 “workouts” right there. In the gym I follow a 2-day split designed to address the aforementioned goals:
Day 1:
Bench Press SS Pullups 5x5
Military Press SS Pullups 5x5
High-Pull SS Face Pulls 5x5/6-8
Day 2:
Barbell Back Squat SS Leg Curl 5x5/6-8
Deadlift SS Walking Lunge 5x5/6-8
Ab Work 5x[/quote]
Also played college football, and I did something very similar.
Games were on Saturdays.
Our team did a light “circuit” lifting workout on Sunday that really didn’t include any heavy work at all, so I would stay afterwards and do 5x5 bench press plus about 5 sets of lat pulldowns.
Monday was our day off from practice; I would go to the gym and do simple 5x5 workout of back squats and maybe a few power cleans afterwards.
We had another team lift (again, just a light circuit workout) on Wednesday morning, and I would stay after that and do 5x5 incline bench.
Probably not the world’s greatest routine, but was enough to feel like I maintained some strength during the season.