What is Strength and Conditioning?

Hit harder, run faster, scrum better, jump higher, kick-chase quicker, and stay on the pitch longer! You can’t do any of these things without strength and conditioning.

Strength and Conditioning (S&C) is a widely acknowledged methodology which applies research to and implements training strategies into sports to improve the performance of teams and athletes.

To improve rugby performance through S&C, we want to develop ourselves in three areas - our central nervous system, our neuromuscular system, and our metabolic system. These areas are separated into the following training goals:

> Hypertrophy

> Speed

> Power

> Strength

> Fitness

We also need to improve micro-attributes such as coordination, mobility, and balance which all tie in to help improve the main attributes as they help us move more proficiently.

When we think of the actions and movements we perform on the rugby pitch it’s easy to see how S&C becomes important in improving your ability in these areas.

Take a tackle for instance: initially we need to drop our body height so our legs need to be strong and react to any direction of movement. Next comes the shoulder connection and arm wrap - we need to have excellent grip, strong arms and our shoulders need to withstand the impact from the opposing player. The next thing to consider is the shock absorption through your body - your legs, trunk and back need to brace forcefully in order to slow the opposing player and dictate the direction you take them to the floor. Then when we make contact with the floor and our bodies need to be resilient enough to withstand the impact of the floor, probably with bodies on top too!

Check out these epic tackles!

Already, this easily directs us to at least 5 movements we need to be strong and proficient in: Squat, Bend, Grab, Brace, Twist.

When we dive deeper still, we also need to appreciate that these movements need to be done at speed and with power so you dominate the tackle. Plus, we need to be able to repeat all this multiple times in 80 minutes; ergo adding fitness to the mix too!

So how do we work on all of these things all at once?

Well, we don’t. This is where periodisation comes into play; the method of structuring training around goals and time of year - pre-season, in-season, off-season. If you’re someone who goes to the gym and makes the session up on the spot it probably means you haven’t set your goals in advance and therefore you aren’t maximising your training.

Periodisation for rugby falls into the following phases:

Pre-Season - In this 8-12 week block where there aren’t any games we can keep training at an all time high, both in terms of volume and intensity. Progressively, neuromuscular focuses are hypertrophy, strength, speed, power. Metabolic focuses are aerobic and a-lactic conditioning.

In-Season - With the introduction of game play, recovery between matches is the main aim. Training volume reduces and the focuses are strength and power maintenance and high intensity effort repeatability. Injury prevention tools are important in this phase to keep you on the pitch and performing at your best.

Off-Season - The women’s off-season generally lasts 8-6 weeks. A good portion of this is spent away from the gym or pitch and focus is on down time and other hobbies. This is so we have both a physical and psychological rest from rugby in order for us to attack the next season fully rested. Towards the end of the off-season, activity gradually increases in preparation for pre-season.

What is Strength Training?

Developing strength refers to stimulating the neuromuscular system to break down muscle fibres and build them back stronger. We need the nervous system behind muscular action to become more effective at contracting muscles too.

Strength training is the foundation whereby all other modes of training exist. You can’t become powerful if you don’t already have a strong foundation. Similarly, you can’t become fast, without having the neuromuscular adaptations to produce maximal muscular contractions.

We get stronger through weight training. Simply put, if we present the body with a demand greater than what it’s accustomed to, it adapts by becoming stronger. We repeat this notion over and over again, increasing the demands over time, to become stronger and stronger. In order to keep developing in strength, we have to systematically increase the demand over time; this is what is known as Progressive Overload and is a pivotal part of S&C.

As part of your strength training there are six key movement patterns to work on. These are:

Squat - Hinge - Upper Push - Upper Pull - Brace - Twist

We need to be proficient in all of these movements so we can maximise gym training and give the best stimulus to the body to adapt for rugby performance. Make sure you have all of these movements in your gym training programme week on week.

What is Conditioning?

Conditioning refers to training our three energy systems; aerobic, anerobic glycolytic, and anaerobic ATP-PC. Each energy system relies on a different fuel source to create energy and each system allows us to perform different activities.

Aerobic:

• oxygen resynthesises ATP through breakdown of fat and glycogen (carbs)
• Allows activity of low/moderate intensities for long durations.

Glycolytic:

• stored muscle and liver glycogen provides fuel to resynthesise energy.
• Moderate/high intensities for moderate durations.

ATP-PC:

• stored ATP in the muscle provides energy.
• High/very high intensities for very short durations.

For more info head to our energy systems article (opens new window)

The game of rugby requires you to be excellent in all three energy systems. The aerobic system allows us to move continuously around the pitch following the passage of play. The glycolytic system helps us get up off the floor after making a hit. The ATP-PC system is responsible for making those 10m line-breaks we all strive for.

Periodisation allows us to plan which energy system to work on at a given time and which energy system is a priority for each player is often position based. Wingers tend to need a mix of aerobic and a-lactic whist back rowers need to work on their lactic systems; running from ruck to ruck produces a serious amount of lactic acid.

How it all ties together - putting the S with the C.

Rugby players are the ultimate athletes. The impressive thing about rugby players is that you’re very good at a lot of things. You can jump, run, tackle, get up, maul, pass - sometimes all in the space of 30s! This means, as athletes, you need to work on a lot of components to be the best athletes you can be, not to mention staying injury free in what is a savage game.

Long has gone the days that you can just turn up and play. The game has moved on and you have to keep up or be left behind. S&C is integral to you staying in the game. Maximise your performance and be the best player you can be.

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