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Thread: Success with rugby team

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    990

    Default Success with rugby team

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    Rip,

    I thought you'd like to know that the U18 rugby team I've been training on SS has caught the attention of a high-level rugby publication for being 'incredibly strong'.

    Three of the boys are squatting over 300 x 3 x 5, one recently deadlifted 425 x 5, and we recently dominated the best team in the country in every scrum. And I've ensured they all know who John Davis is.

    I predict that when we get all 15 players squatting over 300 x 3 x 5, with their other lifts in line with that, we'll go unbeaten.

    Despite the work:rest ratio for backs being 1:20, their average sprint in a game being <20m, and Jonah Lomu's having been arguably the most effective winger ever at 265lb, it's a battle trying to combat the widespread falsehood that they need to look and train like middle-distance runners. But we'll get there in the end, and I'll report back then.

    A little SS goes a long way. Thank you.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    1,500

    Default

    As a former rugby player to a pretty high level, all I can say is: our team would have been immeasurably better if we had known about barbell training and/or our coaches in line with this mindset. It pains me to look at my school now, that built a great iron gym on the premises with barbells for squats and deads and set the team weight sessions and weight targets.

    If I had been squatting 160-180kgs and deadlifting 200kgs theres no way I wouldn't have been a much better, and physically more aggressive player. I'm not the only one who wishes he could jump in a time machine and start training at 15.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Hertford, UK
    Posts
    1,615

    Default

    Second that. I did a bit of barbell training at uni but none at school, and even when I did start I lost a lot of time messing around rather than just focusing on getting as strong as possible as fast as possible. The guys I played with that figured it out earlier got massive benefits. To be 15 again!

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