I am still looking for someone to give a good programme for summer weight/strength training though?

cheers

thepeb

Our plans were always based around the large muscle groups. (there is no place at this stage for beach weights, small muscles biceps etc will be used as part of the big muscle exercises) - that is the legs, back and chest. I would also add in core exercises as well.

good ones to go for are

Seated squats against a wall - hold for 60 second - made more difficult by having the player do alternate dumbbell shoulder presses with a LIGHT weight (increase time and weight for progression)

Standard squats with empty olympic bar - using the bar increases core strength as opposed to gym machine as it is a natural movement. Encourage good straight back technique here!! (increase weight for progression)

Powercleans with empty olympic bar - builds plyometric and core strength and uses the big muscle groups in a coordinated manner, aim for explosive leg drive - use large wooded disks on the bar to raise it from the ground for easier lifting without adding weight

benchpulls - lie face down on bench and lift weight from below - this increases upper back strength without putting pressure on the lower back like a seated row would do - can do this one either as standard sets & reps or as a timed exercise at a low weight (eg 30 reps per minute for 5 minutes)

Dumbbell bench press - using the dumbbells encourages equal strength on both sides, making a more balance player - encourage extra reps on the weaker side to create equality

Additionally, as a previous poster pointed out - press-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups are excellent strength exercises (at any age!!)

As for amount of weight, it is worth doing a session determining the 3 rep maximum for your players. This session is actually one of the more fun ones for players as it really brings out the competitive nature and gives them a target to break. Reassess this every 4-6 weeks.

to build strength 80% max for 6-8 reps maximum x 3, for endurance 50% for 15-20 reps x 3. try doing a circuit with some aerobic exercises interspersed bike, rowing machine etc

With all of these exercises, safety is key. stop anyone not exhibiting the correct techniques from lifting anything with any resistance at all until they can do correctly

I feel i have to point out that i am a qualified rowing coach and have only switched back to rugby in the last few years but the principles of strength training are the same

Hope this helps - it worked for me, turning me into the man mountain i am today!!

I am a qualified weight lifting instructor as well as a rugby coach. I am now 41, and have been weightlifting since I was 15.

This is something that I feel very strongly about, and get peed off with when people say that you shouldn't train under the age of 16. Sorry if this sounds a bit strong as my first post, but to me, this is a dinosaurs point of view. Just look at the American High Schools and their Football players. They are years in front of us when it comes to this discipline.

2 years ago, I was coaching U14s, and we started lifting in the lineout.  Pre season the lads couldn't lift to full height, and were struggling to get past the first (clean) stage at shoulder height. I gave our lifters bodyweight exercises to do in training and concentrated hard on their lifting technique using real time jumpers. By the start of the season, our team was lifting to full height, while other teams were only getting to shoulder height.

4 of our players made it to district level the following season at U15s, where I assisted as a father coach.  When the boys went to Region camp, they were told not to weight train, and even not to take protein supps by the Wales Womens coach.  I argued strongly but friendly against this with 3 other district coaches, who all said they should not be weight lifting.

By this time I had introduced most of our team to the gym, by doing a complete body workout twice a week, using selectorised weight machines only. No free weights. Each individual was instructed on their first 2 sessions by myself, and were then monitored by the gym owner after that.

All of the other district coaches were from seperate clubs in our region. Guess what happened when we played each other during the U15 season. Our scrums were much stronger than any other side, and our lineouts were much cleaner and higher than theirs.

All of a sudden the questions started coming about what our players were doing weights wise.

3 of the players have now gone on to region level at U16, and 1 of those definately would not have made it without weightlifting. If I am truthful, he is now probably the better player of the 3, but is really dedicated to his sport.

The routine I gave them is outlined below, and is based around machines rather than free weights. This was looked at from a safety point of veiw. However, I am not opposed to free weights, as they help build core strength and stability.

2 DAY WEEK COMPLETE BODY ROUTINE

MONDAY & FRIDAY

LEG EXENSIONS                                                                             3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

LYING LEG CURLS                                                                         3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

WIDE LAT PULLDOWN                                                                3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

CHEST PRESS MACHINE                                                             3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

PREACHER MACHINE BICEP CURLS                                       3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

TRICEPS CABLE PRESS or BENCH DIPS                                3 SETS X 15-12-10 REPS

SEATED CALF PRESS                                                                    3 SETS X 15 REPS

BENT KNEE ABDOMINAL CRUNCH                                          1 SET X 15 REPS

THE FIRST SET OF EACH EXERCISE IS PERFORMED WITH A LIGHT WEIGHT TO WARM THE MUSCLE GROUP UP.  THE WEIGHT IS THEN INCREASED FOR EACH ADDITIONAL SET.  IF THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF REPS CANNOT BE ACHIEVED, THEN THE WEIGHT IS TOO HEAVY.  IF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF REPS IS BEING EXCEEDED, THEN THE WEIGHT IS TOO LIGHT.

FOLLOW THE ORDER OF THE EXERCISES, AS THE BIG MUSCLE GROUPS ARE WORKED FIRST, LEADING ON TO THE SMALLER MUSCLE GROUPS AT THE END.  THESE DO NOT REQUIRE AS MUCH OXYGEN, AS ENERGY LEVELS DROP DURING THE WORKOUT.

TUESDAY & THURSDAY – CLUB TRAINING. NO WEIGHT TRAINING SHOULD BE DONE ON THESE DAYS. 

WEDNESDAY – RECOVERY DAY

SATURDAY – EAT WELL.  TODAY IS A REST PERIOD, TO ALLOW FOR FULL RECOVERY FOR A MATCH ON SUNDAY.

Sorry for the rant all, but this is something I believe any aspiring young player should be doing, if they want to get on.

It is good to see that many coaches have now come around to weight training as valuable tool to improve youth fitness. This is my opinion on the subject which is backed up by the International Youth Conditioning Association and the work of many youth fitness specialists:

1) Weight Training is not dangerous and in fact can stimulate bone growth from the muscle pull on the bones during resistance exercises (growth plate damage was reported in one small scale study in the 80's and was a result of maximum lifting).

2) Weight training does not reduce mobility but in increases it as long as the athlete performs through a full range of motion (even the most muscle bound power lifters need to have excellent mobility to perform Olympic lifts).

3) DO NOT USE MACHINES as these can affect the athletes mobility and muscular development. Machines force the athlete to move through a predetermined path and won't enable them to move through their own full range of motion (every persons range is different) and could put extra pressure on joints. Also, the vital synergist and stabiliser muscles that assist the prime movers in performing the exercises are not needed when using machines as it is the machine that supports the weight for you. This in no way reflects the way that muscles are used during rugby. Furthermore, by using free weights you can have a big impact on improving the athletes coordination through learning a variety of exercises and concentration throught he fact that there is a massive consequence if they do not think about what they are doing (I ahve found that teenagers are so into lifting that they never switch off and so safety is never compromised).

4) Most people think that performing high reps with a low weight is the way forward youth beginners in order to prevent injury. If 15 reps X 3 sets are performed, that gives the athlete 45 times to get it wrong.This can imprint bad form on the athlete which will be hard to reverse. Lifting is a skill and so should be taught as one. Learning body position, firing patterns and specific movements are essential to children.

In the first couple of months of lifting (at least), the athlete needs to be taught a variety of exercises with moderate weight so that perfect form becomes automatic. By getting the athlete to perform a maximum of 5 reps this gives the coach many more opportunities to give individual feedback. Multiple sets (5 plus) gives the athlete the opportunity to correct mistakes.

5) When designing a programme you should do so by including an equal mix of the 6 functional human movements- squat, lunge, bend, push, pull and twist. When the athlete is proficient in a variety of these exercises, they can then perform combination or hybrid exercises which make lifting even more functional to rugby.

6) Body weight exercises are an excellent precursor to weight training. However, it wouldnt stop me from having an athlete perform the bench press if they couldnt perform 10 press ups because as stated earlier, if moderate weight is used, bench press can be easier. I would ensure that they could perform a body weight squat and lunge before adding weight and use a system of graduation whereby they would need to show me perfect form before they graduate to using weight and thereafter every increase in rep range or weight would be based on this graduation system. As I stated earlier, I find that teenages respond really well to weight training as it gives them a level of focus that is much higher than if they were to do a body weight circuit. I tend to use the body weight exercises in the warm up to recap technique and activate the core muscles.

7) Example session (Athletes have 2/3 sessions experience):

Warm up - Dynamic Flex plus spiderman crawls, hip mobility ex, plank, squat, lunge

1. Front Squat 5repsx5sets 

2. Shoulder Press 5x5

3. Step Ups 5x5

4. Bent over row 5x5    

5. RDL 5x5

6. Reverse Crunch (body weight) 5x5

By manipulating the rest periods between sets and/or exercises and exercise order, you can make this quite a demanding workout even with moderate weight. Once the technique has been perfected you can then increase the rep range to a max of 15.

Hope this has been of some use for you. let me know what you think. I advise that you look into buying the Complete Athlete Development Manual by Brian Grasso as this not only approaches the subject of strength training but also explains how to develop all biomotor skills (strength, speed, stamina, suppleness and coordination) within a series of training session. There is also a very valuable chapter on deceleration.

Cheers,

Stuart (PE Teacher, IYCA Level 1 and U14 Rugby Coach)