Why Off-Season Gym Training Matters For Rugby Union Players

The beginning of summer marks the end of the rugby union season for amateur players and with it the prospect of a few months off. 

Some might fill the summer months with another sport, like cricket or tennis, or for those with a bit of speed, a rugby sevens season. For players who only participate in rugby, it can be a time when you let fitness and gym sessions slide in favour of fun and relaxation.

What happens during the off-season for rugby?

The off-season is a good time to repair and prepare your body for the next season after months of hard hits and brutal contests on the pitch. 

Being physically and mentally prepared before pre-season training can put you ahead of the competition and in a better position for team sheet selection. It can make getting back to match-fit conditioning significantly easier in the long run.

Unlike pre-season training, your summer fitness regime can be a lot lighter on the contact and collisions. However, time off doesn’t mean sitting on the sofa or in a beer garden all summer. 

What should be included in off-season training for rugby players?

There are a number of core elements of a good off-season training programme. Here are a few of the essentials. 

Recovery from injury

Summer is a good time to rehab any niggling injuries picked up over the season. Following the physiotherapist's orders and doing the work can extend your playing career. 

It is also worth considering including sections of pre-habilitation exercises in your gym programme. Previous injuries and musculoskeletal imbalances can be worked on to prevent further damage or injury and improve performance. 

A mental reset

Mentally and emotionally recovering from a hard season will be different for every player. Taking time off can prevent burnout from competing, reduce performance anxiety, and refresh yourself. 

It can also bring a welcome return of motivation and remind you why you love the sport and your team. 

Hypertrophy and nutrition

Summer is a good time to think about bulking up on muscle mass. Working on your nutrition with a high protein diet, and combining that with hypertrophy training can help build size, an essential for rugby players. 

Research into muscle mass, fat mass, and size comparisons for international versus provincial players showed that even a 6kg increase in muscle mass can make a huge difference on the pitch. 

Hypertrophy training works to increase the size of muscles and therefore improve matchday performance. Loading the bar for deadlifts, squats and other multi-joint lifts with 50-85 per cent of one rep max, and completing 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will promote muscle growth.

Although it is tempting to focus on lower body lifts, don’t neglect the importance of upper body strength for tackling and handing off players. Include pull-ups, bench and shoulder press movements as part of a hypertrophy programme. 

Strength and explosive power

For backs and forwards players strength is vital on the pitch. Power lifting is something in every rugby player's off-season playbook to develop raw strength in key muscle groups. 

Weighted explosive movements, such as those triple-extension movements involved in Olympic lifts, can translate to greater acceleration, breaking more tackles and destroying the opposition in rucks. 

Stacking a trap bar with Olympic weight plates at 20% of your one rep max and jumping can achieve similar results to a power clean movement.  Similarly, a push press can develop shoulder, back and core muscles, and explosive strength from the legs. 

Aerobic conditioning

Without the hours of training every week, the amount of cardiovascular exercise can drop significantly in the summer. Keep on top of it by including quick 5k runs, air bike intervals and sprint sessions in your training. 

For players disinclined to run just for fun, joining a summer touch rugby league can help with improving aerobic base levels and prevent the basic skills of passing and running lines from getting rusty. 

Agility

Rugby is not always about bulldozing through the opposition; being able to evade tacklers and weave through defensive lines is one way to prevent injury and score more tries. 

Developing the agility and mobility for side-stepping at pace can be a valuable asset. Consider including a selection of plyometrics and single-leg moves in your gym programme.

Bulgarian split squats and single-leg straight deadlifts with a kettlebell can work on balance and unilateral strength. Use a plyometric box for box jumps and weighted step-ups.

Core strength should not be dismissed here, so include landmine twists with an Olympic barbell and rotational movements with heavy-duty slam balls.

How intense should off-season training be?

The rugby union season was originally designed around the British school calendar, with a break from April or May to September for matches. Pre-season for amateur club rugby players will usually kick off in July or August, leaving players with free time for up to ten weeks. 

What players do with those eight to ten weeks can often determine performance and enjoyment the following season. The level of intensity for off-season training can depend on many factors, including:

• Injuries and mental state
• Other sports
• Family time and holidays
• How committed a player is to the sport or team
• What a player hopes to achieve next season

It is important to consider the ‘whys’ of off-season training as well as the ‘whats’ that should be included in a gym programme. 

Improving and maintaining the necessary strength and fitness to play rugby well starts in the off-season. Doing the work over the summer can make pre-season easier and consistent match performance that much more attainable.