Strength Training for Rugby Part 2
When you want to gain strength, size and power for rugby, you have to train with a ferocious intensity and purpose. When you get to the gym, make sure you have played out in your mind a few times, the workout you are about to do. Then you will fully understand what is required to stimulate growth.
To engage the mechanism which allows your body to create muscle and build strength, you have to place a huge stress on the system. You are only going to be in the gym for a very short period of time, so you must enter the zone and wear a t-shirt saying "fuck off I'm training".
Two of the BIGGEST mistakes made by all trainees are not training HARD and WITH PURPOSE and the pre, during and post workout drinks. If you get these right, then workout with intensity, your results will be PHENOMENAL!
This is my recommendation for pre, during and post workout nutrition. It does change for individuals, but this will give you a good idea of what you need to be doing:
Pre Workout - 45 minutes/1 hour before workout or game.
1 - 2 scoops Amino Work Capacity and 40 grams Electade. Mix into 3/4 litre of water.
During Game or workout
60 grams Electade, 1 scoop of Amino Work Capacity
Post Workout/Game
30 grams Green Protein Power. 60 - 100 grams Vitargo (depending on body weight.) 5 grams creatine. 10 grams glutamine.
The above regime will ensure that you can train with massive intensity and will also significantly enhance recovery!!! You can purchase all products on our website shop.
Below are 2 more samples of All over programs that I use with the rugby players I consult for.
All over Program 3
A = 10 X 1 – 5 Snatch Dead Lifts
B1 = 4 X 20 Weighted Hyper Extension
B2 = 4 X 20 Swiss Ball Reverse Crunch
All over Program 4
A = 10 X 1 – 5 Zercher Squats (arse to the grass)
B1 = 4 X 6 – 8 Incline Dumb Bell Press
B2 = 4 X 6 – 8 Single Arm Rows
That’s it. Doesn’t look much on paper, but trust me. Get your nutrition, hydration, pre, during and post workout nutrition right and train like an animal, then your progress will be phenomenal.
Stength Training For Rugby Part One
I have just watched some rugby players work out in my local gym and feel forced to write this series of articles on strength training for rugby.
What should be obvious to anyone with the brain capacity higher than that of demented house fly is that in order to get strong you actually have to lift heavy weights and exert a level of effort in the process.
When I observe rugby players doing smith machine bench press super setted while talking with his mate, I start to twitch like an epileptic with turrets.
Let me make it perfectly clear. When you are trying to gain strength for rugby or, for that matter, any sport. You have to train with enormous intensity and purpose, otherwise you are completely wasting your time.
If at any time you arrive for a workout and you know that you can’t give it 100%, then you are better off leaving it. Always remember this quote
“If you can’t GAIN don’t TRAIN.”
There are three things of huge importance in determining a very productive workout : what you have eaten that day, your level of hydration and how much stress you have in your life. I will go into these subjects more in later articles.
I see many mistakes in countless programs, but I will focus on one of these in each article. For this article it will be
DON’T DO TOO MANY EXERCISES IF YOU WANT TO DEVELOP ATHLETIC TYPE STRENGTH. If you want a bodybuilder’s physique, do as many as you like but you will get SMASHED on the rugby field. I guarantee you that.
To best explain the way I train rugby players and develop their physicality very quickly, I will give you two example all over weights programs. You can then see the SIMPLICITY of my program Trust me though. It took me 20 years to come to this conclusion.
Allover Program 1
A = 10 X 1 – 5 Snatch Pulls Off The Floor
B1 = 4 X 20 Reverse Hypers
B2 = 4 X 20 Hanging Leg Raises
Allover Program 2
A = 10 X 1 – 5 Front Squats (arse to the grass)
B1 = 4 X 6 – 8 Incline Bench Press
B2 = 4 X 6 – 8 Towel Chin Ups
That’s it. Doesn’t look much on paper, but trust me. If you train like an animal, the progress you will make will be phenomenal if you get you nutrition, hydration, pre – during and post workout nutrition right.
Elliot Newman: Phil Richards Testimonial
Elliot Newman 5/7/2010
I learned more about Health and Performance in two days with Phil Richards than I did in the entire two years prior to meeting him. (And in those two years I went on a lot of seminars, read a ton of books and watched lots of DVD’s; not to mention reading hundreds of articles on the web.) Phil is easily the most knowledgeable and interesting person I have met in the Health and Performance industry. What follows will explain why I feel this way.
Going back 18 months
At the start of 2009 I had the privilege to start training with a team of Powerlifters in Leeds. For those of you who don’t know, Powerlifting is a sport whose competitors compete in the Squat, Bench and Deadlift. Almost everyone is familiar with those three lifts, yet very few people know of the sport. This is sad as it’s a wonderful sport. Simple brutality: he who lifts the most, wins. It attracts hard asses and ex cons and rewards those who train fiercely in the gym with warrior determination.
The Leeds Powerlifting team was made up of about 12 guys, all of whom were brutally strong and two of whom would be in anybody’s all time top 10 lifters from the United Kingdom. Furthermore, one of them could lay legitimate claim to being, perhaps, the strongest man ever to walk the face of the planet. However, all this proved to be a double edged sword for me.
On the one hand, within 10 months of training and competing alongside these lifters, I was placed 6th at the WPC world powerlifting championships in the 90kg Open class. (This is the 2nd most prestigious championships in powerlifting, behind the IPF’s). On the other hand, I’d ballooned from a lean 13st 7lbs to a fat 14st 10lbs and I felt like crap. Complete and utter crap.
Now when I say crap, I really do mean it. By January 2010 I was struggling; emotionally and physically. I was angry all the time and the gains in the gym that came so easily in 2009 had dried up. Furthermore, I was extremely stressed trying to fit in four x three hour gym sessions a week AND run a property business. This was a dead end street and a road to disaster.
In walks Phil
Around February 2010 I read an interview with Phil Richards on Elitefts.com. I immediately rang him up and arranged to see him for two days in April. What I liked about the interview with Phil was that he talked about Health AND Performance. The way most Powerlifters (and many others involved in sports) go on, you’d think the two were mutually exclusive! This could not be further from the truth, as Phil would show me.
When I went to see Phil, I was experiencing the following problems:
- Stomach pain: more than likely an ulcer. My stomach caused me aggravation after eating and if I went more than 2 hours without eating. As you can imagine; this was a major problem.
- Tooth ache.
- Ear ache.
- Kidney pain.
- Pain in the left side of my chest.
- Lack of mental clarity.
- Overwhelming desire to sleep.
- Bad skin: spots.
There were definitely more symptoms, but I do not remember. The stomach issue was the most severe and nagging problem and it was present day in and day out. Clearly, I was at the cliff edge. The question is, which way would I go?
April 16th to 17th 2010
Phil did a blood microscopy for me and explained what he saw. My blood had little movement; I had a lot of misshapen red blood cells and evidence of roleau. This was very interesting and provided massive leverage for me to make a massive change right at that moment. I couldn’t wait any longer!
I wanted to feel healthy and make gains again in the gym. I left Wales with a nutrition and supplement plan. Within 3 days every single symptom has disappeared! No GP, no drugs, no surgery, just food and supplements.
I quickly leaned down to 13st 10lbs and felt like a different person in a very good way.
Fast-forward to July 2010
I am now making rapid gains in the gym and really starting to feel amazing. As well as eradicating the problems above, I have also benefitted from the following since implementing all Phil’s recommendations:
- Only needing 6 hours sleep night
- Increased Testosterone levels and libido
- Even energy levels throughout the day
- Great control of my emotions; I’m much calmer
- Greater focus in the gym
- Increased sense of well-being (I know this is vague, but if you did what I did you’d be saying the same thing)
Conclusion
If you want vibrant health, improved mental and physical performance and to maximize your longevity, whilst simultaneously minimizing your chances of contracting infectious diseases and manifesting degenerative disease (Cancer, Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes etc.) Phil Richards Performance is where you should be looking.
The company teaches all you need to know about optimal nutrition and supplementation. If you’ve never eaten a mostly raw diet, never paid attention to your pre, during and post workout nutrition and you’ve never taken cutting edge supplements that complement nature: once you start learning and implementing what Phil Richards Performance teaches, prepare to be blown away
Elliot Newman
Warm Lentil Salad with baby Spinach and Walnuts
Warm Lentil salad with Baby Spinach and Walnuts
125g brown lentils
4 spring onions, finely chopped
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
60g walnut pieces
1tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped
Juice of ½ a lime
3 tbsp Udo’s Choice oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls washed baby spinach leaves
Put lentils in saucepan and cover with water.
Boil for 20 minutes, drain and transfer to a bowl.
Mix with spring onions, tomatoes, walnuts and chopped mint.
Place lime juice, oil and vinegar in a screw top jar. Shake. Pour over warm lentils.
Toss lightly and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the baby spinach leaves on a serving plate and pile salad on top.
Spicy lentil, Coconut and Coriander Soup
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 tsp coriander seeds
2tbsp coconoil
900ml vegetable stock
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 leek, diced
2 carrots, diced
175g red lentils
200ml coconut milk
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan.
Grind spices to a fine powder.
Heat oil and add onion, leek, garlic and carrots.
Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in ground spices.
Stir in lentils, then add stock and coconut milk.
Season, bring to boil then simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in the coriander leaves.
Morroccan Carrot Salad
450g carrots
Fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp each lemon and orange juice
2 tbsp Udo’s Choice Oil
2 tsp raw honey or agave nectar
Pinch of Himalayan Crystal salt
1 tsp rose water
Peel thin strips of carrot. Place in serving bowl.
Sprinkle chopped mint over the carrot.
Mix together remaining ingredients, pour over and toss.
Chill for 30 mins before serving.
Fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp each lemon and orange juice
2 tbsp Udo’s Choice Oil
2 tsp raw honey or agave nectar
Pinch of Himalayan Crystal salt
1 tsp rose water
Peel thin strips of carrot. Place in serving bowl.
Sprinkle chopped mint over the carrot.
Mix together remaining ingredients, pour over and toss.
Chill for 30 mins before serving.
Tofu - Miso Spread
2 tbsp red miso
2 tbsp hot water
225g firm tofu
2 tbsp freshly chopped dill, chives or basil
Soften the miso in water. Break up tofu with a fork. Add to the miso paste. Stir in herbs and serve.
2 tbsp hot water
225g firm tofu
2 tbsp freshly chopped dill, chives or basil
Soften the miso in water. Break up tofu with a fork. Add to the miso paste. Stir in herbs and serve.
15 Minute Vegetable and Cashew Fried Rice
110 – 175g brown short-grain rice
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 stalks of celery, sliced lengthways
2 carrots, sliced lengthways
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced lengthways
1 tsp of chopped ginger
2 tsp tamari sauce
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
50g cashews
To garnish: toasted nori seaweed
Cook the rice whilst heating oil in a wok.
Saute celery and carrots. Add garlic, spring onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add tamari, broccoli and cashews. Garnish with nori.
Serve with green beans or a cucumber salad.
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 stalks of celery, sliced lengthways
2 carrots, sliced lengthways
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced lengthways
1 tsp of chopped ginger
2 tsp tamari sauce
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
50g cashews
To garnish: toasted nori seaweed
Cook the rice whilst heating oil in a wok.
Saute celery and carrots. Add garlic, spring onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add tamari, broccoli and cashews. Garnish with nori.
Serve with green beans or a cucumber salad.
Dairy Free Ice Cream
2 ripe bananas
60g finely ground cashew nuts
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp soya lecithin granules
225ml soya milk
Blend all ingredients.
Pour into shallow container and freeze for a couple of hours, mixing with a fork after 1 hour.
Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
60g finely ground cashew nuts
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp soya lecithin granules
225ml soya milk
Blend all ingredients.
Pour into shallow container and freeze for a couple of hours, mixing with a fork after 1 hour.
Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
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