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Posted 267 days ago
WRESTLING DRILLS are a great conditioning tool for rugby and help to bring a competitive edge to training. Rugby World fitness editor John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning, suggests using the Thai-style clinch (above) and Greco-Roman wrestle in training – and these videos show you how to do it…
Posted 276 days ago
HERE’S HOW to make strength gains to benefit you throughout next season, writes John Dams. It’s also time to do some more intense conditioning, and add volume to your training. Remember to include some rugby skills work!
Posted 279 days ago
RUGBY WORLD fitness editor and Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning John Dams recommends this modified barbell circuit, featuring a number of different lifts, for adding variety to your training regime. It’s geared towards more experienced lifters and is perfect for when your motivation to train is waning during the dark winter months. Here’s how to do it…
Posted 319 days ago
OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING can help improve your performance on the pitch, writes former champion Giles Greenwood.
Rugby players spend their time in the gym doing heavy strength exercises such as squats, deadlifts and bench-presses. These form the bedrock of many serious programmes and have the advantage of being highly effective all-round strength builders.
They’re directly applicable to forwards who apply ‘slow’ strength during…
Posted 327 days ago
WE’RE delighted to announce a major signing this month – John Dams, one of the world’s foremost strength and conditioning experts, joins us as our new fitness editor. He starts here by looking at general strength and range of motion.
Warm Up: These first two warm-up exercises are good for improving general mobility around the hips. Perform over a ten-metre area
Posted 352 days ago
DID YOU know that if you have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital and with no trained people nearby, your survival rate is just 6%? Incredibly, this rises to 60% if there is a defibrillator to hand.
These statistics, coupled with recent events like the tragic death of schoolboy Luke Chapman while playing rugby, highlight the need for clubs and schools…
Posted 371 days ago
IT’S TIME to dust off your trainers, because pre-season training is beckoning. First things first, you need to assess how fit you are currently in order to set goals and improve. John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning, has put together the ultimate fitness testing session including the 3 cone test, performed in the video below. This exercise tests…
Posted 375 days ago
AFTER A few weeks off, it’s time to start preparing your body for next season. Pre-season training should be tough, but if you put in the hard work now it’ll stand your body in good stead for nine tough months of rugby.
In the July edition of Rugby World, our fitness guru John Dams sets a workout to get your new…
Posted 389 days ago
JOHN DAMS, Rugby World fitness editor and Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning, has highlighted two great conditioning exercises. They are fantastic exercises for the front-five forwards in particular and will get you working hard. These videos will show you how to do them…
With the sled drag, use a Prowler or any other robust sled. Work with your face to…
Posted 406 days ago
PRE-SEASON is in full swing, and it’s now time to make some considerable strength gains. You should also be looking to increase the volume of your training over the next few weeks, making your conditioning more intense in preparation for next season.
The caterpillar (also known as the heel-to-toe walk) is good for warming up your hips before the serious work…
