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Fitness


Wrestling drills for rugby

Posted 292 days ago

Wrestle

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…

Build up your strength

Posted 301 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!

How to perform the Rufus Complex

Posted 303 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…

Weightlifting can improve your performance

Posted 343 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…

Develop general strength and fitness

Posted 352 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

Building the foundations: the shuttle test

Posted 371 days ago

Ross Chisholm Fitness

ARE YOU starting to feel the effects of pre-season training? John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning has put together a workout to build your base strength in the August edition of Rugby World. Have a go at this shuttle test, which will not only test your speed, but also your ability to change direction at speed. Click below to…

Life-saving defibrillators should be in every school and sports club

Posted 376 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…

Assess your fitness: the 3 cone test

Posted 396 days ago

Ross Chisholm Fitness

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…

Kick start your pre-season training!

Posted 400 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…

How to get in peak condition

Posted 414 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…

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