England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell tells Sam Rider what a typical training week looks like

A week in the life of England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell

England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell is currently building up to the London leg of the World Series, which takes place on the weekend of 2-3 June at Twickenham.

The series then climaxes in Paris a week later, with Fiji and South Africa leading the standings while England currently sit in eighth.

Here Mitchell breaks down a typical training week for the England Sevens squad in the build-up to an HSBC World Sevens Series tournament, from rugby to recovery and strength workouts to speed sessions.

Monday morning

Speed – At our freshest we do 45 minutes of sprint training, focusing on technique, acceleration and top speed work.

Weights – Next is a weights workout (see details below), focusing on powerful, dynamic exercises to replicate the demands needed for the game.

Skills – When fatigue is setting in we introduce rugby-specific drills to challenge our ability to perform under pressure.

Monday lunch

Team meetings, analysis, physio appointments or some much-needed downtime to mentally switch off and recharge.

England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell

How it’s done: Tom Mitchell puts some journalists through their paces (John Marsh)

Monday afternoon

Rugby – practise match-specific exercises and scenarios.

Tuesday

Divided into half strength and conditioning and half rugby training.

Wednesday

Half-day for recovery – a time for massages, pilates or pool recovery sessions.

Thursday

The same as Tuesday.

Friday

The same as Tuesday.

Saturday and Sunday

Tournament time!

Weights workout

Here’s an example of a weighs workout England Sevens will do. Perform each exercise for 20 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds, continuously rotating around the three stations for three to five rounds.

England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell

Show of strength: Battle ropes are part of the circuit (John Marsh)

STATION 1

Prowler push

Farmer’s carry

Med ball slams

Box jumps

Battle ropes

STATION 2

Dumb-bell squat press

Dumb-bell reverse lunge

Jammer

Banded pull-up

Press-up

STATION 3

“Trunk” exercises – variations of static, dynamic and anti-rotation core moves.

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