Your off season workout should not be any different than your inseason workout, imo. Only difference should be diet.
I disagree with that. during the season it is unreasonable to suggest that you can train with the same intensity and routine as in the off season due to rugby training sessions- S.A.Q work, skills, team runthrough etc.
im not sure about your set up but we have tues, thurs training and sat games. trying to sprint on a pitch at training having done a leg heavy leg session is asking for an injury.
so during the season our conditioning coach has us do maintenance weights along with lots of core work, wobble board work etc. The maintenance weights are usually the same exercises as in the off season but lighter and with higher reps, less rest etc, alot of circuits... to improve fitness while maintaining muscle and strength.
this is completely different when it comes to the off-season.
Due to the nature of our game, my training regimen off season revolves around heavy compound movements for bulking and speed and power.
I do a 5 day split and for muscle group arange my workout around a compound exercise to build explosive power and speed. (muscle mass comes with)
for example, these exercises are the key ones in my program:
Snatch
power cleans
hang cleans
bench
squats
deadlift
you can see the type of movements and why they are being suggested. power cleans and snatch create dynamic explosive power- very important for exploding onto the ball at pace, breaking a tackle etc.
after you have these power based exercises in place you can fill around them with general bulking work. Remember in the proffessional era of rugby you dont necessarily have to be big... many players are light, quick and very powerful.
core stability is crucial in rugby so dedicate time to seeting up a good core program. at my club we do tomahawks and woodchops etc on shoulder day to work both shoulder and core.
incorporating work on wobble boards etc will create stability and balance too. It will also strengthen your medial bands and tighten up your knee joints to protect you from injury.
also set up an S.A.Q session you can do once a week to maintain agility and mobility as you bulk. im really tired right now, long day, but i hope that made sense. i can help you write up a program if you want... I need to change mine up as ive just torn my ACL in my knee and will be out the rest of the season, so I need an upper body program for bulking while i wait for my op... then the bastard rehab starts
