Complete Conditioning for Rugby

Overview

Since the dawn of professional rugby, players have become increasingly bigger, faster and stronger. Complete Conditioning for Rugby gives players and coaches the advice they need to keep pace with changes in the game by improving individual and team speed, power, strength, agility and endurance.

Author Paul Pook presents the latest research and information on testing, priority performance factors, programming and workouts, as well as clear demonstrations of drills. Armed with this information, players and coaches will identify and adopt the best possible conditioning options.

The accompanying DVD provides a visual presentation of key tests, exercises and drills for improving performance. The footage demonstrates both individual workouts and team workouts employing functional training methods that emphasize rugby-specific conditioning.

Selected Contents

• Chapter 1 Demands of the Game
• Chapter 2 Optimising Conditioning
• Chapter 3 Testing and Monitoring
• Chapter 4 Stability and Mobility
• Chapter 5 Strength and Power
• Chapter 6 Work Capacity
• Chapter 7 Speed and Agility
• Chapter 8 Recovery and Nutrition
• Chapter 9 Conditioning for Young Players
• Chapter 10 Injury Prevention and Player Durability
• Chapter 11 Building a Complete Conditioning Programme

About the Author(s)

Paul Pook has worked in high-performance rugby for more than 15 years. A former professional player, Paul was Ireland's national fitness coach and part of Ireland's Grand Slam-winning coaching team. More recently, Paul was appointed head of conditioning for the Russian Rugby Union and prepared the national team for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Paul has a special interest in workload management and player longevity and recently presented at the RBS Six Nations conference in Venice.