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Conditioning for Young Players

Even if players are too young to go to the gym, it can be beneficial for them to do bodyweight exercises that help to prepare their bodies for more physical rugby in future years. Sam Bennett from Leeds Carnegie highlights some of the key points for young players to consider, which apply to all players at amateur or competitive level.

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Talked about people being too young to go into a gym and do weights too early. My thoughts on that is I try to encourage them to not actually go into a gym. It doesn't have to be in a gym and it doesn't have to be with weight. Ideally at this age. What you're trying to do is build their fundamental skills. So they have that ability to stop that can be done anywhere. All they need is our own body weight things such as body weight squats will develop their legs at this age and will develop develop that movement pattern that when they're older that's when they can develop and put on the weight in the gym, but for now a simple home bodyweight program is enough one of the things you can do day to day that will help you develop as a rugby player is developing your posture which will improve your Mobility your flexibility and your recovery find highlight to you the importance of flexibility. So you should all be doing regular and frequent flexibility training. So this is things such as stretching even Pilates or yoga Stability so side plank. Your core strength is a key is a key area to develop in Rugby Union players and the bottom two are shown positive and good technique. That's the importance of getting some good knowledge around your Gym training because if you're working bad techniques, you can be working the wrong muscles and potentially causing yourself injury. Yeah, certainly core exercises for me. You've got your squats simply because there are exercises really good for developing lower leg power and strength lunges because it's a good posture exercise again working the working your hamstrings as well. And then you're essentially a push and a pull so pull-ups is good. We're developing upper body strength, but only using your body weight and press UPS as well again bills that good strength both in your arms and across your chest, which is essential in rugby in holding good postural body position and then something simple like a front plank because it develops your core strength in the muscles allowing to hold that brace. Position which is essential not be especially for the front eight. So to be the ideal rugby player mentally determined to succeed. Improve your Fitness improve your Speed and Agility and your strength from the power and the take-home message from this session is that you need to start these things if you haven't started them already you need to start them now because it's important to start the habit now, so that went as you develop as a player.