6 superset sessions for

rugby-focused strength
INTRO & T.O.C

INTRODUCTION
The following eBook contains training programs designed for rugby players to
develop off-season strength. Each of these superset sessions is based on the
principles of gymnastic strength and low-rep strength training protocols used by
athletes like Charles Poliquin, Pavel Tsatsouline and Christopher Sommer. They
are intended for experienced athletes with a moderate to advanced background
in gym training and should not be attempted by novices or beginners.

Audience: you want to get stronger during the rugby off-season

Situation: you’ve been training pretty hard but you’ve hit a plateau
Reason: you’re likely not doing enough quality reps
Solution: low intensity, high volume, strength-focused training
Degree of difficulty: 8/10

NOTE: if you are a less-experienced weight lifter who is considering taking on this
program, please skip to page 21 for notes on adapting these sessions to your needs.

6 SUPERSET SESSIONS
1. RAW STRENGTH
Bench + Farmers Walk

2. BODYWEIGHT
Pull-ups + Jefferson Curls

3. EXPLOSIVE POWER
Hang Clean + Hollow Holds

4. MOBILITY
Cossack Squats + Crab Walks

5. SCRUM STRENGTH
CT Squats + Loaded Crawls

6. LINEOUT SPEED
Hang Clean and Press + Depth Jump
1. RAW STRENGTH
Bench + Farmers Walk
90 min session - 30 sets of 2-3 every 3 mins
Why the barbell Bench Press?
Depending what online blog you’re reading, the barbell bench press
is either the best or the worst exercise in the world. Some people
will list the bench’s drawbacks by saying that it’s too linear because
you’re laying flat on your back and not engaging supporting
muscles. To that we say “great theory” but any exercise you could
hope to substitute for the bench is going to have as many or more
drawbacks.

Dips are tough on your shoulders if you have a narrow frame,

push-ups are fine, but you’re only moving 60% of your bodyweight
and most rugby players don’t have the shoulder mobility for ring
work (more on that later). So for developing upper-body strength,
and preventing injury while training, the bench press has the most
upside and the least downside. You could also substitute in dumb
bells if you really want to. But understand that this will require using
a lower total weight.

Why the Farmer’s Walk?

One of the most common strongman lifts, the farmer’s walk is an
oldie but a goodie. Unlike the bench, which is push-specific and can
be done quite quickly, the farmer’s walk uses a whole range of
upper body muscles and should be performed for extended periods
to get the most benefit. Your arms will be torched. Your core will be
activated. Your back and shoulders will burn. In essence, everything
that’s not your chest and anterior deltoids is fully activated during
the farmer’s walk. This makes it the perfect partner exercise for
supersetting with the barbell bench press when seeking to develop
raw upper-body strength.
1. RAW STRENGTH
Bench + Farmers Walk
90 min session - 30 sets of 2-3 every 3 mins

Setup - do a couple of sets of bench to get limber. Your warm up should be at

about 50-60% of your 1RM. Then stack on your weights up to 75-80% of your
1RM for your working sets. Find a space where you can comfortably walk
20-30m without bothering anyone. Place two 45lb plates at one end of that area.

Start the Clock - this session is time-based. We are going to be restricting rest
intervals so that each new set starts on 3mins. Set 1 starts at 0, set 2 starts at 3,
set 3 starts at 6 and so on. Do not mess with these intervals. If you have not
recovered sufficiently from the previous set to perform the upcoming set,
reduce the weight you are working with or the distance of your farmer’s walk.

Focus on Form - because we’re not working with 100% of our 1RM, we can focus
on getting our technique right during lifts. For the bench, that means pinching
your shoulder blades, moving the bar smoothly without a bounce and gripping
as hard a possible. For the farmer’s walk, keep your head & eyes up, your
shoulders down and take smaller steps than if you were walking normally.

Rest Periods - your setup and working periods should max out at about 90 sec
(if you have a lonnnnng farmer’s walk) which will leave you plenty of rest time.
Breathe deeply and clear your head before your next set.

Forearm Explosion - there’s a good chance that this session is going to destroy
your forearms. When that happens, feel free to break up the Farmer’s Walk with
another static strength movement like the Hollow Hold. Try the variation below
when you hit your forearm limit.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 Barbell Bench + Farmer’s Walk
10 sets of 2-3 every 3 mins

BLOCK 2 Barbell Bench + Hollow Holds

10 sets of 2-3 every 3 mins

BLOCK 3 Barbell Bench + Farmer’s Walk

10 sets of 2-3 every 3 mins
2. BODY WEIGHT
Pull-Ups + Jefferson Curls
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 every 3 mins
Why the pull-up?
There isn’t a better exercise for improving your power-to-weight
ratio than the pull-up. Pull-ups are recommended by almost every
S&C coach in the business because they provide an equipment-free
way to train the entire posterior chain, forearms, shoulders and core.
Powerlifters have long known that improving your lat strength using
pull-ups has a positive effect on your bench, squats and deadlifts as
well. It’s also an excellent test of your power to weight ratio.

While strength is the ultimate goal of the programs in this eBook,

adding superficial bulk is not. If you’ve been training for 3 months
say and you’ve put on 10lbs of muscle, but you can still only do a set
of 4 pull-ups, there’s a good chance you’ve been wasting your time.
Having enough mass is important for rugby players, but our power
to weight ratio is a much better test of a rugby player’s strength and
conditioning.

Why the Jefferson Curl?

We’ve spoken in several blog posts about why the jefferson curl is
one of the best exercises for rugby players, especially when used
prior to rugby training to help prevent hamstring injuries. But it’s
also the perfect exercise to pair with pull-ups when you’re looking to
develop posterior chain strength and flexibility.

J-Curls are useful because they are a weighted stretch. Stretching

generally is something most rugby players don’t do enough of. The
J-Curl is a very simple way to increase hamstring flexibility, core
strength (especially in the mid back) and grip strength. When
supersetted with the pull-up, this movement provides a complete
posterior chain workout at low intensity and using very little weight.
2. BODY WEIGHT
Pull-Ups + Jefferson Curls
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 every 3 mins

Setup - do a couple of sets of J Curls to get warm. Start with the same weight
as you would during a working set. But because you’re cold, you naturally won’t
have the same range of motion as during the rest of the workout. Hold your
warm up sets for slightly longer at the bottom of the movement.

Start the Clock - this session is also time-based. Start each new set of pull-ups
on the 3min. A set of 3 J-Curls should take between 50-60 seconds. So if your
pull-ups start on the top of the minute, start your J Curls after 30 seconds. If it
takes you 60 seconds to complete, your working time will be 90 seconds and
your rest time will be 90 seconds.

Focus on Form - if you haven’t done a lot of pull-ups before, don’t worry. The
goal is not to crank out 30 max sets. That would be crazy talk. If your max set is
say 6 reps, try to do 30 sets of 2 during the course of the 90 min superset
session. If your max reps set is 15, maybe go as high as 4. But whatever you do,
don’t give up after 20 sets. If the last 10 sets need to be single rep sets, that’s
totally fine. Keep at it!

Rest Periods - ideally you want to be working and resting for about the same
period, 90 seconds and 90 seconds.

Forearm Explosion - as with the first superset session, your forearms are going
to be burning. When (not if) this happens, try the variation below to help you get
through the 90 mins.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 Pullups + Jefferson Curls

10 sets of 3 every 3 mins

BLOCK 2 Jefferson Curls + Hollow Holds

10 sets of 3 every 3 mins

BLOCK 3 Pullups + Hollow Holds

10 sets of 3 every 3 mins
3. EXPLOSIVE POWER
Hang Clean + Hollow Hold
90 min session - 30 sets of 1-2 every 3 mins
Photo by: stackhealthy.com
Why the Hang Clean?
For explosiveness and gains in athletic performance, hang cleans
bridge the gap between strength and speed better than any other
weight room exercise. The hang clean, performed at a submaximal
level is one of the most effective tools for developing speed-strength
and strength-speed. We recommend the hang clean over the full
clean for its simplicity. Movement from the floor is fantastic for
developing raw strength.

But the hang clean is a better choice for rugby players as it requires
triple extension of the hips, knees, and ankles in a coordinated,
explosive pattern – a movement that simulates the triple extension
in both sprinting and jumping. It’s also a very similar exercise to the
log lift recommended by World Rugby fitness expert Ben Gotting on
their Instagram page.

Why the Hollow Hold?

While the Jefferson Curl is the perfect way to work your entire
posterior chain, the Hollow Body Hold (Hollow Hold) gives you the
same effect on your anterior chain. Both movements are essential
components of gymnastic strength training which requires a huge
amount of core strength endurance.

What else requires core strength endurance? Rugby. Scrummaging,

lineouts, tackling, driving, we’re using our core in everything we do
on the rugby field. So the Hollow Hold can give us the core strength
to excel in those functional movements during a game of rugby.
3. EXPLOSIVE POWER
Hang Clean + Hollow Hold
90 min session - 30 sets of 1-2 every 3 mins

Setup - warmup for this workout using the same weight you would during
working sets. Do 1-2 sets of 3-5 deadlifts and 1-2 sets of 3-5 high pulls. Find an
area for Hollow Holds, preferably near a mirror so you can check your form
during the movement.

Start the Clock - each set begins on 3 mins. If you’re doing a set of 2 hang
cleans, these should be completed within 10-15 seconds. Followed by a 30 sec
Hollow Hold. That should leave you a little over 2:15 rest time. This additional
rest time (over and above the other programs in this eBook) is important
because your body needs time to recover for the hang clean movement.

Focus on Speed - doing 30 to 60 reps of hang cleans probably seems like a lot,
doesn’t it? That would definitely be the case if we were asking you to do 10 sets
of 6 with 30 seconds rest. But this session aims to develop strength-speed and
speed-strength by getting you to perform your hang clean at maximal speed
with well over 2 mins rest between sets. This formula is known by the term “HS,
LR” (high-set, low-rep) and has been successfully employed by strength athletes
like Charles Poliquin, Doug Hepburn, Pat Casey and Christian Thibaudeau.

Substitute High-Pulls - The All Blacks’ are well known for their team’s collective
strength and power outputs. One of the exercises you’ll see them doing a lot of
is the high-pull. This movement is a simplified variation on the Hang Clean which
still gives you a solid pull motion but allows you to use a higher weight because
there’s no ‘catch’ at the top of the movement.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 Hang Clean + Hollow Hold

10 sets of 1-2 + 30 sec hold

BLOCK 2 High Pull + Hollow Hold

10 sets of 1-2 + 30 sec hold

BLOCK 3 Hang Clean + Hollow Hold

10 sets of 1-2 + 30 sec hold
4. MOBILITY
Cossask Squats + Crab Walks
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 per leg on 3 mins
Photo by: fitblog.fi
Why the Cossack Squat?
The human body has 3 planes of movement; Sagittal, Coronal and
Transverse. When we’re weightlifting, we typically only work on the
Sagittal plane meaning forwards and backwards. The lack of
movement in the Coronal (side to side) and Transverse planes
(horizontal) in training can leave rugby players susceptible to
overuse injury and muscular and joint imbalances/weakness.

The Cossack Squat is the ultimate solution to the range of motion

(ROM) issues caused by straight-line leg work like the Squat and
Deadlift. For the purposes of this superset workout, we’ve chosen
the Cossack Squat because it will help us restore our ROM and
improve joints and connective tissues in the process.

Why the Crab Walk?

Again, this module is all about mobility. One of the greatest limiting
factors for rugby players in developing upper body strength is the
flexibility and ROM of their shoulder joints especially during
extension. Getting into a standard Crab position can be damn near
impossible for the average rugger who has spent too many years
benching and not enough time on shoulder mobility.

The Crab Walk is an elegant solution that can be done anywhere and
requires no equipment. For reference, this is NOT A Crab Walk
(video). This IS a Crab Walk (video). There is a good chance that the
first time you do this module, you won’t be able to walk forwards.
That’s ok! Just work on getting into the position for now and build up
to walking in subsequent attempts. Hollow holds will definitely help
get your core to a point where Crab Walks are easy.
4. MOBILITY
Cossask Squats + Crab Walks
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 per leg on 3 mins

Setup - warm up for Cossack Squats using just your body weight. After you’ve
done 2-3 sets of 3-4 reps, find a Kettlebell of adequate but not crazy size for use
during your working sets. Use a mat for Crab Walks and Holds. But ideally you
want to be in a wide area away from people.

Start the Clock - do your squats first and wait until the top of the next min
before starting your walks. 20 sec doesn’t sound like much for the Crab Walks,
but during your 1st session, this is plenty.

Focus on Form - Cossack Squats don’t need to be super fast. In fact, you’re
better off taking it slow. Remember, we’re working on a plane of movement that
is chronically under-utilized so your body is going to take some time to loosen
up. Do not start walking forwards in a Crab position until you can hold your
body horizontal for at least 30 seconds. If you start moving like the joker in that
first video link, you may as well just crawl on the floor like a 2yr old.

Recovery - if you already have pretty strong legs, you’re not going to find the
Cossack Squats terribly taxing, but you will notice muscle soreness in your IT
band, hamstrings and adductors. Both of these exercises have the potential to
improve joint flexibility and connective tissue strength. But it’s important to
realize that connective tissue, due to the lack of bloodflow in joints, takes longer
to repair than normal muscle fibers. If you are doing all the other modules on
the list once a week, we suggest doubling the rest time on the Mobility module
to give that connective tissue time to recover.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 Cossack Squats + Crab Walk

10 sets of 3 squats / per on 3 mins + 20 sec Walk/Hold

BLOCK 2 Cossack Squats + Hollow Hold
10 sets of 3 squats / per on 3 mins + 20 sec Walk/Hold

BLOCK 3 Cossack Squats + Crab Walk
10 sets of 3 squats / per on 3 mins + 20 sec Walk/Hold
5. SCRUM SCTRENGTH
CT Squats + Loaded Crawls
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 every 3 mins
Photo by: Zee Woodar
Why the Constant Tension Squat?
Our next two modules are all about forward-specific strength
training. The first being situationally focused on scrummaging.
What’s happening in a scrum? Well, you’re in a crouched position,
with a flat back and you’re pushing with 7 of your mates against
8 other people. The result is a complex movement that requires
strength and power under tension. Standard squats are a great
way to build your strength base. But they don’t replicate what it’s
like to be in a scrum.

You can’t pause at the top of a rep with straight legs while
scrumming. You can’t rep twice while scrumming and then bail out.
No, instead, scrumming will force you to remain under tension (or
load) for an extended period (10+ seconds) and to work within a
small range without ever reaching either end of the movement. In
other words, a constant tension squat. The CT Squat is performed
using much less than your 1RM lifting weight. Take it down to
around 50% and focus on staying under load for about 20 seconds.

Why the Loaded Crawl?

The CT Squat is about as close to a scrumming movement as you can
get, but the Loaded Crawl is the perfect partner because it puts you
in an actual scrumming position. Loaded Crawls can be performed
using a 45lb plate on your back, or even just body weight. The idea
is NOT to race forwards splaying out your feet and swivelling your
hips. Instead, keep your head up, your ass down, your back flat, your
knees at 90 degrees and your toes and feet facing fowards in perfect
alignment. Now, walk forwards 10-12 paces and then backwards
10-12 paces.
5. SCRUM STRENGTH
CT Squats + Loaded Crawls
90 min session - 30 sets of 3 every 3 mins

Setup - unless you feel comfortable cleaning and pressing a loaded bar
overhead into a squatting position 30 times, we suggest working in a standard
squat rack for the CT Squat. No, you don’t have to. Yes, you probably should.
During a CT squat, it’s more important to stay under load for the correct time
than it is to use more weight. So only move up to a new weight once you can
comfortably perform this module with 25 sec CT Squat sets. Find plenty of room
for your Loaded Crawls. You should be working in the same physical space as
you were for the Crab Walks.

Start the Clock - perform your set of CT Squats and wait until the top of the
next minute to begin your Loaded Crawls. You should finish your crawls with
about 75 seconds left before your next set of squats. That’s less rest time than
the other modules in this eBook. So be mindful of that when you get started.

Vary your Speed - scrumming isn’t a tempo movement. At different times

you’re going to give or receive pressure, but this won’t happen at a standardized
interval. To get the most out of this module, vary the speed of your flexion and
extension during the CT squat and vary your moving speed during the crawls to
simulate what will actually happen during a scrum.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 CT Squat + Loaded Crawl

10 sets of 20 sec squats + 10-12 rep crawls in each direction

BLOCK 2 CT Squat + Hollow Holds
10 sets of 20 sec squats + 30 sec holds

BLOCK 3 CT Squat + Loaded Crawl
10 sets of 20 sec squats + 10-12 rep crawls in each direction
6. LINEOUT SPEED
Hang Clean n Press + Depth Jump
90 min session - 30 sets of 2 every 3 mins
Why the Hang Clean and Press?
In Module 3 - Explosive Power - we talked about the Hang Clean
and why it’s so good for developing full body power. Module 6 -
Lineout Speed - is based on the same principles but adds in the
overhead press to the movement. The HC&P is virtually the exact
same movement as recommended by World Rugby for developing
upper body strength. By performing sets of 2-3, you’ll be working
on strength-speed part of the force velocity curve which aims to
give you explosive power through your lineout lifts.

Why the Depth Jump?

You’ve probably seen plenty of athletes doing box jumps as part of a
plyometric workout. They’re a pretty standard part of beginners plyo
work and make for great Instagram content showing rugby players
like Carlin Isles leaping over huge weight racks. What they don’t tell
you on Instagram, however, is that standard box jumps aren’t the
best way to improve your vertical jump.

Box jumps, weighted jumps and other “up” movements focus on

the concentric portion of the jump more than it does the “down” or
eccentric portion. This is unfortunate, because training the eccentric
portion actually translates to greater increases in vertical jump
performance. In short, the depth jump will give you MUCH greater
gains in VJ than will a standard box jump.
6. LINEOUT SPEED
Hang Clean n Press + Depth Jump
90 min session - 30 sets of 2 every 3 mins

Setup - because you’re doing 30 sets of the HC&P, we don’t want to work with a
maximal weight. Keep it to around 50-60% of your 1RM. Depth jumps are a
different story. They’re completely based on your ability to absorb impact
through your ankle and knee joints. So try some of the tests here (video) and
make sure you’re not jumping from higher than your joints can handle.

Start the Clock - perform your set of HC&P and move immediately to the
depth jump. Don’t pause until the top of the minute. Don’t perform more than
4 depth jumps (2 on each leg). Even going as high as 3 jumps per leg is going
to prevent you from getting the most out of the exercise. As you fatigue during
the set, you’ll notice your explosive power declines. There’s no point practicing
the movement under fatigue within a set, that’s just going to make you slower.
Instead, rest for the full 2:00 and try again on the next set. You should be able to
replicate your maximum jump height for the full 90 min session if don’t go crazy
within each set.

Extension - after speaking to USA Eagles Prop, Chris Baumann, about lineout
technique, he made it clear that extension at the top of your lift is crucial
“otherwise, you’re cheating your jumper”. So during each press movement, get
to and hold at the top of the lift. Even come up onto your toes if possible. It’s not
good enough to get a jumper to the top of their jump, you may need to keep
them there for a couple of seconds waiting for the throw to arrive or to setup a
driving maul. You can practice this by staying extended at the top of your lift.

Superset Variation

BLOCK 1 Hang Clean & Press + Depth Jump

10 sets of 2 presses and 4 depth jumps on 3 mins

BLOCK 2 Bent Over Row + Depth Jump

10 sets of 2 presses and 4 depth jumps on 3 mins

BLOCK 3 Hang Clean & Press + Depth Jump

10 sets of 2 presses and 4 depth jumps on 3 mins
WARNING
...for less-experienced lifters
The workouts contained in this eBook are designed for intermediate
to advanced weight lifters. Doing 90 repetitions of any exercise at
around 70% of your 1RM is going to require a base level of strength
that most beginners have yet to develop.

But if you are less experienced, you can easily modify these
workouts to produce fantastic and most importantly low-risk results
by shortening the length of each session.

Instead of doing 30 sets of 3 on 3 mins. Do 20 sets or even as few as

15 sets. Our product testing team is currently running a test group of
athletes beginning at 15 sets and working up to 30. There’s no
reason you need to start at the high end of this range. 15 sets of 3 is
more than enough volume to produce results for beginners.

The key thing to remember is that you always want to avoid failure.
The final rep of each set should not be a struggle. If it is, you’re
doing either too many reps OR (more likely) you’re pushing too
much weight. Reduce the load and work within your limits. Working
to failure within a set is going to extend your recovery time,
meaning that you won’t have recovered before your next set begins.
Aim for more sets, not more reps within each set.
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