I’m Harry, I am trainer at the YMCA Health & Wellbeing gym in Bath. I play rugby for Walcot, so I adapt my training for this in the gym. Our team gets together 3 times per week including 1 game and 2 training sessions. The training sessions consist of rugby specific cardio, rugby skills and team plays/run throughs.
When I’m not with the team I train for strength in the gym which includes going heavy on the big 3 lifts squat, bench press and deadlifts. These help with general strength which then transfers into helping me be able to perform better on the pitch on game day. Core strength is a big asset to have when on the rugby field therefore training for specific rugby scenarios where you would use your core in a game is key.
In my position I need to be explosive, fast and powerful in order to perform at my best. For that reason, I love training my legs and pushing myself to the limit on that day to get the most out of it. I really focus on exploding up on the concentric phase of my lifts for power, while also trying to control the weight on the way down in order to gain muscle as most of the muscle gain while lifting comes from the eccentric stage but the main reason is to make the lift as safe as possible for me so I can keep playing my favourite sport.
Nutrition is also a really important part of my training, eating well helps me stay healthy and improve my physical conditioning. I avoid take-aways, eat plenty of fruit & vegetables, keep my fluid levels up and take a protein power most days to help boost my amino acid levels to make the most of my heavy weight training. I’m always happy to give advice on training for sport and share my experience. Please feel free to come and have a chat.
