I Thought This Thing Went Dead!

Well, I've let this blog go dead for long enough, so I'm reviving this steaming pile of nothing-ness with a little update and to let you know what i have planned over my winter break from Rugby.  RUGBY?  I know, like I need to pick up yet another hobby on top of woodworking, powerlifting, strongman, Highland Games, and putting an edge on anything I can get sharp.  So some of the guys I play with are curious to see what I have planned to up my conditioning over the month hiatus, so here goes...


The plan is to take my severely de-conditioned ass and turn it into at least a decently conditioned rugby forward.  I am concentrating on energy systems here and the training and types of movements will reflect that.  Rugby is a Medium Muscular Endurance sport, so that means it still has a strong anaerobic portion(scrums, rucks and mauls) in addition to the aerobic demands of an 80 minute match.  This program is designed to help me cope with the pain and exhaustion of my time on the rugby pitch by exposing me to high amounts of fatigue.

Week 1
1.  Double Kettlebell swings x 30
2.  Gorilla Kettlebell Cleans x 30
3.  Alternating Kettlebell Jerks x 30
4.  Shouldered Sled Push (Right shoulder engaged) x 30 steps
5.  Reverse Swings x 15
6.  Jump Lunges x 15
7.  Curvilinear Sandbag Cleans x 15
8.  Side Lunges x 15
Rest 60s between each exercise.  Perform this 3x in the week
Endurance conditioning will consist of High Intensity Intervals on the rower, weighted sled drags and yo-yo runs.  Perform 2-3 sessions a week.


Week 2
1a.  Double Kettlebell swings x 40
1b.  Gorilla Kettlebell Cleans x 40
2a.  Alternating Kettlebell Jerks x 40
2b.  Shouldered Sled Push (Right shoulder engaged) x 40steps
3a.  Reverse Swings x 20
3b.  Jump Lunges x 18
4a.  Curvilinear Sandbag Cleans x 20
4b.  Side Lunges x 18
Rest 60s-120s between each set.  Perform this 3x in the week
Endurance conditioning will consist of High Intensity Intervals on the rower, weighted sled drags and yo-yo runs.  Perform 2-3 sessions a week

Week 3
1a.  Double Kettlebell swings x 50
1b.  Gorilla Kettlebell Cleans x 50
1c.  Alternating Kettlebell Jerks x 50
1d.  Shouldered Sled Push (Right shoulder engaged) x 50 steps
2a.  Reverse Swings x 25
2b.  Jump Lunges x 20
2c.  Curvilinear Sandbag Cleans x 25
2d.  Side Lunges x 20
Rest 120s between each set.  Perform this 3x in the week
Endurance conditioning will consist of High Intensity Intervals on the rower, weighted sled drags and yo-yo runs.  Perform 2-3 sessions a week


Week 4
1a.  Double Kettlebell swings x 60
1b.  Gorilla Kettlebell Cleans x 60
1c.  Alternating Kettlebell Jerks x 60
1d.  Shouldered Sled Push (Right shoulder engaged) x 60 steps
1e.  Reverse Swings x 30
1f.  Jump Lunges x 25
1g.  Curvilinear Sandbag Cleans x 25
1h.  Side Lunges x 25
Rest 60s-120s between each set.  Perform this 3x in the week
Endurance conditioning will consist of High Intensity Intervals on the rower, weighted sled drags and yo-yo runs.  Perform 2-3 sessions a week


After this we resume practice and have fitness testing.  During this time I will also quit eating like a powerlifter and cut back on the bulk of food I eat.  So instead of eating a whole chicken and a couple heads of broccoli for lunch, I'll limit it to 1/2 a chicken and 12oz of broccoli.  I figure that at 260 I would be more formidable seeing that 244 is my lean mass as it is.