Does building mass matter for rugby players?

At the time I didn’t understand what he meant. He was honest about my game and where I needed to improve. It wasn’t that he thought I wasn’t good enough. It was that I needed that extra size and leg power to step up into the next level and at that point, I did not have it in my game. To step up another level, the simple truth is you need to be conditioned for it so you can compete.

Common mistakes we make when developing mass for Rugby

Thinking we are never going to get big so why try. Or say no matter how hard I train I just can’t put the weight on. Or we blame our metabolism for being too fast? Or we are afraid of doing too many weights, and not enough speed work? The reality is if you are training the wrong way you will lose that speed and agility. If you are training like a bodybuilder, that extra size will look nice, but on the rugby field, it will be a hindrance when you need to be mobile. It’s finding that balance based on your body type and being big enough to be dominant, strong and fast.

Guys like Ben Tumifuna are born with the ability to be big and powerful, but guys like Welsh winger Shane Williams have different genetics. If you google Shane Williams, you will see he played for his country 87 times and represented the British and Irish Lions 4 times. He was also named IRB player of the year in 2008. I bet he was told he was too small at one point but look what he has achieved.

Trends

1. Professional teams are slowly changing their strength and conditioning programs to focus on the individual athlete and not just building big guys. 
2. There is an increase in muscle-bound players that have been working out like a bodybuilder for far too long.
3. There has been an increase in shoulder injuries in amateur rugby due to poor gym routines
4. Inexperienced players are being fed shit information from a variety of sources.

Myths

1. If you have a heavy bench press and squat, you are good at rugby. A load of shit.
2. It is difficult to build muscle and the right physique for Rugby
3. You have to be big to be a professional player. (This one could be seen by ignorant coaches as a fact. 

My word to them is to have an open mind. You will get more out of your smaller player willing to learn and put the work in. He will have a far bigger drive than the big guy who got it all his way.

Getting into the gym to develop mass

Now getting into the gym is all good and well but when you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing it’s a bit of a mind f*&$. Some boys get into the gym and hit any machine that is available. To help you get there quicker, we recommend you be honest with yourself. Be brutally honest with yourself. What is your current physique like and how does it compare to those playing at the highest level of rugby? (Be position specific).

What are your findings? It may surprise you that some of the elite are not necessarily the biggest. What you will find is they are conditioned. Dane Coles is an excellent example of being conditioned and not the biggest but performs at the highest level. Also, identify the excuses you make for not getting the work done. I don’t have time for the gym is a big one.

If you have no idea ask your coach if your coach has no idea seek advice from someone who has done what you want. If you are looking to get bigger, please note I am not talking about the muscle-bound guys in the gym that are there splitting muscle groups for each day. We train for the Rugby pitch and would like you not to have shoulder injuries and not to skip leg day.

Becoming bulletproof

What we want to focus on is building a bulletproof, powerful athletic machine that can cope with bigger, faster, physical collisions and play more rugby. The by-products of this are you will still get niggles during tough games but decrease the risk of severe injuries and chicks love an athlete. You are not reading this for us to help with your dating, but we believe if you train the right way as the current professional athletes do, that will take care of itself. You can thank us later.

Does a functional, powerful athlete appeal to you? Train like you are a pro and measure yourself against those currently in the game. What’s the point in increasing your muscle mass if you can’t smash someone on the pitch or clean someone effectively out of a ruck? Are you continually sitting in the Physio room getting grief from your club teammates for being soft or being called Mr. Glass? Nobody likes this. We want you fit and training often so you are playing and improving your skills with each game.

You have probably looked in to building muscle already and brought magazines like muscle fit or men’s health. I tried these programs and did admit some of the stuff works, but everyone trains differently depending on their goals. Sometimes you will get a program written by a dude that has never hit the rugby field.