Those could be the first words the coach or trainer will say to you in 2006.  What a great positive start to the new year – recognition of all that hard work you have put in to improve yourself in preparation for the next big season of rugby.

If you are at all concerned that time is running out before preseason kicks in, then you are dead right!  Get into it – set a plan, establish some realistic short term and achievable goals & go for it.

The Super 12 – oops 14 – training has been underway for several weeks now and it is interesting to note the changes in training focus compared to other seasons.  I can only speak of the 2 NZ franchises I am involved with but there has been a move toward the KISS [Keep It Simple Stupid] principle in the choice of exercises and getting back to basic training generally.

With such a small “preseason” window the major emphasis has gone into the gym – strength, power and size gains are the order of the day - and into skills.  The number of sessions per week in the gym has also increased plus there will be a continuation of weights through the season as well – something I would highly recommend and encourage at all levels of the 15-a-side game.  Obviously in season weights are not at the same intensity as the off & pre-season sessions.

A couple of reflections from my perspective that are relevant to all players doing weights are as follows:

1.       Squats

If the program or trainer says full squats then do full depth squats.  Increasing the weight on the bar to the point where you cannot go to the full depth comfortably, puts pressure on your back and knees due to poor form & technique, lack of confidence & possibly lack of strength! 

The gains you will make from doing full depth squats at 100kg will far exceed any gains you may make doing partial squats on 200kg!  Full depth squats at lower weight will reduce the risk of injury and give gains in flexibility & power.

2.       Supported Lifts

Utilising squat harnesses and “safety” bars can be beneficial for players with poor flexibility [of course these players will be working on this aspect of their conditioning!] but often these apparatus will offer a false sense of security to the player.  This can lead to overconfidence and the weights on the bar increase too soon thus leading to my comments in point 1 = risk of injury & poor form.

3.                 Footwear

The most common shoes seen in the weights gym area are runners, trainers, or whatever you like to call them but they are the shoes designed for running, jogging, and general forward momentum based activity!

These shoes are the easiest to walk into the gym and wear….but they are not the ideal weight training shoe.  The main reasons for this are exactly why they are the ideal shoe for jogging and running – they have soft, cushioned, spongy soles that are wedge shaped to encourage the weight to be on the toes and help the wearer to propel themselves forward.

That’s great for running but not for the exercises where you want evenly balanced weight and to drive upwards!

A better style of footwear for the gym is the cross-trainer or a more solid soled shoe that provides enhanced stability.

4.                 Thinking in the Gym

You are in the gym to train with the appropriate warm up, warm down and rest period between exercises.  The gym is not the place for casual social chat, laziness and tardiness – if you load a bar to train with then unload it, if you have a defined rest time between sets and exercises then stick to it.

For coaches, the gym is another great environment to develop the discipline and commitment you want from players plus it gives another opportunity to encourage the team spirit, team support and work ethic you want to instill.

5.                 Mirrors in the Gym

Generally mirrors in gyms are helpful – you can see who else is in the gym and check yourself out at the same time!  Seriously though, mirrors are not a great requirement for athletes in a weight training environment.  The mirrors give false indications of angles and allow too many distractions – they therefore take the athletes mind off sensing or feeling what they are doing and transfer to the eyes and watch themselves.

There will be greater and more rapid improvement for the athlete who trains without a mirror!