Upper Body Exercises for Rugby Players

We all love the bench press, but how much relevance does it really have to a rugby game situation?  A tough one to answer really because the body position required for this exercise is not one player’s find themselves in during a game!  However…..the muscles activated and strengthened during the bench press movement can frequently come into play during a game.

That said I would not put the bench press at the top of the list of preferred exercises for rugby players.  If we consider other upper body exercises with free weights then seated or standing dumbbell press would in my opinion rank ahead of the bench press in terms of transference to rugby

When we talk about upper body then we are primarily referring to the arms, chest and shoulders (incorporating upper back) so here are some options for this area:

o       Military Press

o       Push Press

o       Power Jerk

o       Jerk in split position

o       Dumbbell Press (Seated/standing/incline)

o       Press Behind the Neck

o       Bench Press (Incline/decline/close grip/wide grip)

o       Incline Bench Press

o       Curls / Reverse Curls

o       Triceps Extension

o       Lateral Pulldowns

o       Pullovers / Bench Pulls

o       Flys (Helicopters/Reverse Flys)

Numerous machines are also available in the more sophisticated gyms offering versions of these exercises plus another full array of options.  These exercise alternatives start to get into the prehab and rehab territory of training as opposed to the major exercises required for complete conditioning.

Gym junkies head straight for the easy, fast visible results, low overall strain exercises that are generally done in front of the mirrors!  Beware of these exercises…they may give a short term fix but are not the long term answer.  One or two of these (like curls!) can be thrown in for a fun or competitive alternative but they should not constitute one of the major exercises of a program for a rugby player.

Great examples of exercises utilising the player’s own bodyweight can include chin-ups, dips and press-ups.  Weight can be easily added to these exercises via belts for example as the strength improves.

What are we trying to achieve with our program?  This is the question that should be constantly asked.  Is it bulk, is it power, is it strength, is it endurance?  The answer will vary according to the player, the position, the training age, the program training stage (e.g. off/pre-season), and the trainer’s goals.  The key point here though is that there should be a goal or focus for the exercise and the program.  In fact each session can have exercise or training goals applied to it.

It is very important to keep the program simple and consistent with the focus being on 2 or 3 major exercises per session and varying the 2 or 3 supplementary exercises on a daily or weekly basis.

The upper body generally recovers relatively quickly and can therefore be worked more often than the legs and back.  As well as this, the upper body can be trained on the same day (and adjacent to) as functional skills and drills training.

Much of the modern game is played requiring a strong, rigid upper body - tackling, passing, catching, fending, binding, and so on.  The opportunity to work this component of the body and to develop the chest, lats and shoulders during the off-season should be taken advantage of but not to the point where bulk & size overtake flexibility.  Again this is a sets and reps programming decision!

Preseason training of the upper body should focus on strength and ultimately power through the introduction of speed to exercises and via the modification of the sets, reps and the weight lifted.

My key focus on weight training exercises is the technique that player’s use to complete each repetition.  Are they concentrating on the movement of the bar, ensuring the right muscles are activated and getting the breathing sequence correct?  Or are they going through the motions and having a social training session?  Keep in mind that with correct technique and focused training a player will make significant gains and therefore the commitment & discipline they show at the gym will also increase dramatically.