Engineering Physical Performance

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Short Bio – Ashley Jones
Ashley Jones is a strength and conditioning coach, he has worked in three professional sports
(Basketball, Rugby League and Rugby Union) in three countries (Australia, New Zealand and Japan)
over a period of 20 years. He has worked with the national rugby teams of the country of his birth,
the Wallabies and also that of his adopted country, the All Blacks. He is probably best known for his
work at the Canterbury Rugby Union and the Crusaders, where he spent 9 years and was involved in
the training of teams that won the Ranfurly Shield, the NPC and the Superugby title on 3 occasions.
He first started in the industry as a gym trainer in 1979 at Tony Markham’s Nautilus Fitness &
Leisure Centre in Crows Nest, Sydney. He holds a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education and
a Master of Science in Human Movement, and industry recognition with the CSCS from the
National Strength & Conditioning Association, which he attained in 1988 and has held continuously
to this day.
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Dedication
This ebook is dedicated to a few people;
I have had the honour of mentoring 3 great men over the years;
Damian, the student should always surpass the teacher and you have well and truly done that,
success in your chosen field and in life is your reward for being such a wonderful student.
Luke, well my friend we will never know how your story would have turned out, you left us far too
early, you would bring extraordinary presence into the gym everyday and a generation of the finest
rugby players in NZ owe you a debt of gratitude for the work you did with them.
Yagi san, your ability to break out of your comfort zone and accept new ideas in a land steeped in
tradition is a credit to you, you are always eager to learn more and to see how far you have come is
amazing, keep asking those questions, shitsumon san.
Also to all the players that I have had the privilege of programming for and working with, you are
the reason I do this and to be at my best each and every day, I sincerely hope I have been able to add
the 1% to your careers and help you achieve what you aspire to achieve, thank you.
This ebook is for my wife, Donna Yee, she is my driving force, when I did not write for a while she
was always encouraging me to get back into it, she is the reason that this has come to print, she is my
motivation, my inspiration, my compass when I get lost, she was there with a glass of wine or a
walking by kiss as I worked away, she is in each and every word I write and breath I take, thank you
my love.
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Table of Contents
Page 1 Title Page

Page 2 Short Bio – Ashley Jones
Page 3 Dedications
Page 4 Table of Contents
Page 5 Preface
Page 7 Introduction/Statement of Philosophy
Page 9 Building a Better Strength & Conditioning Coach
Page 10 Three Simple Steps
Page 11 Weekly Planning Variations
Page 13 Exercise Selection
Page 14 Loading Patterns & Training Methods
Page 15 Methods Chart
Page 18 Week Plan/Training Groups
Page 20 Speed Power Combo
Page 21 Training Articles
Page 21 Strongman Training in Sport
Page 22 Momentum = Mass x Velocity
Page 23 Training by the Numbers
Page 24 Training Month with Weekly Variations
Page 25 What we do Before Christmas Dictates Where we Finish in May
Page 30 Rule of 24
Page 34 Triple Treats Revisited
Page 36 Start the Year as you intend to continue it
Page 38 4 Day Lifting Program
Page 39 Weights Program January 2011
Page 41 Neural – Mechanical – Metabolic
Page 42 2010 Off Season Weights options
Page 45 Increasing Leg Strength Program options
Page 46 Weight Training General Ratings
Page 46 Outside Back Programs
Page 47 Strength & Power Continuum Training
Page 49 Wave Goodbye to Strength Training Plateaus
Page 51 Gym Based Circuits
Page 54 Off Season Weights Programs
Page 56 Actual Training Programs
Page 56 Before you Start your Weights Program
Page 57 Mid Field Back
Page 58 Lock Forward
Page 60 Mid Field Back
Page 61 Olympic Lifting for Rugby
Page 65 Hypertrophy/Strength for Lock Forward
Page 72 Push/Pull/Squat
Page 73 International Team
Page 74 Lock/Number 8
Page 77 Prop Forward
Page 78 Hypertrophy Program
Page 79 Loose Forward Program
Page 80 In Season Program
Page 83 Weight Room Exercise Selection Chart
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Preface
My journey in strength and conditioning started in 1975. Almost 38 years ago this year as a nervous
but excited 14 year old boy I climbed the steps of Vince Basile’s gym, American Health Spa, in
Brookvale a suburb of Sydney. I guess that was one of the first contradictions I experience
throughout my life so far both in and out of the gym. Since Vince was a Canadian and a former Mr
Canada, why American Health Spa, I never did get to ask him that question, but I digress.
Vince put me on a diet of the basics an encouraging word and a gym filled with photos of the greats
and most of the local power lifters and body builders trained in the same gym so advice and
inspiration and motivation were never far away. There was “Big Dennis: the biggest man I had seen
as a naïve 14 year old, his training partner Pat, both were builders and bricklayers, they both looked
more capable of demolishing building with their bare hands rather than constructing them. There
were a host of other guys but you two were the ones I remember the most, thanks.
I started reading Iron Man, taking desiccated liver, kelp and alfalfa tablets making foul smelling and
worse tasting concoctions out of Soya bean protein in my mother’s kitchen. I got stronger put on
some weight played better rugby and I was hooked and thus the journey began.
The one thing they all pushed was technique a lesson learned so young lasts a lifetime, I have never
been very strong but hopefully people would say I had good technique and that is a credit to all the
guys at the gym who were never short of a word when you tried to lift with other than perfect
technique.
My philosophy is one of heavy and basic, hard work on the exercises that involve the use of more
muscles is a cornerstone to my programming. A thorough working knowledge of Olympic lifting,
power lifting, strongman/dinosaur training and bodybuilding/physical culture is not required, but as
you can see from these programs ideas have been drawn from all these areas and filtered into a
framework to improve the physical performance of rugby players.
A few simple rules to train by:
Take the time to warm up, if it is good enough for Olympic champions to warm up with an empty
bar how much more important is it for lesser lifters. You may even surprise yourself with the
increased weights you will handle after an appropriate warm up and the less number of injuries you
will have by graduating into your bigger numbers. As an old time saying used to go, “if you do not
have the time to warm up then you definitely do not have the time to train”.
“Train for strength and size will follow”, lift as heavy as you can as frequently as your recovery and
schedule allows you and you will be rewarded with impressive size that will endure the inevitable
training lay offs that you will experience. If you just train for the pump with light weights and higher
reps then when you are forced to stop training for a while you will deflate as if air has been let out of
a balloon.
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Technique is the foundation upon which all your training life should be based. Never sacrifice your
technique for the sake of extra weight on the bar, compete with yourself and not the others you train
with, control your ego and although “a man’s reach should exceed his grasp” make progress slowly,
adding weight when you can. Aligned with this is train through the full range if you have the
flexibility to do so, what is the point of unlocking the knees in the squat with a ton of weight and
then to just relock them without bringing your hamstrings in contact with your calves.
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Introduction
This ebook is not to be taken as a cook book with recipes ready to prepare your players. It is the
result of over 30 years of trial and error, some good and bad programming decisions and an on-going
education and passion for physical performance. Whilst I believe that an intelligent hard working
approach over time will get you results even from a bad program, these programs and the
information that underpin them will allow you not to make the errors that I have along the path of
discovering what works and what is a waste of your time and efforts.
Whilst all care has been taken in the development of these programs it is extremely important for me
to advise you that they do take the place of a trainer to advise and coach you in the lifts, if you do not
know how to perform an exercise seek a professional to teach/coach you in that exercise rather than
attempting it through trial and error leading to injury, also you should seek a medical clearance
before embarking on any new program especially if you are new to training or have not trained for a
while, also the programs are not a guarantee of success.
Whilst there are no diagrams and exercise instruction sheets included in this ebook, I believe you
will be able to find videos on numerous web sites to satisfy you, but again I can not stress highly
enough the importance of working with a strength and conditioning coach to show you the correct
way from the start.
Also if you are a trainer reading this ebook, seek out areas to enhance your knowledge, find a
mentor, read from a variety of texts, ensure that you actually train, as Dave Tate would say “spend
time under the bar”, you do not have to be the best but be seen training. Also a lesson I learned later
in my career is compete in at least one of the competitive weight lifting sports, put yourself out of
your comfort zone and get on stage. At least do the programs you expect your players to do, feel
what they will feel, ask yourself questions, so that you will have some answers when they ask
questions of you.
Before we begin, I would like to leave you with these random thoughts that basically summaries my
approach to training and programming:
Complexity, as Christian Thibedau puts it so eloquently, is the language of simple minds. Why do
so many people not get the most obvious, just look at the wood and forget about the trees, forget the
window dressing and stick to the basics. If your goal is to get big, eat and train hard, if you want to
get the “cut” muscular look you have to be big first. You can’t carve a spatchcock.
Simple is not bad, don’t waste half your training life looking for some unified theory of everything
in order to get the results you want, get in the gym, lift as heavy as you can with good technique,
don’t chop and change stick with it for six months and you will amaze yourself with your results.
Empty bar, if it’s good enough for “Big Dogs” of weightlifting to warm up with then I don’t need
anyone else’s advice, particularly some expert saying, 50% of IRM for x number of repetitions.
Having been in the training hall prior to a world championship and chatted to other Coaches who
have been to many other training halls nearly all the best lifters start with just the bar.
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Frequency of training is dictated by your ability to recover. About three years ago I had a free week,
which I devoted to a training experiment. I front squatted only for the entire week, three times a day,
on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, two times a day on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday and only one
workout on Sunday. The volume and intensity was adjusted for each session, I ate like a horse and
swam and lay in the sun and slept ten hours a night. The result - 11% increase in my front squat and
a 6% increase in my clean, even though I didn’t train it.
Love what you do and do it with passion. It is no coincidence that most successful people in any
area of activity endeavour simply just love what they do. So no matter what your desired training is
commit to it with passionate resolve make it happen set your goals and work towards success with a
fire in your soul, love in your heart and a smile on your face.
Neural system drives the muscular system, not the other way around, so ensure that irrespective of
what you are weight training for include phases of neural activation work. This will ensure that you
learn to synchronise and recruit a higher proportion of your fast twitch fibres, which after all is
where you will make your greatest gains in size, strength and rate of force production.
Olympic lifting, my personal favourite of the weight sports and my preferred style of training, speed,
strength and flexibility thing else comes close for me. The joy of competing with the bar, sometimes
I get a points decision in my favour, but most often the bar is a convincing winner, no matter, it is
always rewarding and always fun.
Quality over quantity anytime, whatever your training is for, junk sets eat into your training time
elevate fatigue levels for no result and impair recovery. Get in, train hard, get out. Look at the
Westside workouts very few if any appear to go over 60 minutes but how great is the intensity, as
Poliquin I think once said if you are training for longer than an hour you are making friends.
Technique allows you to use the strength you have to maximum advantage. No short cuts, learn your
trade, spend time under the bar, you need to maximise your technique to not only get stronger but to
stay injury free and remember you are on show whenever and wherever you lift, be the best you can
be.
Before you move into the main section of this ebook please take the time to read this article that I
posted a number of years ago. This will further give you the background to delve into the programs
within.
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Building a Better Strength and Conditioning Coach
I am not a sports scientist; I am a strength and conditioning coach. One man’s opinion.
No matter what else the person has if they can not communicate, empathise and organize then every
other qualification they have is useless.
Personally, I do not think you need a degree to do this job, it helps when things are not going right to
have something to fall back upon to rationalize but it is not the be all and end all or the first thing I
would look at if employing someone. The other point it does make though is that you are committed
to a course of action over a number of years, which I believe is more important to consider than what
you actually learn. I still remember my first year out of university as the steepest learning curve of
my life.
I know of an excellent coach who has continually been discriminated against because he does not
have formal tertiary qualifications, but he has studied his entire life, attending seminars and done
internships with Poliquin, Westside Barbell, Eric Cressey and Ian King. Conversely I have
interviewed graduates who can not tell me the teaching points for a squat or who do not actually
train themselves.
What do I want to see, when I look at a resume?
1. Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (or equivalent) coaching qualifications

2. A recognized national weight lifting federation coaching qualification
3. A training history and even a competition or two under your belt, you do not have to be a
world class athlete to know how to train and compete, “Time Under the Bar” (Dave Tate)
4. What do you read on a regular basis; just to highlight a few areas and examples:
 Web sites: t-nation, elitefts, NSCA, get strength, allthingsgym, ASCA
 Books: supertraining, The Encyclopaedia of Weightlifting, Science and Practice of
Strength Training, Russian Training Manuals
 Authors: Mel Siff, Brooks Kubik, Bill Starr, Jim Smitz, Louie Simmons, Dave Tate,
Lyn Jones, Bud Jefrries, Jim Wendler
 Journals: Milo, Strength and Conditioning, Soviet Sports Training Review
5. A copy of your programs and then organizing a group in a practical session
6. Who have you trained previously, and I will ring and check and ask would you have this
person train you again and why have they moved on
7. Formal tertiary qualifications, can you stick at something long enough to earn something
8. What is your personal philosophy in strength & conditioning, What do you Stand For!
This are in no ranked order but they would be the areas I would consider when I would be short
listing and then finalizing, obviously my own personal biases come through strongly in this listing,
but as said at the commencement, just one man’s opinion.
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Three Simple Steps
Such a huge topic as Strength Training for Rugby is extremely hard to condense into a few pages,
and how to begin after 30 years of weight training programming I know I do not have all the answers
but as they say I am starting to ask the right questions.
A few years ago, I began to simplify my programming based around three specific areas in the
players training. These three areas are Neural, Mechanical and Metabolic. Simply stated Neural is
related to increases in speed and power, Mechanical to increases in hypertrophy and strength and
Metabolic to improvements in aerobic/anaerobic fitness as well as increases in muscular endurance
and related to improvements in levels of body fat.
Of course, there is some cross over between each of these three areas, and you could quite easily
include maximal strength in the neural category of training stimulus. There are also many players
that would cross between two or three so programming could take on a Neuro-Mechanical aspect or
a Neuro-Metabolic or similar amalgam.
Also it is often not clear cut into which group a player falls, especially in professional teams. It is not
as simple as saying all props should be in the metabolic group and all wingers should be in the
neural group, although in practice this does happen quite a lot.
Playing position, training age, level of development and entry level fitness all play a part in
determining which group a player will find themselves in to start the training year. This is flexible
and a player may move from one group to another over time during the off season and from year to
year as training age grows.
In this system of programming I have adopted a three-step approach to delivering an appropriate

program to the specific players. This is not exclusive to rugby players and I feel that all could benefit
from using the guidelines enclosed here with.
Firstly, select your time availability and the type of adaptations you wish to develop. Secondly,
select the appropriate exercises for you to use from the categories and then finally, select the type of
overload pattern of sets and reps to be used. This will relate back to the specific adaptations that you
wanted to occur as stated in step one.
Time availability obviously is a most important consideration when planning your physical work.
Some examples are included below with some specific routines added, but as you can see the
possible number of permutations is unlimited and is up to your needs and experiences. Remember as
Einstein said “imagination is more important than knowledge”.
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Weekly Planning Variations
Total Body
2/3 days per week
Double Day Training

(Strength emphasis in the am; size/endurance in the pm) or
(Power emphasis in the am; strength emphasis in the pm)
Upper/Lower Body Split

4 days per week
Pull/Push Split
4 days per week
Power/Strength/Hypertrophy Split
3/6 days per week
Power/Strength/Hypertrophy/Strong- man (Strength Endurance) Split

4 days per week
Pull/Push/Squat Split
3/6 days per week
Westside Split (2 x Maximal Strength/2 x Speed)

4 days per week
Olympic Split
5/6 days per week (6+ sessions per week)
Hypertrophy Blitz Split

5/6 days per week
Day Type
Monday Olympic lifting
Tuesday Lower Body
Wednesday AM: Upper Body Pull – Horizontal
PM: Upper Body Pull – Vertical
Thursday AM: Upper Body Push – Horizontal
PM: Upper Body Push – Vertical
Friday Strongman/Dinosaur Challenges
Saturday OFF
Sunday OFF
OR;
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Day Type
Monday Strength Speed - Squat
Maximal Strength – Lower Body Push and Pull
Tuesday Strength Speed – Bench Press
Maximal Strength – Upper Body Push and Pull
Wednesday OFF
Thursday Lower Body – Push and Pull
Hypertrophy
Strength Endurance
Friday Upper Body – Push and Pull
Hypertrophy
Strength Endurance
Saturday Strongman/Dinosaur Challenges
Sunday OFF
OR;
Strength Quality Style Upper Body Lower Body

Strength Speed 10 x 2 or 3 % Bench % Squat
Maximum Strength To a maximum Incline Bench Front Squat
single, triple or five
Hypertrophy 4 x 10RM Single leg squat Hammer Chest
Press
Strength Endurance Body weight to Hindu Push up Hindu Squat
maximum reps
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Exercise Selection
Exercise selection often comes down to which exercises we are best at performing. This is similar in
a lot of ways to the golfer who consistently drives the ball 275+ metres off the tee straight down the
middle but who can’t pitch or putt. Which stroke is the one he works on at the driving range, the
drive of course, to the admiration and back slapping of the people practicing around him. Again
Simmons’ words ring true, “strength is the overcoming of weaknesses”, continuing the golfing
analogy, what is the point of getting to a par 4 in 1 shot if it takes you another 4 or more to close out
the hole.
The selection of exercises below will give you a vast array of movements to choose from but this is
only a small number of the available movements. You may of course have your favourite
movements that you use more regularly than others but try and mix it up a bit to stimulate gains via,
different motor unit recruitment patterns and training movements and muscles from different angles
thus requiring different loading patterns.
A colleague told me once of a senior in college getting ready for testing for a particular NFL team.
The player had set records at college with the bench press (using a quite wide grip) and power clean
from the floor but the tests used by the NFL scouts were the close grip bench press and the power
clean from the hang position using dumbbells. The player failed to impress and wasn’t contracted,
just goes to show how specific strength can be in some situations.
The first thing I would do when coming into a new program is to do a complete inventory of the
available equipment in the gym and see what budget there is for any additional purchases. Then from
there I would complete an analysis of all the available exercises that I could program with the
equipment available, you will be amazed at the extent of the variety that most of you will have at
your disposal. The attached table is from my last position in a professional rugby team. Now granted
we did not use each and every exercise but since these were advanced athletes we had them at our
disposal should a player not be able to do a particular range or complained of difficulty in some
other movement.
I have found that nothing builds respect as quickly as having a definitive answer for a player when
he comes to you with a question, such as “ I can not do military presses do to an impingement” okay
then how about you try some shoulder presses using the standing calf machine. Keep going till you
have found a movement he can do. The other aspect of this is that you need to be able to perform
each of the movements with excellent technique, you do not have to be the strongest but your
technique has to be exemplary. Remember every time you lift personally you are on show.
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Loading Patterns & Training Methods
Finally, the programmer needs to select the mechanics to be used with the selected exercises and
methods; these are the sets, reps and loading parameters. I think a lot of scientists, some well
meaning and others profiteering, have created a state of cognitive dissidence in what should be a
very simple aspect of programming. All you really need to do is to do as Milo of Cretona did some
2,700 years ago and lift/carry a progressively heavier resistance (baby bull calf) to reap the benefits
of enhanced strength. No two people will respond identically to the same program, so perhaps the
story of Milo is a gross simplification but in reality it is simply the interaction of volume, intensity
and recovery over time, that will produce gains in size and strength. Often, the only information you
get in some texts is a standard application such as:
Strength Quality Intensity Sets/Reps Rest between

sets
Maximal Strength >80% 1RM 6+ sets x 2 – 6 reps >3 minutes
Hypertrophy 60 – 80% 1RM 4 – 6 sets x 6 – 20 reps 1 – 2 minutes
Power 40 – 60% or 60 – 80%1RM
Strength Endurance <60% 1RM 2 – 3 sets x > 15/20 reps < 1 minute
But what of the college wrestler mentioned in an article published in Milo (www.ironmind.com)
who did 100 reps (1 every minute) of both power clean and chins each day with a high percentage of
maximum loading. This athlete probably gained in all strength qualities, so again there are definitely
no hard and fast rules or guidelines other than providing a stimulus to the muscles that the body has
not become accustomed to.
Below are a number of different protocols gleaned from the work of many authors, select one
method and stay with it long enough to see if it in fact works for you, don’t change just for the sake
of variety and remember that in training as in most endeavors worth following that “consistency is
the cornerstone of success”.
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Methods Chart
1. Rest pause style 5 – 4- 3 – 2- 1 extended set. 15 seconds rest between each set start with a
weight which is approximately 80% of maximum and stay with the same weight through
the set, perform 3 – 5 sets with a 2-3 minute rest between extended sets.
2. Drop set breakdown style. 6 – 12 – 25 extended set. Minimal rest between each set start
with a load of approximately 75% and decrease by 10 – 15% each set, perform 2 – 3 sets
with a 2-3 minute rest between extended sets.
3. Wave Loading style. Near maximal weights used , perform 3 sets with a 60 – 90 seconds
rest between each set in a 3, 2, 1 fashion loading approximately 90%, 95%, 97.5% then
after a 2 – 3 minute rest repeat procedure with a 2.5- 5% loading increase, this can be done
for 2 – 3 waves.
4. Wave Loading style. Near maximal weights used , perform 3 sets with a 60 – 90 seconds
rest between each set in a 5, 3, 1 fashion loading approximately 80%, 90%, 97.5% then
after a 2 – 3 minute rest repeat procedure with a 2.5- 5% loading increase, this can be done
for 2 – 3 waves.
5. Wave Loading style. Sub maximal weights used , perform 3 sets with a 60 – 90 seconds
rest between each set in a 7, 5, 3 fashion loading approximately 70%, 80%, 90% then after
a 2 – 3 minute rest repeat procedure with a 2.5- 5% loading increase, this can be done for 2
waves.
6. Contrast loading style. 6/1, 6/1, 6/1. Perform 3 groups each with a 90 second rest between
each set, around 80% for 6 reps then above 95% for 1 rep repeating the procedure 3 times
and increasing the load by 2.5 – 5% each set.
7. Compound + Plyometric style. Perform a set with a specific loading above 80% then with
minimal rest perform a plyometric exercise for the same group of muscles, for example,
Band Bench Press for 5 reps then clap chest push ups for 5 reps, then rest 90 seconds
before next set.
8. Straight sets loading style. Perform all sets for a given exercise before moving onto the
next exercise, for example Box Squat – 6 @ 100kg, then 5 @ 120kg then 4 @ 140kg. This
can be done over a 3 week block where the subsequent weeks take the loading down to a
heavy double or single, for example;
Week 1 - 6, 5, 4, 4
Week 2 – 5, 4, 3, 3
Week 3 – 4, 3, 2, 2
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9. Complex style. Using the beastly complex as an example; 6 exercises performed without
putting the bar down between any of the movements for the duration of the complex set,
perform 6 reps on each of the 6 movements and perform 6 rotations through with a set rest
decreasing over time between each complex.
Beastly Complex 666 example

Power Snatch from floor
Over Head Squat
Push Press Behind Neck
Combo Good Morning
Jump Squats
Romanian Dead Lift
10. Strength drop sets style. 2 – 3 RM loading rest 15 seconds drop weight by 5% perform as
many reps as you can keep dropping load and perform 1 rep until 6 total reps are
performed.
11. Cluster sets style. Using 85% - 100% sets of 2 - 6 reps using an intra set rest period of 15
seconds perform the required number of reps for each set, can use up to 8 sets, with a 2
minute rest between sets.
12. Rest Pause style. Can be a single, double or triple drop method to achieve the desired
number of reps for the zone. Decide which zone you need to work in to achieve the desired
results, select from one of the following zones:
Zone 1: 1 – 3 reps
Perform a set with set load then rest 15 seconds reduce weight by 10% - 25% and perform as
many reps as you can to failure repeat process until you complete the required number of
reps for the zone you are working in.
13. Super sets style. Two exercises for the same or opposite group of muscles performed with
a minimal rest <15 seconds between each movement. A pre fatigue super set is where you
perform an isolation exercise before performing a compound movement, for example DB
Later raise before Shoulder presses.
14. Tri Set style. Where 3 exercises for the same body part are performed with minimal < 15
seconds rest between each exercise, for example 3 way DB Shoulder raise.
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15. Specific number of Reps style. Usually performed with body weight exercises, perform
the required number of reps on a given exercise in as few as sets of possible or in a set
time, for example, 50 chins.
16. Westside Style.
17. Rule of 24 style. A method utilizing a combination of sets and reps equaling 24 total reps,
selecting the desired result be it maximal strength, speed strength, size or endurance.
24 x 1/12 x 2/8 x 3/6 x 4/4 x 6/3 x 8/2 x 12/1 x 24
18. Marsh Protocol. 4 x 6 either changing each week for a four week period or using a
different method for each of 4 total sets of 6 in one workout:
4 x 6 – straight style with no rest in between each rep
4 x 3/3 – 3 reps rest 10 seconds then perform a further 3 reps
4 x 2/2/2 – 15 seconds rest in between each block of 2 reps
4 x 1/1/1/1/1/1 – 20 seconds rest between each single rep
Thornley variation
4 x 3/2/1 – 3 reps add weight rest 10 seconds, 2 reps add weight rest 15 seconds, 1 rep
19. Accentuated Eccentric. 3 – 6 sets x 1 – 6 reps at 80+% 1RM with a 4 – 6 second

eccentric component
20 Mechanical Advantage. Style 1: weight is kept constant for the complete set but the angle
or the exercise changes; for example: High Incline DB Bench Press/Medium Incline DB
Press/Low or Flat DB Bench Press or Overhead Squat/Front Squat/Back Squat or Incline
Bench/Flat Bench or Front Squat/Back Squat. 3 – 6 sets x 3 – 6 reps on each angle or
exercise.
Style 2: same weight is maintained but resistance is changed by either adding assistance
with bands or removing resistance via bands or chains or weight releasers; for example;
Back Squat + Band Assisted Back Squat, Chain Bench Press + Bench Press. 3 – 6 sets x 3
– 6 reps on each movement.
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Week Plan/Training Groups
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Circuits Upper Body Speed/Power Upper Body Circuits
am Full Body Combo (all) Full Body
Lower Body Lower Body Lower Body
pm Lower Body Upper Body Lower Body Upper Body Lower Body
Full Body Circuits Full Body
Full Body
These are the available sessions that we have to work with in the training week, given that I prefer to
allow players the luxury of each weekend off since we take those weekends away from them once
we start playing.
Let me outline how I would program each of the three payer groupings that we discussed in the
opening paragraphs. All players will do the speed/power combo on the Wednesday morning; I will
detail a sample program for this at the end of this section. Numbers in brackets indicate the number
of session each week.
Neural Group
Full Body (3); or;

Upper Body Lower Body Split (4) (single session each day)
Mechanical Group
Upper Body Lower Body Split with double day sessions for Upper Body (4 – 6)
Metabolic Group
Circuits on Monday, Wednesday & Friday followed by Lower Body Strength, Upper Body x 2 or in
some cases for those lacking size can be double day as well. (6 – 10)
The following is a template as to how I would complete each of the above sessions, to ensure that we
have covered all muscles and movements needed to optimize performance.
Lower Body
1 x Olympic or Deadlift
1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg
1 x Hamstring/Lower Back
OR
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1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg Squat variation
1x Hamstring/Lower Back variation
Upper Body
1 x Barbell Push/Pull superset

1 x DB Push/Pull superset
1 x KB or BW Push/Pull superset
Full Body Strength/Power

(different session each training day)
1 x Squat or Single Leg
1 x Upper Body Push
1 x Upper Body Pull
Performance Core Loaded Exercises
3 – 5 exercises, 3 – 5 sets, 3 – 5 reps per set, 3 – 5 days per week
The Big Five
Turkish Get Up
Rollouts
Full Body Twist
Suitcase Deadlifts
Zercher Lift
Performance Core Unloaded Exercises
2 – 3 exercises, 2 – 3 sets, 10 – 15 reps per set, 2 – 3 days per week
The Next Five
Tornado Ball
Bridging
Sprinters Sit ups
Bicycle
Rainbows/Windscreen Wipers
20
Speed Power Combo (All Groups)

This was designed to combine speed and power with a gym session to simulate the demands of the
game and as an extra anaerobic endurance session.
Movement Drills warm up (Check Eric Cressy’s wonderful DVD on Dynmamic Movement)
Ladders: forward and lateral series + run out with ball catch
Hurdles: skip and run forward and lateral + run out with ball catch
Harnesses: 10 metres resisted release and sprint for 10m (tighties), 20m loosies + insides, 30m
(outsides)
Power Snatch or Power Clean 6 x 4

Flying 30’s (22m build up + 28m sprint)
Bounding 4 x 50m (outsides) or 5 x 22m Repeat Long Jumps (everyone else)
High Pulls Snatch or Clean grip 8 x 3

Tighties: 8 x 20m
Loosies: 6 x 30m
Insides: 5 x 40m
Outsides: 4 x 60m
Band Box Squats 12 x 2 or Jump Squats 4 x 6
Forwards: Sled Pulls – 6 x 25m

Backs: Parachutes – 4 x resist 25m then release and sprint for 50m
Deadlift or Romanian Deadlift or Glute Ham or Good Morning 4 x 6
OR
Field: Warm up – patterns on ladders and mini hurdles combined with Dynamic Flexibility options
Gym: Power Snatch from Blocks or Hang 8 x 3
Field: Sled Marching 4 x 22 metres with 22m sprint from a 3 point stance in between
Gym: Kettle Bell Swings 30 secs s/s with knees to feet jumps 6 reps x 6 sets
Field: Harness + Release 22m resist then 28 m sprint x 6
Gym: Band Box Squats s/s with Box Jumps 8 x 3 or 2 stage step ups + single leg box jumps 4 x 6
Field: Sled sprints ladder (empty sled x 40 m, sled + 20kg x 30m, sled + 40kg x 20m, sled + 60kg x
10m, then repeat going back up the ladder)
21
Training Articles
(previously published individually in IronMind and Get Strength from 2000 - 2012)
Strongman Training for Sport
Strongman training exercises are finding there way into the training programs of many sports and
Get Strength have been at the forefront of producing equipment to satisfy the growing needs of
trainers in this area.
I have been using strongman and dinosaur type training in the training of football players since 1997
when I was the strength and conditioning coach of the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League
competition. What started as a session, which was included, as part of a break from traditional
training has now become a major part of my strength-training program?
Strongman training differs form traditional weight training in that the objects that are pushed, pulled,
lifted, dragged or carried are not uniform in size or shape or weight, nor are the players that we come
across on a rugby field. I primarily use strongman training as a strength endurance circuit where
players are paired off and one player works for one minute whilst the other rests and motivates and
encourages his partner, when both players have worked for one minute they move onto the next
exercise. We usually have about 10 exercises, but depending on the size of your squad and the
availability of equipment the choice is endless.
All the exercises/challenges that you see on the televised World’s Strongest Man competition are
relevant for sports training, and all are available through Get Strength as well which means you can
set up a very challenging and rewarding training area. Always be on the lookout for equipment that
you maybe able to use, check out the local dump and see what others have thrown out, truck tyres,
odd shaped blocks and the such like are gold to people like us looking for something a little out
there.
Look at the training of the former generation on non-professional rugby players, many were active in
farming, building and other tasks that required physical were, so I guess this is a return to an older
style of training, I think Mr. Meads would approve. I do not know of many players that would be
able to spend the day dagging sheep or digging trenches and still be able to give 100% to training.
Please do not get me wrong this type of training is excellent for strength endurance and also
strengthening those support muscles that are not easily targeted, but they do not replace the fact that
maximal strength and strength-speed type training is best developed using weights in the gym.
Some of my favourites for training rugby players in this style of training are:
Fingals Finger – where you have to lift a post off the ground and then with your hands above your
head walk it forward until it is vertical.
Conan’s Wheel – where you zercher lift a bar, which is connected to a load, in the crook of your
elbows and proceed to walk in a circular path until you can no longer continue.
22
Farmers Walk – where you pick up two implements, one in each hand, and walk till the implements
fall from your hands as your grip gives out.
Tyre Flip – position yourself in a good dead lift position and lift the edge of the tyre off the ground
and continue lifting and pushing with your knee until it flips over, continue for time and/or distance.
Chain Drag – simply grab hold of a length of anchor chain and walk backwards as you drag the
chain, ours weighs 150kg, and we picked it up at a fishing fleet store shed.
Yoke Walk – Take a squat bar out of the rack or have a yoke make specifically for the purpose and
walk for as far as you can, a real challenge.
Keg or stone or buoy or any heavy odd shaped object Lift and carry – pick the object up and take it
for a walk, the more awkward the better as this will challenge your stabilizer muscles.
Same as the above but instead of carrying for distance you press it above your head, a great use for
the swiss ball as suggested by Alex is to fill a swiss ball with sand or water to the desired weight and
then proceed to push this “live” weight overhead a real challenge.
Steel Log – clean and press for reps or time, the log being quite a wide diameter makes it awkward
to lift and also puts extra emphasis on lower back stabilization, which is a bonus.
Sled Drag – use a sprint sled and load it up and proceed to walk towing this behind you, again for
time and/or distance.
I feel that this type of training is ideal for all combat related sports and is a great way to add variety
and challenges to your programs, for more advice and some training guidelines read Dinosaur
Training by Brooks Kubik, a must read for everyone and also look at some of the videos/DVD’s that
are on offer on the specifics of strongman training at www.elitefts.com As with all training there are
inherent risks involved in this type of training so ensure that your lifting mechanics are perfect, also
because of the endurance aspects involved in this type of training monitor how you are feeling and
hasten slowly with adding weight or distance or time as your body accustoms itself to these new
stresses and as I always believe make it fun.
Momentum = Mass x Velocity
Initially, training should be aimed at increasing mass whilst maintaining velocity to effect an
increase in momentum. This will be achieved by a hypertrophy programme similar to the one listed.
This should be continued until the point where an increase in mass has a negative effect on velocity
thereby effecting momentum. This parallels the phase of general training in the continuum of
general - special - specific. At the conclusion of the general phase training emphasis should shift to
effecting velocity and shifting the force - velocity to the right.
When an increase in mass decreases velocity a rethink of the exercises and the style of training is
needed to ensure athletes aren't caught in the mass for mass sake treadmill. Whilst training for an
increase in mass performance tests need to be held concurrently to ensure we are on track. Does an
23
increase in squat strength lead to a decrease in 10m speed or vertical jump? These are necessary
tests to allow a comparison of cause and effect. If the increase in strength does not have a positive
correlation in the performance variable the amount of time spent on increasing strength would be
better spent on another aspect of training and exercise selection and mode of performance needs to
be re-evaluated - for example
General exercises: Squats Performance Test: 10m Sprint time

100 kg/140 kg/200 kg 2.3 secs/2.1 secs/2.15 secs
This may be a time period of 18 months to 24 months and at the end of this phase the squat exercise
may now be changed to walking lunge and/or jump squats to attempt to further decrease the 10m
sprint time.
M = m x v if velocity is maintained at 8 m/s and mass initially 100 kg increases to 105 kg

momentum is improved by 40 newtons from 800 to 840. If however velocity decreases to 7.5 m/s
momentum actually decreases from 800 to 787.5 a negative consequence of a 5 kg increase in mass.
There is a fine line to walk between mass and velocity but spending too long on trying to increase
mass or strength may in fact cause athletes to stagnate and suffer performance decrement.
Remember as Vera Gambetta always emphasises you are training movements not just muscles,
function is the most important outcome of your training.
Whatever your course of action I believe you need to base your training around the following key
five elements.
1. Train hard, train smart, train for results

2. Compound basic exercises predominantly ground based and multi planar in nature.
3. Abbreviated training keeps the intensity high, get in and get the job done.
4. Progression, challenge yourself each workout
5. Concentration. Focus on what you want to achieve - mental toughness.
Training by the Numbers
Years ago Rob Rogers, then at University of Southern California, gave me two sheets of paper that
he had been working on; he was putting them together as a method of determining relative intensity
of each set based on a percentage of maximum. I recently pulled them out from my file of bits and
pieces and re-read them with a new interest to see initially how I could work it into my own training
and from there into the training of the athletes I work with.
Attached is a program based on those sheets, I promised Rob that I would not publish the entire
work, but I think the statute of limitations may have expired on a partial use of his work.. So here it
is, Rob is a genius, when it comes to the manipulation of training variables to ensure that athletes are
working to the correct intensity, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
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With traditional periodised programs we are always looking at a percentage of maximum and this is
fraught with potential overtraining scenarios due to the fact that the relativity of the training stimulus
is not taken into consideration. With this in mind I have studied the work of Verkhoshansky
specifically but all the models and percentage charts that are in the great series of books translated
by Bud Charniga and so highly recommended by Louie Simmons and the model you read below is
an attempt to maximize the training effect, whilst, ensuring that the athlete is not aiming at using
unrealistic numbers in the pursuit of the objective percentages.
It has been written for the athlete who uses predominantly the Olympic lifting movements, but can
easily be adjusted for any specific type of training, even bodybuilding could benefit from a planned
approach rather than the haphazard so called holistic approaches that dominate folk lore.
If you have micro plates then you will be able to be exact in your training weight calculations, if not,
and the lightest plate you have is a 1.25 kilogram plate then go slightly over rather than slightly
under. Most people laugh when they see my micro-plates in the gym, but I have found them to be an
excellent tool in exact science of loading. Mine were bought from www.fractionalplates.com a few
years back and the workmanship is outstanding I feel that if I am ever blessed with children then
they will stay in the family for generations to come.
So give it a try and see what you can achieve with this style of programming, particularly if you are
in an intensification or maximal loading phase of your training, all the best and hope it brings you to
a new PB or two, cheers and thanks for reading.
Training Month with Weekly Variations
* Olympic- Strength/Speed Movements (all workout weights are written as %)

Week Work Out Intensity Rating Volume
1 (70 x 4, 73 x 4, 76 x 4) x 2 Medium/Heavy 24
2 (82 x 3, 85 x 3, 88 x 3) x 2 Heavy 18
3 (61 x 5, 64 x 5, 67 x 5) x 2 Medium 30
4 (91 x 2, 94 x 2, 97 x 2) x 2 Very Heavy 12
# Strength Movements
Week Work Out Intensity Rating Volume
1 (70 x 5, 73 x 5, 76 x 5) x 2 Medium/Heavy 30
2 (82 x 3, 85 x 3, 88 x 3) x 2 Heavy 18
3 (61 x 7, 64 x 7, 67 x 7) x 2 Medium 42
4 (91 x 2, 94 x 2, 97 x 2) x 2 Very Heavy 12
Basic Program Example – Pull, Push, Squat, Posterior Chain – Heavy, Light, Medium
Monday Wednesday Friday
Snatch Pulls* Power Snatch* Power Clean*
Rack Jerks* Military Press# Push Press*
Back Squats# Overhead Squats# Front Squats#
Romanian Dead Lift# Glute Ham Raise# Good Morning#
25
Program follows the sets and reps and load/intensity protocols as listed by the symbols placed after
the exercises,
Weekly Volume
Week 1 330 reps – Medium/Heavy Load 29%

Week 2 216 reps – Heavy Load 19%
Week 3 444 reps – Medium Load 39%
Week 4 144 reps – Maximal Load 13%
Total for month – 1134 reps
This volume only refers to work weights and does not take into consideration the number of sets or
reps that would be required to get to the working weight required for the session.
What we do before Christmas dictates where we finish in May!
The month before Christmas is when we start our off-season program following a mandatory 4-week
break from the last game of the domestic season, Air New Zealand National Provincial
Championship. This starts the program for the Super 12 competition played between franchises
based in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, which culminates with playoffs towards the end
of May, hence the title of this piece.
I have been asked by a few people to go into greater detail as to how our off-season strength
program is designed and delivered. In this article I will present a snap shot of a 3-week loading cycle
that is performed prior to Christmas break. This is our heaviest cycle and we will intentionally take
people to the edge of overstraining/under recovery since the break they have over Christmas is used
as a regeneration cycle.
There are a number of training groups within the program. The first group will be the position the
players are selected into and these are broken down in the following way. The Front 4 (Gainers) –
props and locks, the Middle 7 (Users) – hooker, loose forwards, half, 1st and 2nd Five-eights, and
finally, the Back 4 (Finishers) – Centre, winger and full back. My thanks to Andy Friend formerly of
the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies for his naming of the three groups. This is an arbitrary
selection process but it serves my purpose well.
In addition to this you then have to take into account individual needs and variations as to training
age and injury status. All players have work ons that they need to do as far as injury prevention
prehab or post injury rehab exercises that are included in the warm up or warm down phase of their
strength programs. The main areas will be Hypertrophy, Maximal Strength, Strength Speed, Strength
Endurance and Strongman/Dinosaur variants.
The number of sessions a week for the players is dictated by training age and also positional group
as follows: Front 4 – 4/5, Middle 7 – ¾, Back 3 – 2/3. This takes into account not only the demands
26
of the position but also the amount of other training that each of these groups will perform in the
course of a normal training week. Other sessions will be speed, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning,
skills – core, individual and unit, and game options. I will not go into these but they make up a
substantial part of the 20 – 25 hours per week that the players put into the off-season training.
Back 4
Strength Speed option where there is minimal need for an increase in Hypertrophy, these players will
limit their aerobic conditioning and maximize their speed training (4 sessions per week). The
program is performed 3 days per week and is modified from The Holy Grail of Speed Training by
Barry Ross.

Clean & Jerk Power Snatch Power Clean
Dead Lift s/s with Chain Squat s/s with Dead Lift s/s with
Plyometric Option Plyometric Option Plyometric Option
Core Push Press s/s with Band Bench s/s with

Hammer Push/Pull Power Tackler
Core Core
Each workout is preceded with Dynamic Movements and Active Flexibility whilst Static Stretching
is emphasized at the conclusion of each workout. This block of training for 3 weeks will be 3 sets of
3 reps on all movements with a loading of 85% - 95%. The concentric movements are performed as
explosively as possible, with approximately 3 minutes between sets or at the end of each super set
(s/s). All reps of all sets should be able to be completed without assistance or working to failure.
Front 4
As far as the Front 4 is concerned the program will depend on the training age of the individual and
the major area that is needed, for example Hypertrophy or Maximal Strength or a combination of the
both.
Upper Body Hypertrophy/Lower Body Strength Speed

Upper Body Lower Body Upper Body Lower Body Upper Body
Or;
Maximal Strength/Strength Speed/Strength Endurance

Upper Body Lower Body Strongman Upper Body Lower Body
Circuit
27
I like to use the training philosophy of Dr. Fred Hatfield when training for Hypertrophy, in order to
target all fibre types, I also like to increase the intensity of training by super setting push and pull
movements in training the upper body. In the Hatfield system three different zones of training are
programmed, in an attempt to improve Maximal Strength, Hypertrophy and Strength Endurance. An
example of this is shown below, for the upper body parts of the program;
Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3

Incline Bench s/s Chins Bench Press s/s Seated Row Reverse Grip Bench Press
6 – 8 sets x 2 – 3 reps 6 – 8 sets x 2 – 3 reps s/s Bent over Row
6 – 8 sets x 2 – 3 reps
Trap Bar Shoulder Press s/s Steel Log Shoulder Press s/s
Bent over Row with Steel Seated DB Snatch Military Press s/s Upright
Log 4 – 6 sets x 5 – 8 reps Row
4 – 6 sets x 5 – 8 reps 4 – 6 sets x 5 – 8 reps
Hindu Push Ups s/s Dips s/s Chins Hand Stand Push Ups s/s
Horizontal Chins on chains 100 reps of each total Finger Grip Chins
with feet on Swiss Ball 50 reps of each total
100 reps of each total
The lower body will be targeted with a more traditional strength speed type program as listed below
for the other two sessions per week.
Session 1 Session 2
Power Clean 5 sets x 5 reps Band Box Squats 8 sets x 2 reps
Safety Bar Squat 5 sets x 5 reps Power Sprinter 5 sets x 8 reps
Cambered Bar Good Mornings with Chains Reverse Hypers 5 x 10 reps
5 sets x 5 reps Beer Keg Lift & Carry 5 x 1 minute
Tyre Flips 5 x 1 minute
As for the second category of Front 4 player, we will be targeting a Westside training regime with
the addition of a designated Strongman Circuit day on the Wednesday.
Strongman Options
Steel Log Clean & Press

Farmers Walk
Beer Keg Bear Hug Lift & Walk
Conan’s Wheel
Yoke Walk
Fingal's Finger
Thick Bar Dead Lift
Stone Press
Shoulder the Keg
Anchor Chain Drag
28
The session will be approximately 45 minutes in duration and the players will operate in pairs, one
works for a minute the other player rests and motivates. I will not go into the Westside for Rugby
here but suffice to say that each players program will vary depending on their individual weaknesses,
as would be the case if you were working with a power lifter or other athlete. If there is an interest I
will detail a Westside for Rugby program in a later edition of Milo.
Middle 7
This grouping will be either trained using an upper body lower body split over 4 days per week or a
full body three day per week program using the same exercise selection criteria. The sets and reps
will change depending on the effect required.
The players in conjunction with the strength coach will select exercises from specific groupings to
maximize their effect. The categories with the top five examples of each are included below:
Lower Body Dominant

Olympic Squat Single Leg Hamstring/Lower Strongman
Back
Power Clean Box Squat Power Sprinter Glute Ham Raise Beer Keg Lift
Power Snatch Front Squat Sprinter Squat Good Morning & Walk
Hang Clean Safety Bar Walking Lunge Reverse Hyper Tyre Flip
Hang Snatch Cambered Bar Split Squat Deadlift Farmers Walk
Clean & Jerk Over Head Single Leg Romanian DL Shoulder the
Press Keg
Conan’s Wheel
Upper Body Specific

Push Pull Grip Strongman
Bench Press Bent Over Row Finger Loop Sledge Hammer
Incline Bench Upright Row Chins Hits
Press Chins DB Hammer Stone Press
Shoulder Press Seated Row Curls Steel Log Clean
Hammer Seated DB Thick Bar & Press
Jammer Snatch Reverse Curls Fingal’s Finger
Push Press Captains of
Crush Grippers
Heavy Hammer
As for programming depending on the days of training 3 or 4 sessions per week the following will
apply.
3 days per week

1 x Olympic
29
1 x Upper Body Push s/s with Upper Body Pull

1 x Strongman
1 x Grip
100 Core reps
4 days per week

2 x Lower Body Dominant, 2 x Upper Body Specific
Lower Body Days

1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg
1 x Strongman
Upper Body Days

2 x Push/Pull superset style
2 x Strongman
1 x Grip
100 Core Reps
Now to give you an example of a program for each.
3 days per week
Power Clean Power Snatch Clean Pulls
Power Sprinter Band Box Squat Safety Bar Squats
Glute Ham Raise Deadlift Reverse Hypers
Incline Bench s/s Seated Chain Bench s/s Bent over Push Press s/s Chins
DB Snatch Row Thick Bar Reverse Curls
Keg Bear Hug walk Tyre Flips Farmers Walk
Finger Loop Chins Heavy Hammer – 100 Core reps
100 Core reps pronation/supination
100 Core reps
4 days per week

Monday (Upper) Tuesday (Lower) Thursday (Upper) Friday (Lower)
Close grip Bench s/s Power Cleans from Chain Bench s/s Power Cleans from
Steel Log Bent Row blocks set above Hammer Push/Pull floor
Jammer Press s/s knees Push Press s/s Safety Bar Squats
Chins Band Box Squats Power Tackler Farmers Walk
Sledgehammer Hits Power Sprinter Fingal’s finger Good Morning with
Stone Press Reverse Hyper Beer Keg Hug for Chains
Thick Bar Reverse Glute Ham Raise time Single Leg Back
Curls Conan’s Wheel Finger Loop Chin Extensions
100 Core Reps ups Tyre Flips
100 Core reps
30
Rule of 24
Many years of talking and reading have led me to the conclusion that 24 reps in whatever
combination you wish to program is a valid method of increasing size and strength. The only caveat
placed on this is that the percentage of maximum loading used must be relative to the rep ranges
used. The only exemption to this would be a beginner where you could take two methods, one; since
a beginner has very poor strength endurance a large number of sets with a small number of reps
should be used when teaching complex technical lifts such as snatch and the percentage of maximum
is irrelevant and two; go to the other end of the set/rep continuum and have the beginner perform a
large number of reps with bodyweight exercises to establish a base upon which to build future gains.
Whichever method you choose and there are justifications for both the Rule of 24 after a qualifying
period of lifting regularly will greatly enhance your gains in strength and size and keep intensities
relative. This method will also fall into the old Fred Hatfield philosophy of varying sets, reps and
load to ensure that all energy systems and fiber types are trained in the one workout. You could also
add 12 sets of 2 to this table as well, with excellent results, maybe with an Olympic lift, repetitive
sets of low reps with high intensity is essential in establishing technique with heavy loads or you
could utilize a Westside protocol and establish the 8 and/or 12 set exercise as your speed exercise
and perform at the correct percentage of maximum for you to ensure optimal speed of performance.
Also if you are still employing a traditional periodisation approach to your programming you could
work from the high rep/low set end of the continuum and over a period of weeks work towards a
peaking phase utilizing high sets and low reps. Of course, if you are employing conjugate methods,
based on the philosophy of Louie, “whatever you do not train you lose” then you would be
employing an array of different set and rep patterns to ensure continued improvement in all strength
qualities.
As a rugby strength coach I employ a conjugate method of strength training specifically because the
game of rugby is a hybrid sport where, speed/strength, strength/speed, maximal strength, position
specific hypertrophy, and strength endurance are all essential in the development of the player for
the modern game.
Number of Sets Number of Reps Percentage of Maximum
8 3 90+
6 4 85+
4 6 80+
3 8 75+
2 12 70+
1 24 60+
31
Utilising a four day a week training schedule with whichever training days work best for you, a plan
could look like the following, of course any combinations could be used, my own training biases are
obvious from the exercise selection.
Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday

Block Power Snatch Over Head Split Jerk Good Morning
Power Cleans Squat Push Press Glute Ham
Bent Row Front Squat Shoulder Press Raise
Seated DB Snatch Box Squat Seated DB Press Romanian DL
Chins Kneeling Squat Dips Reverse Hyper
Fat Mans Chins Sprinters Squat HandStand Push Up Single Leg
Super Yoke Back Ext
Walk Tyre Flips
Sunday
Band Bench Press
Incline Bench
Low Incline DB Press
Dips
Weighted Hindu
PushUps
The sets, reps and loads used follow the table from above top to bottom, so a total of 24 sets per
training day with a total volume of 144 reps.
Or if you prefer a slightly abbreviated program per training day and work Monday to Friday with
your weekends free you could try this program, the workout time is approximately 40 minutes, get in
train hard get out and recover and gain the benefits.

Block Power Band Bench 45 cms Box Rack Split Safety Bar
Snatch Squat with Jerk God Morning
Weight with Chains
Releasers
Power Clean Incline Bench Front Squat Push Press Band Glute
Ham Raise
Bent Over 3 Board Press 30 cms Low Military Press Romanian
Row Box Squat with Trap Bar Dead Lift
with
Cambered Bar
Chins Low Incline Kneeling Seated DB Reverse
DB Press Squat Press Hyper
Exercise 1 each day is either 12 x 2 or 8 x 3, exercise 2 - 6 x 4 or 4 x 6, exercise 3 – 4 x 6 or 3 x 8,

exercise 4 – 3 x 8 or 2 x 12.
32
Rule of 24
Power, Strength & Size
Program example
Training Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Day
Training Olympic Upper Lower Lower Upper
Specifics Body Body – Body Body Push
Push/Pull - Squat or Glut/ /Pull -
Horizontal Single Leg Hamstring vertical
Option
Power/ Power Band Power Good Push Press
Strength – Snatch Bench Sprinter or Morning s/s Chins
8x3 Press s/s Band
Bent Over Box Squat
Row
Strength/ Cleans Incline Sprinters Glut Ham Cambered
Size – 6 x 4 from Bench Squat or Raise Bar
Blocks Press s/s Front Shoulder
Hammer Squat Press s/s
Low Row Hammer
High Row
Size/ Resisted 2 Board Walking Romanian Trap Bar
Strength – Band Press s/s Lunge or Dead Lift Shoulder
4x6 Platform One Arm Kneeling Press s/s
Deadlift DB Row Squat Pulldown
to Chest
Power/Strength emphasis-12 x 2, 8 x 3, 6 x 4 or Power/Strength/Size emphasis–8 x 3, 6 x 4,4 x 6
Program Example
Training Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Training Lower Body Upper Body Lower Body Lower Body - Upper Body
Specifics - Push/Pull - – Single Leg Glut/Hamstring Push/Pull -
Squat Horizontal Option Vertical
Strength – Overhead Chain Bench Power Good Morning Military
6x4 Squat Press s/s Sprinter Press s/s
Bent Over Chins
Row
Strength/Size Front Squat Incline Sprinters Glut Ham Cambered
–4x6 Bench Press Squat Raise Bar
s/s Hammer Shoulder
Low Row Press s/s
Hammer
High Row
33
Size/Strength Safety Bar 2 Board Walking Reverse Hyper Trap Bar

–3x8 Box Squat Press s/s One Lunge Shoulder
Arm DB Press s/s
Row Pulldown to
Chest
Strength/Size emphasis – 6 x 4, 4 x 6, 3 x 8
Strength/Size/Endurance emphasis – 4 x 6, 3 x 8, 2 x 12
Program Example
Training Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Training Lower Body Upper Body Lower Body Lower Body - Upper Body
Specifics - Push/Pull - – Single Leg Glut/Hamstring Push/Pull -
Squat Horizontal Option Vertical
Size Harness DB Bench Power Good Morning DB Shoulder
3x8 Front Squat Press s/s Sprinter Press s/s
Bent Over Chins
Row
Size/Endurance Safety Bar Incline DB Walking Glut Ham Cambered
2 x 12 Box Squat Bench Press Lunge Raise Bar
s/s Hammer Shoulder
Low Row Press s/s
Hammer
High Row
Endurance Yoke Walk Sled Press s/s Farmers Tyre Flip Stone Press
1 x 24 Rope Pull Walk s/s Rope
Climb
Size/Endurance emphasis – 3 x 8, 2 x 12, 1 x 24
More 24 Programs Guide
Saturday
12 x 2 Band Box Squats
8 x 3 Power Snatch from floor
6 x 4 Power Clean from Blocks
4 x 6 Band Platform Dead Lifts
Rollouts
Sunday
8 x 3 Combo Good Morning with Cambered Bar s/s Sprinters Squat
6 x 4 Zercher Lift s/s Step Ups
4 x 6 Glute Ham Raise s/s Walking Lunge
34
Turkish Get Ups
Monday
8 x 3 Band Bench Press s/s Bent Over Row
6 x 4 Incline Bench Press s/s Hammer Low Row
4 x 6 Floor Press s/s One Arm DB Row
Swiss Ball Leg Raises
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday
8 x 3 Front Squat
6 x 4 Box Squat with Safety Squat Bar
4 x 6 Kneeling Squat
Full Body Twists
Thursday - OFF
Friday
8 x 3 Steel Log Push Press s/s Chins
6 x 4 Cambered Bar Shoulder Press s/s Hammer High Row
4 x 6 Trap Bar Shoulder Press s/s Lat Pulldown to Chest
One Arm Side Dead Lifts
Triple Treats Revisited
In an edition of Milo I looked at the use of three exercises where you can work the same part of the
body with increasing loads, as the either range or speed of the exercises change to allow this
progression to occur. For example, using a snatch grip overhead squat as your starting exercise and
continuing to add weight to the bar after you successfully complete say 5 repetitions each set until
you are unable to complete the set. The next set you maintain that same load but know you perform
the front squat and continue till you fail to achieve 5 repetitions with increasing loads each
successive set. Then you switch finally to back squat and continue the procedure until you fail to
complete a set of 5 repetitions at that weight. So a Triple Treat of squatting.
Numerous methods can be employed using triple treats. A trainee can start with low reps for the
exercise with the greatest range of movement or complexity of performance and then increase the
number of repetitions with each exercise change as the movement becomes less complex to perform
or the range of motion decreases. An example of this would be to start with power snatches and
perform singles or triples, then switch to power cleans and perform triples or 5’s and finish with
clean pulls or clean grip deadlifts for 5’s. 6’s or even 8’s. All dependant of course on what your goal
from training is and your level of training experience
A few new treats have entered our training programs. Whilst looking at exercise selection
alternatives for our main training program such as horizontal upper body pushing movements and it
s integration with a Westside philosophy the use of bench assistance movements came up. This
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spawned a bench press triple using flat bench as the starter exercise then moving to a 3-board press
as the next installment and finishing with a 5-board press. Of course, this can be worked both ways
and the stress of the exercise would then alter considerably as the reverse method starting with a 5-
board press would exhaust the triceps and place an increased activation on the anterior deltoids and
the pecs as you work down to the main exercise of flat bench.
Using assisted band cleans or deadlifts as your first exercise then progressing to performance of the
movement without any assistance then completing the triple treat with a resisted deadlift such as a
band deadlift on the Get Strength Pulling platform. Conversely starting with the resisted and
finishing with the assisted would also make for an interesting Triple Treat.
Continuing on this line of thought, you could perform a band assisted clean in a power rack, a great
neural primer, and also maximum assistance from the floor, then move into a regular power clean
from the floor, thereby having no assistance from the floor, and then finishing with a band resisted
deadlift on the Get Strength Pulling platform, providing maximum resistance from the start of the
pull and also overloading the end range ensuring that the athlete will continue to pull hard against
the resistance. One important point to ensure is that the athlete still completes the pull and racks
correctly on the band assisted clean and does not get lazy with the movement since the speed of the
bar generated with the bands will be quite a bit faster than used to.
Also the use of the Elephant Steps pulling blocks makes for a novel Triple Treat, by first starting
with the bar set on the highest block position the bar would be positioned at the top of the thighs,
then the next position would be with the bar positioned in the second pull position and finally you
could perform the movement from the floor. Any pulling exercise can be utilized in this method,
snatch, clean and deadlift would benefit from the strengthening of the movement from different
positions to ensure the entire kinetic chain has no weak links.
Another very simple Triple Treat, would be to start with the old Poliquin favourite of the Cuban
Press and continue to add weight until you can not complete the movement then move onto to snatch
grip upright row to nipple height and finish with snatch grip shrugs till you can no longer get a good
shrug.
So a weeks training on the Triple Treat plan could look like this, it allows for a large amount of work
to be performed in a relatively short period of time, this combined with adequate recovery should
give your training an effective change of pace and produce of solid gains in whichever area you want
by manipulating the training variables.
Power Snatch Military Press Snatch grip High Position Bench Press 3’s
3’s 3’s Over Head Snatch 3’s
Squat 3’s 3-Board Bench
Power Cleans Push Press 3’s Knee Position Press 3’s
3’s Front Squat 3’s Snatch 3’s
Rack Split 5-Board Bench
Clean Pulls 3’s Jerks 3’s Back Squat 3’s Snatch from Press 3’s
Floor 3’s
(or in reverse)
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Start the year as you intend to continue it
Whilst I await the return of my players to commence pre-season training I thought it would be a
good time to write down a few ideas for you to consider in your training going forward into 2011. As
most of you know I have been a student of strength training for many years, I love the Strength
Pentathlon as a way of gauging your all around strength using the competition lifting of the 2
Olympic lifts and 3 Power Lifts as a testing protocol and training regime.
Before you train I like these options for warm ups, taken from a variety of the current crop of great
writers around the world, if you are unsure of some movements the Exercise index provided by
www.elitefts.com is a great reference as is you tube and google, you actually may know these by
different names, for the bodyweight circuit go to www.combatconditioning.com and see what Matt
Furey has produced. Remember that is you do not think you have the time to warm up then you
definitely do not have the time to work out!
Option 1
High Hurdle Mobility Circuit – Forward/Back, Under/Over +
Skipping + KB Swings – 30 seconds Hurdles/30 seconds skip/30 seconds KB swings mix it up
rest 30 seconds repeat
Option 2
Plate Circuit (6 each movement x 3 times through)
Plate Swings/Overhead Squat/Plate Head Circles/Plate Horizontal Push/Plate Wood Chop/Alt.
Reverse Lunge with Twist/Plate Bent over Row
+
KB Circuit (6 reps each exercise x 3 times through)
MMA Row/MMA Press/Alt. Upright Row/See Saw Shoulder Press/Clean/Snatch
Option 3
BW Mobility Circuit (Combat Conditioning options – 10 each)
Grasshoppers/Mountain Climbers/Hindu Push ups/Prisoner Jump Squats/Scorpions Prone &
Supine/Alt. Lunges/Table Maker/Reverse Push up/Rock & Rolls/No Momentum Sit ups/Legs
to Floor Overhead
Option 4
DB Shoulder Circuit (15 reps each exercise)
Arnold Presses/Lateral Raise/Front Raise/Bent over Raise/YTI’s/Drawing the Swords/L
Raise/Cuban Press/Overhead Shrug/Scarecrows
Option 5
Olympic lifting Complexes (bar only) 6 reps on each movement, do all 3 variations with a short
rest in between each
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1) Muscle Snatch from floor + Hang Power Snatch + Snatch Balance + Squat Snatch Press +
Overhead Squat
2) Clean Grip Power Snatch + Hang Power Clean + Front Squat + Sots Press + Push Press
3) Hang Snatch + Push Press + Front Squat + Hang Clean + Bent over Row + RDL
Okay, now you have warmed up, and in the course of that added a wee bit of prehab work and
technique work to the mix you can address the main session. My idea here is to work one of the Big
Five on each day of the week and then have the weekend free, or you can re-configure the week and
take a day off during the week and train on Saturday if you wish, there are no right and wrongs here
whatever works best for you is the key. Also I am not going to put down sets and reps as these will
be specific to your needs and you can play around with what works best for you.
Monday – Snatch focus
Snatch balance
Snatch
Power Snatch from blocks or from hang
Snatch Pulls
Tuesday – Squat focus
Band box Squats

Max effort squatting movement (single or double leg)
2 x Hamstring/Lower Back movements
Heavy Abdominal movements (1 or 2)
(Rollouts, Turkish Get Ups, Suitcase Deadlifts, Zercher Lift & Squat, Full Body Combat Twist)
Wednesday
Bench focus (a la Westside) Jerk focus

Bench with Chains, Bands or Weight Rack jerks
releasers
Max effort upper body push Push Press
Max effort upper body pull Max effort overhead pressing movement
Repetition method upper body push/pull Jerk recoveries
Triceps 1 or 2 exercises Dips & Chins (if you wish)
Thursday – Clean focus
Squat Clean
Power Clean from blocks or from hang
Clean Pulls
Front Squat
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Friday – Deadlift focus
Deadlift (can be speed DL’s or band assisted)

2 x Hamstring/Lower Back exercises
Heavy Abdominal movements (1 or 2)
(Rollouts, Turkish Get Ups, Suitcase Deadlifts, Zercher Lift & Squat, Full Body Combat Twist)
4 day Olympic Lifting Program
Monday
Snatch (various set & rep protocols)
Safety Bar 30 cms Box Squat or Back Squat (3 weeks progression – 6/5/4/4, 5/4/3/3, 4/3/2/2)
Thick bar Zercher Lift & Squat (5 progressively heavier singles)
Tuesday
Power Snatch + Push Press Behind Neck

Power Snatch + Snatch Balance
Power Snatch + Over Head Squat
(variety of options here, could be 1 PS then 1 each of the other 3 movements to complete 1 set or do
all 3 couplets with a 15 – 20 second intra set rest, or treat each couplet as a separate exercise)
Push Press or Military Press (3 weeks progression – 6/5/4/4, 5/4/3/3, 4/3/2/2)
Thursday
Front Squat working up to starting weight of Clean & Jerk
Clean & Jerk
Front Squat (doubles or triples starting at the finishing weight of Clean & Jerk)
Saturday
Barski Clean (3 squat cleans staring from the hang position between below knee and high thigh)
great article in IronMind Volume 3 Number 3 by Bill Starr, also another wonderful article "The
Drill" by Bill Starr (Vol. 4, No. 1)
Borreginne Complex – 1 Squat Clean + 1 front Squat (can be singles, doubles or triples)
Burgener Complex – 1 Front Squat + 1 Split Jerk Squat (can be singles, doubles or triples)
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Weights Program January 2011 week 1 – sets & reps vary by need

Mechanical Mechanical Speed Power Mechanical Mechanical
Lower Body Upper Body Combo Upper Body Lower Body
Strength focus Strength focus All Groups Strength focus Strength focus
1 x Olympic Bench Press Incline Bench 1 x Olympic

1 x Squat Bent Row Press 1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg Military Press Weighted Chins 1 x Single Leg
1 x Hamstring option Military Press 1 x Hamstring
1 x Loaded Core option 1 x Unloaded
Core
Neural Full Metabolic Upper Metabolic Upper Neural Full
Body Body Strength Body Strength Body Strength
Power focus focus focus focus
Bench Press Incline Bench

Bent Row Press
Military Press Weighted Chins
option Military Press
option
Metabolic Metabolic
Beastly Circuit + Beastly Circuit +
Lower Strength Lower Strength
1 x Single Leg 1 x Single Leg

1 x Hamstring 1 x Hamstring
Mechanical Mechanical
Upper Body Size Upper Body Size
focus focus
Neural Full Body Power Focus
1 x Olympic or Band Assisted Dead Lifts

1 x Band Assisted Squats or Weight Release Box Squats
Rotataional Jammer s/s Power Tackler OR Hammer Standing Push/Pull
Heavy = 8 x 3 @ 70 – 80%
Light = 4 x 6 @ 40 – 60%
40
Neural Full Body Strength Focus
1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg
Mechanical Upper Body Size Focus – select a different group each training session
Workout 1
Triple Angle Drop Incline DB Bench Press (45,30,15 degrees) 3 x 5/5/5
MMA KB Floor Press s/s KB Renegade Row 4 x 6 each side
KB See Saw Shoulder Press s/s KB Alternate Upright Row 4 x 6 each side
3 way Shoulder Raise (DB lateral, Plate Front, Bentover Cable Lateral) 3 x 12
E Z Bar Curls s/s EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extensions 3 x 6 - 10
Workout 2
DB Flat Bench s/s DB One Arm Row 5 x 6 – 10
DB Incline Bench Press s/s Seated DB Snatch 5 x 6 – 10
Seated DB Clean + DB Seated Shoulder Press 5 x 6 - 10
Dips s/s Chins
Workout 3
Hammer Incline Chest Press s/s Hammer Low Row 5 x 10
Hammer Shoulder Press s/s Hammer High Row 5 x 10
Triceps Death s/s Matrix Bar Curl – special sets & reps
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Neural - Mechanical - Metabolic
8 x 3 first exercise, compound, all sets above 85% after warm ups
4 x 6 second exercise, compound, all sets above 75%
2 x 12 third exercise, isolation or compound, both sets above 60%
A weekly schedule would look like:
Monday - Quad dominant + shoulders
Safety Bar Squat, Cambered Bar Box Squat, Step Ups

Standing Bradford + Military complex, Seated DB Shoulder Press, DB Lateral Raise
Tuesday - Chest + Back
Flat Bench Press s/s Bent Row

DB Incline Bench Press s/s Weighted Chins
Dips s/s Horizontal Chins
Wednesday - Olympic or Hamstring/Lower Back
Snatch, Cleans, Stone/Keg Cleans to alternate shoulders
OR
Deadlift, Good Morning, Glut Ham Raise
Thursday - Quad dominant + shoulders
Front Squat, Back Squat, Single Leg Bulgarian

Push Press, Hammer Military, Bent Over Lateral Raise
Friday - Chest + Back
Incline Bench Press + Prone Row

DB Bench Press + One Arm DB Row
Chins + Low Incline DB Flyes
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2010 Off Season Weights Options
Hypertrophy Group – 6 sessions per week (double on Tues/Thurs & no Wed)

Monday/Friday – Lower Power/Strength
1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg
Week 1 – Olympic/Squat 6,5,4,6,5,4 Single Leg/Hamstring 2 x 12

Tuesday/Thursday - Double Upper (am/pm)

Tuesday – Horizontal push/pull
Thursday – Vertical push/pull
1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (bilateral)

1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (unilateral)
1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (Bodyweight)
Week 1 – Bilateral 6,5,4,6,5,4 Unilateral 2 x 12 Bodyweight 1 x max reps

PM on Tuesday and Thursday - German Volume Training (10 x 10), using Hammer or DB or KB or
BW Options:
Hammer Incline Bench s/s Hammer Low Row

Hammer Seated Military s/s Hammer High Row
DB Flat Bench s/s DB One Arm Row

DB Incline Bench Press s/s DB Upright Row
KB Alternate Press s/s KB Upright Row

KB MMA style Floor Press s/s KB Renegade Row
Band Assisted Chins/Dips
Triple Drop DB Incline Bench Press (45/30/15 degrees) 3 x 5/5/5 or 4 x 4/4/4 or 5 x 3/3/3
3 Way Shoulder Raise (front, lateral, bent over) 3 x 12
Chins s/s Dips (30/60 reps total)
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Metabolic Group – 5 sessions per week
Monday/Friday – Full Body Strength
1 x Squat
1 x Upper Body Push
1 x Upper Body Pull
Week 1 – 6,5,4,6,5,4
Week 2 – 5,4,3,5,4,3
Week 3 – 4,3,2,4,3,2
Tuesday/Thursday – Beastly + Tabata Intervals

Beastly Circuits - (6 sets x 6 reps then 3 minutes hard cardio – bike/box/row/versa/rope pull)
Option 1: Dead Lift/Power Clean from Hang/Front Squat/Push Press/ Bent Over Row /
Romanian Dead Lift
Option 2: Power Clean form floor/Split jerk/Front Squat/Hang Clean/Lunge/Bent Row
Option 3: Power Snatch from floor/Push Press/Back Squat/Hang Clean/Split Jerk/Romanian

Dead Lift
Option 4: 3 position Clean/Push Press/Jump Squat/Hang Snatch/Split Jerk behind Neck/Good

Morning
Option 5: Power Snatch from floor/Overhead Squat/Push Jerk behind Head/Combo Good
Morning/Jump Squat/Power Clean from Hang
Wednesday – Full Body Power + Strongman
1 x Olympic + Jumps
1 x Squat + Jumps
1 x Push + UB plyometrics
1 x Pull
Heavy Power: 6 x 3 @ 60 – 80%, contrasts 3 x 6

Light Power: 3 x 6 @ 40 – 60%, contrasts 3 x 12
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Strength Group – 4 sessions per week
Monday/Thursday – Lower Body

1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Single Leg

Tuesday/Friday – Upper Body
1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (bilateral)

1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (unilateral)
1 x Upper Body Push/Pull (Bodyweight)

Neural Group – 3 sessions per week
Monday /Friday – Full Body Power
1 x Olympic + Jumps
1 x Squat + Jumps
1 x Push + UB plyometrics
1 x Pull
Heavy Power: 6 x 3 @ 60 – 80%, contrasts 3 x 6

Light Power: 3 x 6 @ 40 – 60%, contrasts 3 x 12
Wednesday – Full Body Strength

1 x Squat
1 x Upper Body Push
1 x Upper Body Pull
Week 1 – 6,5,4,6,5,4
Week 2 – 5,4,3,5,4,3
Week 3 – 4,3,2,4,3,2
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Increasing Leg Strength Program options
Option 1
Dead stop Front Squats from low receiving position set up in power rack with a 5 second eccentric
5 sets x 3 reps
Option 2
3 x 3 x 3: 3 second pauses at quarter and half and full front squat position on the eccentric phase and
then explosive concentric for 5 sets x 3 reps
Option 3
One and One Half: descend into a full front squat come up to a half squat position pause for 3
seconds and then go down and up explosively
5 sets x 3 reps
Option 4
Use front squat as a warm up for clean or clean & jerk work up to a triple at starting weight,
complete sets for clean & jerk then perform 8 sets x 2 reps with a load above your finishing weight
for clean & jerk
Option 5
Complexes:
Set 1: 6 reps
Set 2: 3/3 with 20 seconds rest
Set 3: 2/2/2 with 30 seconds rest
Set 4: 1/1/1/1/1/1 with 30 – 45 seconds rest
Option 6
Wave Loading:
5/3/1 x 2
Rest 2 minutes between sets, starting set of 5 reps at around 80 – 85%, then 90 – 92.5% for 3 then 95
– 100% for 1, repeat the wave with an increase of 2.5% for each set
Option 7
Bulgarian Shock Micro cycle
Front Squats:
-30/3 x 1
-20/2 x 1
-10/2 x 1
MAX/1 x 3
-10/2 x 3
-5/1 x 2
MAX/1 x 2
-15/3 x 2
-10/1 x 1
-5/1 x 1
MAX/1 x 1 to 2
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Weight Training General Ratings (1 – 3 RM Loading)
Exercise/Rating Good Better Best
Back Squat/Deadlift  1.75  2.0  2.5

Front Squat 80%
Clean  1.20  1.3  1.5
Snatch 80%
Push Press/Jerk  1.10  1.20  1.25
Military Press 60%
Outside Back Programs
Use 3 programs each week only no more, stay with a program for 3 weeks only then change to
another 2 programs, you can alternate like this for the rest of the season.
3 week power progression
Week 1: 3 x 5 reps 80%
Week 2: 4 x 4 reps 85 – 90%
Week 3: 5 x 3 reps 90+%
3 week strength progression
Week 1: 4 x 6 80%
Week 2: 2 x 5, 3 x 3 85 – 90%
Week 3: 2 x (5,3,1) 85, 90, 95+%
Program 1
Split Power Snatch from blocks (3 week power progression)
Sprinters Squat s/s Borzov Hops (3 week power progression)
2 Stage Parisi Step Ups (3 week power progression)
Push Press s/s Weight Chin Ups (3 week strength progression)
Sprinters Sit Ups (3 x 15 each side)
Roll Outs (3 x 15)
Program 2
Hang Clean + Push Press (5 x 3)
Band Box Squat s/s Knees to Feet to Box Jumps (3 week power progression)
Bosch Squat into Step Up (3 week power progression)
Rack Split Jerks (3 week strength progression)
TGU Sit Ups (3 x 5 each side)
Hanging Leg Raises ( 3 x 15, 5 to left 5 to middle 5 to right)
47
Program 3
Clean Grip Snatch from Blocks + Depth Jumps (5 x 3 reps)
Push Press (3 x 5 with a 15 second rest between each rep & 2 minutes between sets)
Rack Split Jerk (5 x 1 progressively heavier each rep)
Single Leg Hip Thrust (3 x 5 each side)
Single Leg with back leg braced against wall Good Morning (3 x 5 each side)
Single Arm Rollout (3 x 5 each side alternating)
Program 4
3 Position Power Snatch + Knees to Feet jumps(top of thigh, top of knee, floor x 2) 5 sets
Overhead Squat (3 week power progression)
Split Stance RDL (4 x 3 each leg)
Military Press in Split position (3 week strength progression)
Suit Case Deadlifts (3 x 5 each side)
Full Body Twists (3 x 5 each side)
Program 5
Trap Bar Dead lift (3 week strength progression)
Front Squat + Split Jerk (3 + 2) x 3
Band Bench (3 week power progress)
Bench Pull (3 week strength progression)
Windmills (5 x 3 each side)
Program 6
3 Position Power Clean + Knees to Feet Jumps (top of thigh, top of knee, floor x 2) 5 sets
Push Press + Split Jerk (3 + 2) x 5
DB One Arm Bench Press (3 week power progression)
Plate Bentover Row (3 week strength progression)
Zercher Lift (3 x 5)
Russian Twists on Back Extension (3 x 10 each side)
Strength & Power Continuum Training
Introduction
Following on from some discussions I had with colleagues in the Northern Hemisphere during the
Wallaby Spring Tour I though I would re-visit some strength programming concepts to cover all my
bases on the Strength/Power continuum in each workout that I program.
Qualities
The key areas that I feel need to be addressed in a workout structured in a way to stimulate all aspect
of the force velocity curve are as follows:
 Ballistic
 Speed Strength
 Strength Speed
 Maximal Strength
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I think Plyometrics can be included with or without Ballistics as my initial exercise or session
“primer” (if you prefer that terminology) to commence the training session.
Movement Speed
In a paper written by Louie Simmons on the speeds for Tendo use he devised this template to work
from:
 Speed Strength - Squat/Bench - 0.8 – 1.0 metres/second

 Strength Speed - Squat/Bench - 0.6 – 0.7 metres/second
 Absolute Strength - Squat/Bench - 0.3 – 0.5 metres/second
And when using the modified Olympic lifts the following:

Power Clean 1.25 metres/second
Power Snatch 1.50 metres/second
Block/Hang Clean 1.35 metres/second
Block/Hang Snatch 1.60 metres.second
Loading
Schmidtbleicher previously had looked at the percentages of maximum when attempting to train
either inter-muscular co-ordination and intra-muscular co-ordination. His reccomendations were are
follows –
 Inter-muscular co-ordination - 25 – 40% of 1RM

 Intra-muscular co-ordination - 60 – 80% of 1RM
 Maximal strength >80% of 1RM
Program Design
When constructing a program to train all aspects of the force velocity curve I would recommend the
following sets and reps:
 Ballistic 2 x 12
o (Or until visually/proprioceptively as the movement begins to slow)
 Speed Strength 3 x 6
 Strength Speed 6 x 3
 Maximal Strength (see below)
Maximal Strength
With maximal strength programming, I have used the following with good success:
Straight Set Wave Loading

Perform all sets for a given exercise before moving onto the next exercise. Example;
Box Squat
 6 @ 100kg
 5 @ 120kg
 4 @ 140kg
49
This can be done over a 3 week block where the subsequent weeks take the loading down to a heavy
double or single, add around 2.5% on the second wave.
Example:
 Week 1 – 2 x (6,5,4)
 Week 2 – 2 x (5,4,3)
 Week 3 – 2 x (4,3,2)
Marsh Protocol
4 x 6 either changing each week for a four week period or using a different method for each of 4
total sets of 6 in one workout.
Example:
 4 x 6 – straight style with no rest in between each rep
 4 x 3/3 – 3 reps rest 10 seconds then perform a further 3 reps
 4 x 2/2/2 – 15 seconds rest in between each block of 2 reps
 4 x 1/1/1/1/1/1 – 20 seconds rest between each single rep
Thornley Variation
4 x 3/2/1 – 3 reps add weight rest 10 seconds
2 reps add weight rest 15 seconds
1 rep
Example:
So as an example using a session from a Pull, Push & Squat program
PULL
 Medicine Ball Scoop throws in the vertical plane
 Power Snatch from Blocks at knee height
 Power Cleans from floor
 Deadlift
Wave Goodbye to Strength Plateaus
Firstly let me start this article with a statement of philosophy, I believe we try and include way too
many exercises in our training programs, I have been as guilty as the next trainer in doing this and
believe we need to pull back but also increase the stimulus by increasing the overall number of sets
that the organism is exposed to, hence the value of wave loading in the strength & power training of
athletes and anyone for that matter.
Now there is nothing new in what I am about to say and there are many ways to program but if you
would give the following a good six week block of training I am sure you will be pleasantly
surprised with the results that you will get.
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The first sequences of wave loading patterns I believe are best applied to large muscle group
compound exercises, irrespective of the speed elements, attempt to always move the concentric
phase of the exercise as quickly as you can and perform a controlled eccentric to set you up for the
next explosive concentric movement. Also the sets outlined in the sample week plans apply only to
work sets, perform a couple of warm up sets to get up to the starting work weights. These sets are
important but remember that they are warm up sets and not wear out sets, they are more neural in
nature and are basically to re-establish a movement pathway and to get familiar with the load before
embarking on the work waves.
In strength training I never go above 6 - 8 reps, also I believe that big is a by-product of STRONG,
so exposing the athlete to loads less than 80% of maximum in my book do very little to develop
strength, hence my standard 3 week wave for the development of strength looks like this, for an off
season plan:
Week 1: 2 x (6,5,4)
Week 2: 2 x (5,4,3)
Week 3: 2 x (4,3,2)
With a small increase for the second have through does not have to be a percentage of maximum
increase, and this is where I highly recommend you purchase some fractional plates, even if you only
put another 0.5kg on either end of the bar this is an increase and over time will result in large gains
on the amount of weight moved in a session.
Another way to do the load is a ladder load where the first wave is a descending rep scheme as per
the example above but instead of repeating this you go back up the ladder, with a small increase in
load for the second wave to increase the intensity of effort on each set, like this:
Week 1: 6,5,4,4,5,6
Week 2: 5,4,3,3,4,5
Week 3: 4,3,2,2,3,4
Another method where you do not increase the load on the second wave is to attempt to increase a
rep on each set with the same load as the first wave, this maybe more beneficial for less mature
trainees, like this:
Week 1: 6,5,4 5,6,7,

Week 2: 5,4,3 4,5,6
Week 3: 4,3,2 3,4,5
To prepare for the intensity increase that this method of strength training brings I suggest you do a
block of preparatory training prior to getting into the wave loading style, it will also assist in
establishing a 1RM to adjust loads from when you start to catch the wave, like this:
Week 1: 4 x 6 (my baseline workout), can be a progressive step load or a plateau

Week 2: 2 x 5, 3 x 3 (progressive load)
Week 3: 5,3,1 (this popular Wendler set sequence, is also a popular wave load but we will save that
for a future session, in this workout we are just attempting to establish a solid 1RM)
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Also do not think that the wave method is only for strength training I have had individuals make
good gains with using a modified wave loading pattern for more isolated muscle groups and
exercises, like this:
Week 1: 2 x (15, 12, 10)

Week 2: 2 x (12, 10, 8)
Week 3: 2 x (10, 8, 6)
Gym Based Circuits
Whilst most of the gym programs I write are based on a strength training bias I believe that we are
missing the point of specific conditioning for the game if we do not include some circuit style
training in the program. That is not to say we disregard strength and go entirely circuit based, dare I
say Crossfit, that would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Before you crossfit
disciples howl your protest I am not denigrating the mode of training, it is just that strength
underpins everything in my book so take the time to get strong and learn correct technique before
embarking on high rep sessions with complex motor skill exercises. As Louie Simmons has said
“everything works, but nothing works for ever”.
Here are my favourite circuits:
Warm up: KB Swings/Skipping/Sledgehammer Tyre Hits/Rope wave (30 seconds of each x 5)
1: Kettle Bell Circuit

KB Cleans/See SawKB Press/Alt. KB Upright Rows/ KB Snatches/Alt. KB Floor Press/MMA KB
Row/KB Squat Jumps/KB 2 hand Swing
30 seconds on each, rest 90 seconds at end of circuit and repeat for a total of 8 sets or
do 8 reps on each the Extermin8 or Termin8 circuit
2: Steel Log GPP Circuit
Clean and push press /Front squat/Bent over Rows/Romanian Dead lift
8 reps on each and then go again for 8 total sets.
3: Body Weight GPP Circuit (info on these can be found in Combat Conditioning by Matt
Furey)
15 reps on each non-stop circuit: Grasshoppers/Hindu Push Ups/Knees to Feet
Jumps/Scorpions/Mountain Climbers/Alternate Lunges/Rock & Rolls/Push Ups/Prisoner Jump
Squats/Sit Ups
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4: Beastly Circuits
(6 sets x 6 reps then 3 minutes hard cardio – bike/box/row/versa/rope pull/treadmill incline
run/grinder)
Option 1: Dead Lift/Power Clean from Hang/Front Squat/Push Press/ Bent Over Row / Romanian
Dead Lift
Option 2: Power Clean from floor/Split jerk/Front Squat/Hang Clean/Lunge/Bent Row
Option 3: Power Snatch from floor/Push Press/Back Squat/Hang Clean/Split Jerk/Romanian Dead
Lift
Option 4: 3 position Clean/Push Press/Jump Squat/Hang Snatch/Split Jerk behind Neck/Good
Morning
Option 5: Power Snatch from floor/Overhead Squat/Push Jerk behind Head/Combo Good
Morning/Jump Squat/Power Clean from Hang
5: Power Fitness
Power Clean or Pulls or Dead Lift 70% 5-4-3-2-1 (15 seconds between sets) then 3 minutes hard
bike or versa climber, rest 90 seconds repeat x 6
6: Power Circuit (5 x 5 + 500 metres row after each circuit)

Power Snatch – Clean + Push Press from Blocks – Jammer – Power Tackler – Band Box Squat
Ab Circuits after each of the Training Options Alternate Weighted & Unweighted
Weighted Abs 5 exercises for 5 sets x 5 reps in circuit:
½ Turkish Get Up/ Lateral Side bend & Pick up(windmill)/Zercher pick up/Suit Case Dead
Lift/Combat Twist
Unweighted Abs 5 exercises for 3 sets x 15 reps in a circuit:
Hanging Leg Raises/Rollouts/Cyclone Ball/Sprinters Sit ups/1 minute Bridge
53
7: Borreginne Super Circuit (shared with me by Haydn Masters, it is designed by the greatest
weightlifting coach Australia has produced, a man I am proud to call friend)
Can alternate 20m shuttle runs with 100
metres on Concept 11 Rower or Prowler
1 10 x Squat Jumps (Bar) 17 10 x Burpees w P'UP

2 10 x Bench Press (60kg) 18 10 x BB Curl to Press (16kg)
3 20 x Med Ball Russian Twist 10kg 19 20 x Med Ball Russian Twist 10kg
4 4 x Shuttle Runs (20m) 20 4 x Shuttle Runs (20m)
5 10 x Hang Cleans (40kg) 21 10 x Squat Jumps (Bar)

6 10 x Bent Over Row (40kg) 22 10 x Bench Press (60kg)
7 10 x Hanging Knees to Chest 23 20 x Chinnies
9 20 x BB Step Ups (Bar) 25 10 x Hang Cleans (40kg)

10 10 x Bench Press (60kg) 26 10 x Bent Over Row (40kg)
11 20 x Med Ball Crunches (6kg) 27 10 x Hanging Knees to Chest
13 10 x Snatch Squats (Bar) 29 20 x BB Step Ups (Bar)

14 10 x Upright Row (30kg) 30 10 x BB Shoulder Press (30kg)
15 20 x Chinnies 31 20 x Med Ball Crunches (6kg)
33 10 x Burpees w P'UP
34 10 x Upright Row (40kg)
35 20 x Landmines (20kg)
36 4x Shuttle Runs (20m)
54
Off Season Weights Program
If you have taken a bit of a break you should do a week at least of break in work again to get
everything firing, say 5 straight days of the following:
Monday – Power Snatch from floor 8 x 3, Band Box Squat 12 x 2

Tuesday – Block Power Clean + Push Press 12 x 2, Combo Good Morning 8 x 3
Wednesday – Block Split Snatch 12 x 2, Safety Bar Squats 8 x 3
Thursday – Clean + Jerk 12 x 2, Dead Lifts 8 x 3
Friday – Clean Grip Power Snatch 12 x 2, Front or Back Squat 8 x 3
The following programs can be used as an off season loading when you want to place more
emphasis on explosive strength. It is a fairly advanced program and should have at least 5 years of
regular weight training as a background to attempt it. Use it for 3 weeks then change the movements
and go again if you have the luxury of a 6 week or longer off season.
The Wednesday workout is used as a conditioning workout, I have found this workout extremely
beneficial when trying to drop a few kilograms of fat off players and improve their power to weight
ratios. Also builds a great anaerobic endurance with heart rates at around 180 beats per minute at the
completion of each set.
Monday Friday
Cleans from low block - alternate 3 x 6 @ Cleans from high block - alternate 3 x 6 @
60% with 6 x 3 @ 80% 60% with 6 x 3 @ 80%
Cambered Bar Box Squat with Blue band 8 ¼ Explosive Squat from pins in power rack
x3 alternate 3 x 6 @ 60% with 6 x 3 @ 80%
Good Morning with Safety Bar – 4 x 6 Deadlifts with bands on platform - alternate
3 x 6 @ 60% with 6 x 3 @ 80%
Complex Style Weight Release Bench Push Press with thick bar with 6 seconds of
Press with 60% bar weight & 40 – 60% eccentric - alternate 3 x 6 @ 60% with 6 x
release weight – 5 x 5 (15 second rest 3 @ 80%
between reps)
Bent Over Row – 4 x 8 – 12 (triple drop Weighted Chins (rest pause 15 seconds
style) between reps) 5 x 5 reps
Wednesday
Warm up with couplets either pressing snatch balance + squat snatch press or sots press for 6 sets of
2 – 3 reps progressing the loading each set.
Beastly Complex – 6 sets of 6 reps with 90 seconds between sets
Clean Grip Power Snatch from floor/Push Press /Overhead Squat/Hang Squat Clean/Front
Squat/Romanian Dead Lift
55
Mechanical Group
Tuesday & Thursday
Upper Body Training Menus
All super sets are 30 seconds between push & pull then 1 minute between couplets!
Workout 1
Cambered bar Incline Bench Press s/s Band assisted Wide Grip Chins 5 x 6 - 10
Trap Bar Shoulder Press s/s Thick Bar Upright Row 5 x 6 - 10
Bench Bar position 2 Close grip Bench Press s/s Prone Row 5 x 6 – 10
Workout 2
MMA KB Floor Press s/s KB Renegade Row 4 x 6 each side
KB See Saw Shoulder Press s/s KB Alternate Upright Row 4 x 6 each side
Workout 3
DB Incline Bench Press s/s DB Upright Row 5 x 6 – 10
DB Seated Shoulder Press s/s Seated DB Snatch 4 x 6 each side
DB Twist Curls s/s Seated DB Overhead Extensions 3 x 6 – 10
Workout 4
GVT Style modified – 5 x 10 or Full version 10 x 10
Hammer Incline Chest Press s/s Hammer Low Row
Hammer Shoulder Press s/s Hammer High Row
Triceps Death s/s Matrix Bar Curl

56
Actual Training Programs for a Variety of Rugby Players at International, Professional and
Amateur Levels
Before you start your Weights Program

“If you do not have time to warm up, then you definitely do not have time to train”
Option A – Lower Body/Power Session Emphasis
Skipping + KB Swings - 3 x 30 seconds skip/30 seconds KB swings, High Hurdle Mobility

Circuit – Forward/Back, Under/Over (10 reps each), Jumps + Squats Sequence: 5 of each
- knees to feet jump/ jumps up to box/repeat long jumps/depth jump options/Overhead
Squat against Wall/Single Leg Squat on a Box
Olympic lifting Complexes (1 to 3 reps of each with bar only, or select one complex and do
three progressively heavier sets),
1. Muscle Snatch from floor + Hang Power Snatch + Snatch Balance + Squat Snatch Press
+ Overhead Squat
2. Clean Grip Power Snatch + Hang Power Clean + Front Squat + Sots Press + Push Press
3. Dead Lift + Hang Clean + Push Press + Front Squat + Bent over Row + RDL
Option B – Upper Body Session Emphasis
DB Shoulder Circuit (10 reps each exercise)

- Arnold Presses/Lateral Raise/Front Raise/Bent over Raise/YTI’s/Drawing the Swords/L
Raise/Cuban Press/Overhead Shrug/Scarecrows
Option C – Full Body Combination Session Emphasis
BW Mobility Circuit (Combat Conditioning options – 5 each)

- Grasshoppers/Mountain Climbers/Hindu Pushups/ Prisoner Jump Squats/Scorpions
Prone & Supine/Alt. Lunges/Rock & Rolls/No Momentum Sit ups/Legs to Floor
Overhead
-
KB Circuit (6 reps each exercise)
- MMA Row/MMA Press/Alt. Upright Row/See Saw Shoulder Press/Clean/Snatch/one
hand swing and alternate catch
-
Plate Circuit or Med Ball (6 each movement)
- Plate Swings/Overhead Squat/Plate Head Circles/Plate Horizontal Push/Plate Wood
Chop/Alt. Reverse Lunge with Twist/Plate Bent over Row
57
Mid Field Back Super Rugby
Tuesday Thursday
1 x Olympic (Snatch) 1 x Olympic

(Clean)
Knees to Feet Jumps Knees to Feet Jumps
1 x Squat 1 x Squat
(Safety Bar Box Squat) (Cambered Bar Squat)
Seated to Box Jumps Seated to Box Jumps
1 x Hip Dominant 1 x Hip Dominant
(Deadlift) (RDL)
Repeat Long Jumps on Rubber Repeat Long Jumps on Rubber
Flooring Flooring
1 x Unilateral 1 x Unilateral
(Bulgarian Squat) (Step Ups)
Repeat Hurdle or Box Jumps Repeat Hurdle or Box Jumps
1x Hamstring 1 x Hamstring
(Glut Ham Raise) (Reverse Hyper)
Alternate 1 week of 3 x 5 @ 60% with 1 week of 5 x 3 @ 80%, contrast a set of 3 or 5 jumps in

between each set of the exercises.
Prop Forward Super Rugby

Band Box Squats Romanian Dead Lifts Chain Safety Bar Box Squats
DB Step Ups Sprinters Squat Power Sprinter
Combo Good Morning with Blue Band Good Morning 1 x Combo Good Morning with
Safety Bar 50 reps Cambered Bar
Steel Log Shoulder Press off Seated DB Clean + DB Thick Bar Band Bench Press
Pins in Power Rack s/s Shoulder Press s/s KB Alternate Prone Position
Weighted Chins Row
70 degree DB Press s/s Pull Cuban Press + Overhead Shrug DB Floor Press s/s Prone Row
Down to Chest Combo Bench Pull
Core 100 KB See Saw Press + KB See Core 100

Saw Upright Row
Lower & Upper Body
Week 1 – 4 x 6
Week 2 – 2 x 5, 3 x 3
Week 3 – 2 x (7,5,3)
Week 4 – 5,3,5,3,5,3
58
Lock Forward NZ Provincial
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Full Body Upper OFF Full Body Upper Boxing OFF
Strength Body Power Body Session
Size Size
Stretch Stretch Swim
Short Rowing Long Fartlek

Repeated Session Repeated Run
Speed Speed
Monday
Full Body Strength (week 1: 6,5,4,4), (week 2:5,4,3,3), (week 3:4,3,2,2)

Dead Lift
Single Leg Sprinters Squat
Bench Press or Incline
Weighted Chins
Short Repeated Speed

5 minutes continuous run warm up/dynamic stretch session/mobility drills
20 x rolling 25’s every 20 seconds (gradual build up over 10 metres then run 25 metres)
2.5 minutes rest
10 x 50 metres with jog through 50 metres every 30 seconds
2.5 minutes rest
10 x off the ground & sprint 10 metres, every 15 seconds
2.5 minutes rest
Jog/Sprint field drill – jog 78m sprint 22m, turn around, jog 50m sprint 50m, turnaround, jog 22m
sprint 78m turnaround walk 100m x 5
5 minutes continuous run
Tuesday
Upper Body Size

DB Incline Bench Press s/s DB Upright Row 5 x 6 – 10
DB Seated Shoulder Press s/s Seated DB Snatch 4 x 6 each side
DB Twist Curls s/s Seated DB Overhead Extensions 3 x 6 – 10
Wednesday – OFF/Recovery
59
Thursday
Full Body Power (medium weight & move it fast or attempted fast – 3 x 6 alternate each week
with 6 x 3 reps heavy and attempted acceleration)
One arm DB Snatch

Hang Cleans or in rack
¼ explosive squat or jump squat
Push Press
Full Body Combat Twist with bar
Long Repeated Speed

5 minutes continuous run warm up
10 x 300 m (6 x 50m shuttle) work:rest (1:1)
5 minutes continuous run\
3 x 22 m in <15 seconds then jog to far try line in <30 seconds and repeat (2 sets x 15 reps with a 2.5
minute walk recovery between sets)
5 minutes continuous run
Friday
Upper Body Size

Close Grip Bench Press s/s Seated Row 5 x 6 – 10
BW Dips s/s Chins 4 x max reps
Fartlek Run
5 minutes continuous run warm up, followed by 35 minutes, every minute a burst of fast running for
either 45, 30 or 15 seconds and then return to regular speed up to the minute, then finish with 5
minutes of continuous running.
Saturday
Swim after Boxing
200 metres easy warm up
Hypoxic 20 x 25 metres with walk back recoveries in between each effort no dive in, try and take 6 –
10 strokes between each breath
200 metres warm down
60
Mid Field Back Super Rugby

Rule of 24 Weights Program
Monday
8x3 Thick Bar Band Bench Press with 2 Boards
6x4 Incline Bench Press
4x6 DB Bench Press
3x8 Floor Press
2 x 12 Dips
1 x 24 Hindu Push ups
Tuesday
8x3 Bentover Row with Chains
6x4 Hammer Low Row
4x6 Seated Row
3x8 One Arm DB Row
2 x 12 Prone Support KB Alternate Row
1 x 24 Horizontal Chain Chins with feet on Swiss Ball
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday
8x3 Steel Log Push Press
6x4 Cambered Bar Shoulder Press
4x6 Trap Bar Shoulder Press
3x8 Band Military Press
2 x 12 Seated DB Shoulder Press
1 x 24 Hand Stand Presses
Friday
8x3 Weighted Finger Chins
6x4 Hammer High Row
4x6 Lat Pulldown to Chest
3x8 Seated DB Snatch
2 x 12 Cuban Press
1 x 24 Band Assisted Chins
61
Olympic Lifting for Rugby

4 workouts per week
Workout 1
Snatch warm up complex
Power Snatch/Split Snatch(R)/Split Snatch (L)/Squat Snatch/Overhead Squat
Squat Snatch working up to max then backing back to 80% and hitting 3 x 3
Snatch Pulls 3 x 3
Snatch Grip Deadlifts 3 x 5
Workout 2
Clean warm up complex
Power Clean/Split Clean (R)/Split Clean (L)/Squat Clean/Front Squat
Squat Clean working up to max then backing back to 80% and hitting 3 x 3
Clean Pulls 3 x 3
Clean grip Deadlifts 3 x 5
Workout 3
Overhead Pressing Warm up complex
Military Press/Push Press/Push Jerk/Split Jerk
Rack Jerk 5 x progressively heavier singles then back off to 80% and do 3 x 3 push press
Steep Incline DB Press 30’s method
Seated DB Laterals 3 x 8
Workout 4
Squat Clean + Front Squat doubles
Front Squat + Split Jerk doubles
Alternate each week FS or BS working up to a heavy 5 or 3 or 1

62
3 workouts per week
Workout 1
Squat Snatch working up to max then backing back to 80% and do 3 x 3 power snatch
Snatch Pulls 3 x 3
Snatch Grip Deadlifts 3 x 5
Front Squat working up to a heavy 5 or 3 or 1
Workout 2
Steep Incline DB Press 30’s method
Seated DB Laterals 3 x 8
Workout 3
Power Clean/Split Clean (R)/Split Clean (L)/Squat Clean/Front Squat
Clean & Jerk working up to max then backing back to 80% and hitting 3 x 3 power clean
Clean Pulls 3 x 3
Clean grip Deadlifts 3 x 5
Back Squat working up to a heavy 5 or 3 or 1

63
2 workouts per week
Workout 1
S/S
then
S/S
Back Squat working up to a heavy 5 or 3 or 1
Workout 2
Power Clean/Split Clean (R)/Split Clean (L)/Squat Clean/Front Squat + Split Jerk
Clean & Jerk working up to max then backing back to 80% and hitting 3 x 3 in Power Clean
Squat Clean + Front Squat doubles
Front Squat + Split Jerk doubles
Front Squat working up to a heavy 5 or 3 or 1

64
1 workout per week
Power Clean/Split Clean (R)/Split Clean (L)/Squat Clean/Front Squat +
Clean & Jerk working up to max then backing back to 80% and hitting 3 x 3 in Power Clean
Front Squat 3 x 3 at best c & j weight for the day

65
Hypertrophy/Strength for Lock Forward
1st Program
1st exercise – 4 x 6
2nd exercise – 3 x 8
3rd exercise – 2 x 12
Monday – Shoulders
Bradford Press
DB Seated Shoulder Press
DB Standing Lateral Raise
Tuesday – Legs
Cambered Bar Box Squat or Front Squat
Safety Bar Squat or Back Squat
Leg Extension or Bulgarian Sprinter`s Squat
Wednesday – Back
Chins
Bent Over Row
Pulldown to Chest
Thursday – Chest
Incline Bench Press
DB Bench Press
Dips
Friday – Hamstrings/Lower Back

Good Morning
Romanian Dead Lift
Back Extension
Program 2
Sets and reps as per program 1
Monday AM– Shoulders

Bradford Press
Monday PM – Legs
Cambered Bar Box Squat
Safety Bar Squat
Leg Extension
66
Tuesday AM – Back
Chins
Bent Over Row
Pulldown to Chest
Tuesday PM – Chest
Incline Bench Press
DB Bench Press
Dips
Wednesday – Hamstrings/Lower Back

Good Morning
Romanian Dead Lift
Back Extension
Thursday AM – Legs
Front Squat
Back Squat
Bulgarian Sprinters Squat
Thursday PM – Shoulders
Military Press
Seated Press Behind Neck
DB Front Raise
Friday AM – Chest
Incline DB Press
Close Grip Bench Press
Low Incline DB Flyes
Friday PM – Back
DB One Arm Row
Close Grip Pulldown
DB Pullover
Saturday – Lower Back/Hamstrings

Dead Lift
Reverse Hyper
Single Leg Back Extension
67
3rd Program
Monday – Shoulders
Push Press
Military Press
Trap Bar Shoulder Press
Tuesday – Legs
Overhead Squat
Front Squat
Back Squat
Wednesday – Back
Bent Over Row
Weighted Chins
Seated Row
Thursday – Chest
Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Floor Press
Friday – Lower Back/Hamstrings

Power Snatch
Power Clean
Clean Pulls
Program 4
First 3 days
Monday am – Shoulders
Push Press
Military Press
Trap Bar Shoulder Press
68
Monday pm – Legs
Overhead Squat
Front Squat
Back Squat
Tuesday am – Back
Bent Over Row
Weighted Chins
Seated Row
Tuesday pm – Chest
Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Floor Press
Wednesday am – Lower Back/Hamstrings

Power Snatch
Power Clean
Clean Pulls
Second 3 days
Thursday am – Shoulders
Bradford Press
Thursday pm – Legs
Cambered Bar Box Squat
Safety Bar Squat
Leg Extension
Friday am – Back
Chins
Bent Over Row
Pulldown to Chest
Friday am – Chest
Incline Bench Press
DB Bench Press
Dips
69
Saturday am – Hamstrings/Lower Back

Good Morning
Romanian Dead Lift
Back Extension
Program 5
Monday (Shoulders)
am
3 x 3 Push Press
4 x 4 Cambered Bar Press
5 x 5 Trap Bar Press
pm
4 x 6 Bradford Press
3 x 8 DB Shoulder Press
2 x 12 DB Lateral Raise
Tuesday (Squat/Quad dominant)
am
3 x 3 Overhead Squat or Band Box Squat
4 x 4 Front Squat
5 x 5 Back Squat
pm
4 x 6 Cambered Bar Box Squat
3 x 8 Safety Bar Squat
2 x 12 Bulgarian Single Leg Sprinter`s Squat
Wednesday (Back)
am
3 x 3 Wide Chins
4 x 4 Bent Over Row
5 x 5 Seated Row
pm
4 x 6 Weighted Chins supinated grip
3 x 8 One Arm DB Row
2 x 12 Pulldowns to Chest
70
Thursday (Chest)
am
3 x 3 Band Bench Press
4 x 4 Incline Bench
5 x 5 Close Grip Bench Press
pm
4 x 6 Incline DB Press
3 x 8 Flat DB Bench Press
2 x 12 Dips
Friday (Hamstring/Lower Back)
am
3 x 3 Power Snatch
4 x 4 Power Clean
5 x 5 Deadlift
pm
4 x 6 Good Morning
3 x 8 Romanian Deadlift
2 x 12 Back Extension
Program 6
Monday (Shoulders/Legs)
am
3 x 3 Front Squat s/s Standing Military Press
4 x 4 Back Squat s/s Seated Press Behind Neck
pm
4 x 6 Cambered Bar Box Squat s/s Seated DB Shoulder Press
3 x 8 Leg Extension s/s DB Lateral Raises
Tuesday (Chest/Back)
am
4 x 6 Incline DB Bench Press s/s Hammer Low Row
3 x 8 Flat DB Bench Press s/s Hammer High Row
pm
3 x 3 Barbell Bench Press s/s Bent Over Row
4 x 4 Incline Bench Press s/s Weighted Chins
71
Wednesday (Olympic)
am or pm
3 x 3 Power Snatch
4 x 4 Power Clean
5 x 5 Deadlift
Loaded Ab work – Suitcase Deadlift, Shovel Lift, Turkish Get Up, Zercher lift
Thursday (Shoulders/Legs)
am
3 x 3 Front Squat s/s Standing Military Press
4 x 4 Back Squat s/s Seated Press Behind Neck
pm
4 x 6 Cambered Bar Box Squat s/s Seated DB Shoulder Press
3 x 8 Leg Extension s/s DB Lateral Raises
Friday (Chest/Back)
am
4 x 6 Incline DB Bench Press s/s Hammer Low Row
3 x 8 Flat DB Bench Press s/s Hammer High Row
pm
3 x 3 Barbell Bench Press s/s Bent Over Row
4 x 4 Incline Bench Press s/s Weighted Chins
Saturday (Glutes/Hamstrings/Lower Back)
am or pm
4 x 6 Good Morning
3 x 8 Romanian Deadlifts
2 x 12 Glute Ham Raise
3 x 25 Rollouts or unloaded Ab work or your choice

72
Push/Pull/Squat (Workout Option 3 day split Any Level)
Pulling Workout
Rack Cleans - wave style with a twist, set 1: 3/3, set 2: 2/2/2, set 3: 1/2/3 or 3/2/1 then repeat with
an increase in loading (15 seconds intra set rest, 60 - 90 seconds inter set rest)
One Arm DB Snatch - 6 x 6 (step load method)
Romanian Deadlifts - 3 week strength progression either wave or straight style
(wk1: 6/5/4/4, wk2: 5/4/3/3, wk3: 4/3/2/2)
Supinated grip Chins - either weighted or 4 x maximum reps
Hammer Row or DB One Arm Row - 3 week hypertrophy/strength progression
(wk1: 12/10/8/8, wk2: 10/8/6/6 wk3: 8/6/4/4)
Pushing Workout
Push Press - 3 week strength progression either wave or straight style
(wk1: 6/5/4/4, wk2: 5/4/3/3, wk3: 4/3/2/2)
Incline Bench Press - 3 week strength progression either wave or straight style
(wk1: 6/5/4/4, wk2: 5/4/3/3, wk3: 4/3/2/2)
Seated DB Shoulder Press - 3 week hypertrophy/strength progression
(wk1: 12/10/8/8, wk2: 10/8/6/6 wk3: 8/6/4/4)
3 Way Shoulder Raise - alternate each week between: 3 x 12 - 15 and 4 x 8 - 12
Squatting Workout
Front Squats - 3 week strength progression either wave or straight style (wk1: 6/5/4/4, wk2: 5/4/3/3,
wk3: 4/3/2/2)
Bulgarian Style Single leg Squats - 3 week strength progression either wave or straight style (wk1:
6/5/4/4, wk2: 5/4/3/3, wk3: 4/3/2/2)
Kneeling Squats - 6 x 6
73
International Team Weights Training
SIZE GROUP
Hypertrophy Upper Body Group (6 exercises)
3 x Upper Body Push & Pull
Training Options
5 x 6 – 8 reps
Double Rest Pause
Clusters
Super Sets
4 x 8 – 12 reps
Rest Pause
Drop Sets
Super Sets
3 x 12 – 15 reps
Giant/Tri/Super Sets
STRENGTH GROUP
Full Body Strength (5 exercises)
1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Upper Body Push
1 X Upper Body Pull
Upper Body Strength (4 exercises)

1 x Horizontal Upper Body Push/Pull
1 x Vertical Upper Body Push/Pull
Lower Body Strength (4 exercises)

1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 X Unilateral Lower Body
Training Options
Double Rest Pause
Clusters
Contrast Jumps
Tri weekly periodised
74
- 6,5,4
- 5,4,3
- 4,3,2
POWER GROUP
Power Lower Body (3 exercises)

1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
Full Body Power (5 exercsies)

1 x Olympic
1 x Squat
1 x Upper Body Push
1 X Upper Body Pull
Training Options
Contrast Jumps
Circuit Style
Clusters
Alternate 3 x 5 @ 60% max with 5 x 3 @ 80% max
Lock/Number 8
Option 1: 3 days per week
Monday
Box Squat (MT method)
Rack Dead Lift (3 week strength progression)
60degrees Incline Bench Press s/s Chins (palm facing you) (30’s method)
Seated DB Shoulder Press s/s KB Renegade Row (3 week size progression)
Wednesday
Sprinters Squat (3 week strength progression)
Block Clean Pulls (MT method)

75
Standing Military Press s/s Towel Chins (30’s method)
Close Grip Bench Bar Press s/s Prone Row (Ladder method)
Friday
Double Step Ups (3 week strength progression)
Romanian Dead Lift (3 week strength progression)
30degrees Incline Bench Press s/s DB One Arm Row (30’s method)
Push Press with Thick Bar s/s Weighted Chins (palms facing wall) (3 week strength progression)
Option 2: 4 days per week
Monday
Overhead Pressing Complex

4 x 1/1/1/1 (use same weight)
60 degrees Incline DB Press (30’s method)
30 degree Incline Cable Flyes (Rule of 24 method)
Close grip Bench Bar Press (3 week strength progression)
Tuesday
One Arm DB Power Snatch (MT method)
Block Cleans (Rule of 24 method)
Double Step ups (3 week strength progression)
Chins (30’s method)
Bent Over Row (MT method)

76
Thursday
Incline Bench Press (3 week strength progression)
Seated DB Shoulder Press (30’s method)
DB Flat Bench Press (ladder method)
Seated DB Lateral Raise (3 week size progression)
Friday
Box Squat (Rule of 24 method)
Rack Deadlift (MT method)
Weighted Chins (3 week strength progression)
Methods Explanation
30’s
Start with a weight that is about 6RM, then go to failure with that weight rest 30 seconds only and
try and get as many reps as you can each time resting only 30 seconds between sets until you have
completed 30 reps total.
MT
Based on 24 method with a twist
Wk1: 4 x 6
Wk2: 4 x (3/3) with 15 – 20 seconds intra set rest
Wk3: 4 x (2/2/2) with 20 – 30 seconds intra set rest
Wk 4: 4 x (3/2/1) with 30 – 40 seconds intra set rest (increase weight slightly within the set)
Wk 5: 4 x (1/1/1/1/1/1) with 30 – 45 second intra set rest
Rule of 24
Use a set and rep combination that adds up to a volume of 24 reps for that exercise:
1 x 24, 2 x 12, 3 x 8, 4 x 6 (more for size/endurance)
6 x 4, 8 x 3, 12 x 2, 24 x 1 (more for strength/power)
3 week strength progression or progressive wave load

Wk1: 6/5/4/4 or 2 x (6/5/4)
Wk2: 5/4/3/3 or 2 x (5/4/3)
Wk3: 4/3/2/2 or 2 x (4/3/2)
77
3 week size progression or progressive wave load

Wk 1: 15/12/10/10 or 2 x (15/12/10)
Wk 2: 12/10/8/8 or 2 x (12/10/8)
Wk3: 10/8/6/6 or 2 x (10/8/6)
Ladder
Perform 1 rep rest 10 – 15 seconds only, then perform 2 reps, continue in this style until you have
performed a final set of 10 reps (you will have performed a total of 55 reps)
Prop Forward Super Rugby

Couplets + Strongman
Squat Clean Clean Grip Squat Snatch + Power Snatch from Hang Clean +
+ Front Power Snatch Over Head Squat High Blocks + Push Squat Clean
Squat from Low Press Behind Neck from Hang
Block + Push
Press
Steel Log Good Power Clean Thick Bar from floor Power Snatch
Push Press + Morning + from High Block Zercher Lift + Squat from Low Block
Split Jerk Back Squat + Push Press + Step Up
Conan’s Band Bench Farmers Walk Incline Bench Press s/s Anchor Chain
Wheel Press s/s High Row Drag
Weighted
Chins
Prowler Push 3 Board Press Yoke Walk Seated DB Cleans s/s Viking Press
s/s Low Row Seated DB Shoulder
Press
78
Hypertrophy Program Provincial Level
Monday/Thursday (Chest/Back)
Bench Press s/s Prone Row (20/20's session)
Incline Bench Press s/s Pulldowns to Chest (4 x 6 variations)
DB Low Incline Press s/s One Arm DB Row (30's session)
Dips s/s Chins (1/2 Ladder)
Tuesday/Friday (Shoulders/Arms)
Seated Miltary Press from dead stop in racks set at shoulder height (4 x 6 variations)
Seated DB Shoulder Press (30's session)
Seated DB Lateral Raise (3 week Hypertrophy)
Bench Bar Close grip s/s Barbell Curls (4 x 6 variations)
Lying Triceps Extension s/s DB Twist Curls (30's session)
Triceps Pressdowns s/s DB Hammer Curls (3 week Hypertrophy)
Methods Explanations
All sets have between 60 - 90 seconds rest in between
20/20's session
3 x 5 with a 15 second rest between reps, then 5 x 1 with a 60 seconds rest between sets
4 x 6 variations
week 1: 4 x 6
week 2: 4 x (3/3) rest 20 seconds intra set
week 3: 4 x (2/2/2) rest 20 seconds intra set

79
30's session
Pick a weight you can get around 6 or 7 max, go to positive failure, only count the full reps with no
spot, rest 30 seconds and go again until you have completed 30 reps.
1/2 Ladder
Perform 1 rep rest 15 seconds then perform 2 reps rest 15 seconds continue until you complete 10
reps, starting weight is about 70% of your best for 1 or there abouts.
3 week Hypertrophy
week 1: 15/12/10/10
week 2: 12/10/8/8
week 3: 10/8/6/6
Loose Forward Super Rugby Level

Double Day Single Movement Program
6 Day Program
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Snatch from Clean & Block Split Block Power High Block High Block
Floor 12 x 2 Jerk Snatch + Push Clean + Push Power Snatch Power Clean
12 x 2 Press Behind Press 12 x 2 + Overhead + Push Press
Neck 12 x 2 Squat 12 x 2 12 x 2
Band Box Front Squat Cambered Bar Safety Bar Gorilla Grip Back Squat
Squat 8x3 Combo GM 8 Squats Dead Lift 8 x 8x3
8x3 x3 8x3 3
80
In Season Weight Training Programs/Plan 2011
Neural Group
2/3 days post Game – Heavy Full Body Power + Upper Body Strength option
2 days before Game – Light Full Body Power + Upper Body Strength option
Mechanical
2/3 days post game – Lower Body Strength/Power
3 days post Game – Upper Body Size/Strength or Full Body Strength + Size
2 days before Game - Light Full Body Power + Upper Body Strength option
Metabolic
2/3 days post Game – Metabolic Circuit + Tabata
3/4 days post Game – Full Body Strength
2 days before Game - Light Full Body Power + Upper Body Strength option
Metabolic Circuits
5/4/3/2/1 session
Power Clean or Pulls or Dead Lift 70% 5-4-3-2-1 (15 seconds between sets) then 3 minutes cardio
(not rower), rest 90 seconds repeat x 6
Power Circuit (5 x 5 + 500 metres row after each circuit @ <1:40, rest same time)
Power Snatch – Clean + Push Press from Blocks – Jammer – Power Tackler – Band Assisted Squat
Beastly Circuit - (6 sets x 6 reps then 3 minutes hard cardio)
Dead Lift/Power Clean from Hang/Front Squat/Push Press/ Bent Over Row / Romanian Dead Lift
81
Progressions Program (modified from Damian Marsh program idea)
Power Snatch Push Press Back Squat Chin Up Farmers Walk

Exercise
(PULL) (PUSH) (SQUAT) (BW/Calisthenic) (STRONGMAN)
Rep Range 2-3. 3-5. 5-8. 8-12. 200m
Sets 5 4 3 2 1
Rotation 1 Power Snatch
Rotation 2 Power Snatch Push Press
Rotation 3 Power Snatch Push Press Back Squat
Rotation 4 Power Snatch Push Press Back Squat Chin Up
Rotation 5 Power Snatch Push Press Back Squat Chin Up Farmers Walk
Full Body Power
Choose one exercise from each line
Power Clean/Power Snatch/Band Assisted Deadlift/Power Tackler
Jammer/Push Press/Split Jerk/Hammer Push-Pull
Jump Squat/Quarter Explosive Squat/Band Power Sprinter/Band or Chains Box Squat/Band Assisted
Squat/Weight Releaser Squat
Heavy: 6 sets x 3 reps @ 70 – 80%

Light: 3 sets x 6 reps @ 40 – 60%
Full Body Strength
1 x Olympic or Hamstring
1 x Upper Body Push
1 x Upper Body Pull
Week 1: 6/5/4/4
Week 2: 5/4/3/3
Week 3: 4/3/2/2
Lower Body Strength/Power
82
Week 1: 6/5/4/4
Week 2: 5/4/3/3
Week 3: 4/3/2/2
Upper Body Strength & Size
1 x Barbell (2 hands) Upper Body Push & Pull (Strength)
Week 1: 6/5/4/4
Week 2: 5/4/3/3
Week 3: 4/3/2/2
1 x KB or DB or Hammer Upper Body Push & Pull (Size)
Week 1: 12/10/8/8
Week 2: 10/8/6/6
Week 3: 8/6/4/4
83
Ashley Jones
International Strength and Conditioning Coach
Ashley Jones Ebook Series Distributed By Getstrength.com

Engineering Physical Performance

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Engineering Physical Performance

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2

Short Bio – Ashley Jones

This ebook is dedicated to a few people;

Page 1 Title Page

A few simple rules to train by:

Building a Better Strength and Conditioning Coach

What do I want to see, when I look at a resume?

1. Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (or equivalent) coaching qualifications

Three Simple Steps

In this system of programming I have adopted a three-step approach to delivering an appropriate

Weekly Planning Variations

Double Day Training

Upper/Lower Body Split

Power/Strength/Hypertrophy/Strong- man (Strength Endurance) Split

Westside Split (2 x Maximal Strength/2 x Speed)

Hypertrophy Blitz Split

Strength Quality Style Upper Body Lower Body

Loading Patterns & Training Methods

Strength Quality Intensity Sets/Reps Rest between

Beastly Complex 666 example

16. Westside Style.

24 x 1/12 x 2/8 x 3/6 x 4/4 x 6/3 x 8/2 x 12/1 x 24

4 x 6 – straight style with no rest in between each rep

4 x 3/3 – 3 reps rest 10 seconds then perform a further 3 reps

4 x 2/2/2 – 15 seconds rest in between each block of 2 reps

4 x 1/1/1/1/1/1 – 20 seconds rest between each single rep

19. Accentuated Eccentric. 3 – 6 sets x 1 – 6 reps at 80+% 1RM with a 4 – 6 second

Week Plan/Training Groups

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Full Body (3); or;

1 x Barbell Push/Pull superset

Full Body Strength/Power

Performance Core Loaded Exercises

3 – 5 exercises, 3 – 5 sets, 3 – 5 reps per set, 3 – 5 days per week

The Big Five

Performance Core Unloaded Exercises

2 – 3 exercises, 2 – 3 sets, 10 – 15 reps per set, 2 – 3 days per week

The Next Five

Speed Power Combo (All Groups)

Power Snatch or Power Clean 6 x 4

Bounding 4 x 50m (outsides) or 5 x 22m Repeat Long Jumps (everyone else)

High Pulls Snatch or Clean grip 8 x 3

Forwards: Sled Pulls – 6 x 25m

Deadlift or Romanian Deadlift or Glute Ham or Good Morning 4 x 6

Gym: Power Snatch from Blocks or Hang 8 x 3

Field: Harness + Release 22m resist then 28 m sprint x 6

Strongman Training for Sport

Momentum = Mass x Velocity

General exercises: Squats Performance Test: 10m Sprint time

M = m x v if velocity is maintained at 8 m/s and mass initially 100 kg increases to 105 kg

1. Train hard, train smart, train for results

Training by the Numbers

Training Month with Weekly Variations

* Olympic- Strength/Speed Movements (all workout weights are written as %)

Week 1 330 reps – Medium/Heavy Load 29%

Total for month – 1134 reps

What we do before Christmas dictates where we finish in May!

Monday Wednesday Friday

Core Push Press s/s with Band Bench s/s with

Upper Body Hypertrophy/Lower Body Strength Speed

Maximal Strength/Strength Speed/Strength Endurance

Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3

Steel Log Clean & Press

Lower Body Dominant