Let’s be honest who couldn’t benefit from packing on some extra muscle before the next rugby season rolls around. You have probably been checking out some of your opposition and noticed you will be playing against some big units. Now you need to know how to quickly bulk up and get jacked so you will be Moari side stepping your opposition all season. In this article we will explain exactly how to add lean slabs of beef to your frame.
How do you get big for rugby? To get big for rugby you need to eat ALOT! You need to get in more calories than you are burning. If you combine a calorie surplus diet made up of red meat, pasta, fruit, veggies and rice with rugby and strength training multiple times a week you will get big.
If you eat a calorie surplus the number on your scale will go up. However, whether those extra kilos will be muscle or fat is based on the size of your calorie surplus, the types of foods you are consuming, your genetics and your training routine.
Calorie Surplus
At the start of your bulk you need to start slow (the tortoise and the hare my son!). Ideally, you should be eating 250-500 daily calorie surplus. You can get a general idea of how many calories you should be consuming by using an online calorie calculator. They aren’t the best but they will at least give you a bit of info. Once you start bulking track your weekly weight and if the scale isn’t moving just eat more food. If you are gaining weight too quickly then slow down and put less on your fork. Continue bulking until you hit your goal weight. You can do it!
What Is The Best Diet For Rugby?
If you eat like shit you are going to look like shit. If you bulk on garbage food then all those extra kilos you have put on will end up being fat and water rather than stone like muscle.
To ensure as much of the weight you put on is lean muscle you need to smash the protein and eat healthy natural foods. The goal should be 1 gram of protein for every 1 pound of your body weight. For example if you are a big boy and weigh 210 pounds then you need to be consuming 210 grams of protein per day. Your diet should consist of red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables, rice, pasta and fruit. If you follow this diet and get your protein in you become very large and very scary in quick succession.
Genetics
Unfortunately your genetics play a big role in how much muscle you get stack on when you bulk. Some people are just god gifted and can easily and quickly build muscle. You will have seen these people they often don’t train or eat much but they still have enviable biceps and shredded abs. Don’t worry if you don’t have god tier genetics all healthy teenagers and young men can put on a large amount of muscle through healthy diet and effective training.
Training Routine
If you want your muscles to grow then you have to be prepared to train hard. Just training rugby will stimulate your muscles and cause them to grow. However, to grow your muscles to their full potential you need to be in the weight room. Your weight lifting training should focus on the big 3, bench, deadlift and squat. You should add different strength exercises to supplement those big 3. If you combine your rugby training with strength training 3 times a week get ready to upgrade your wardrobe because you are going to turn yourself into a big boy.
How Do You Get Stronger Legs For Rugby?
How do you get stronger legs for Rugby? To develop stronger legs for rugby you need to increase your volume of contact rugby training (tackling, cleaning out, scrumming). You should add sprints to your training and leg specific weight training exercises such as squats, barbell jumps and lunges to your regime.
Rugby requires big and strong legs. Rugby is very taxing on the legs particularly the quads. Sprinting, driving, tackling, stepping and cleaning out are all common movements in rugby and are heavy leg exercises which will fatigue your legs very quickly if they aren’t strong.
The best ways to get stronger legs for rugby:
- Contact Training – If you want to develop your legs for the specific movements found in rugby then you need to practice them, you need to be being lots of tackling, rucking, scrumming, cleaning out and mauling drills to build the exact leg strength you need for rugby, if you perform contact training over and over again your legs will become like steel
- Sprints – To develop your legs for wrestling you need to practice exactly what your legs are going to be doing during a match, you should be live wrestling at every training session, as you can over train doing too much high intensity live wrestling you should mix in more play wrestling and positional live work at lower intensities, this will allow you to live wrestle for longer and more frequently allowing your legs to become stronger
- Leg focused strength training – Increasing the muscle mass of your legs will make them stronger, strength training is one of the most effective ways to make muscle grow and become stronger, If you want to develop your legs you should train them 1-2 times a week and focus on exercises such as squats, leg extensions, barbell jumps, lunges
Do You Have To Be Strong To Be A Rugby Player?
Do you have to be strong to be a rugby player? Yes, you have to be strong to be a good rugby player. That doesn’t mean you need to be able to deadlift 300kg. It does mean you need to be strong enough to break and finish tackles, maintain position at the breakdown and clean out effectively for the whole game. This requires a strong core, legs, back, legs,arms and neck.
How Can I Improve My Stamina For Rugby?
How can I improve my stamina for rugby? To improve your stamina for rugby you need to improve your technical ability, your breathing method (regular nose breathing for the whole game), and your cardio (increase the amount of contact training, more sprints).
The best ways to improve your stamina for rugby:
- Technical Efficiency – The better your technique is the easier it will be for your body to perform, for example if you are trying to lift your teammate during a lineout by using your back and arms you are going get tired very quickly, however if you have your hips in and use your legs it will feel effortless, better technique = better stamina, the effective way to increase your technique is to practice for hours and constantly fix all of your mistakes, ask your coach to watch your technique and get him to continually fix your form
- Breathing Technique – Rugby requires is a very cardio intensive sport and therefore requires a lot of oxygen, many rugby players forget to breathe due to the high stress nature of the sport or breathe incorrectly, to boost your stamina breath correctly by taking big controlled nose breathes throughout your rugby game, as you a performing an explosive move you can quickly breathe out of your nose like a boxer, these breathing methods will give you a big stamina boost
- Cardio Training – If you want to play a full rugby match to your full potential then your body must be able to maintain a high heart rate for a long time, the best way to train your cardio for rugby is contact drills and mock games, as you can’t always do contact training you should add hill sprints and 400m sprints to your training regime
How Do Rugby Players Get So Muscular?
How do rugby players get so muscular? Rugby players get so muscular due to the nature of the sport which places a lot of stress on the neck, back, legs and arms causing them to become highly developed. Rugby players further grow their muscles by performing weight training and strength exercises. Many rugby players also have low body fat percentages which gives them the illusion of being more muscular than they really are.
Conclusion
If you want to be a top rugby player you need to be big and strong. The best method to get big for rugby is eating a calorie surplus made up of high protein and healthy foods such as steak, eggs, fruits and veggies. Then combine this diet with consistent rugby and strength training. If you follow the aforementioned method you will get jacked and be easily running over or palming your opposition.
