Product Description

This book delivers training information which takes account of the fact that the rugby players outside the top flight have to balance many life commitments. This book addresses this problem - high commitment; limited training opportunities and answers questions such as:

"If I can only commit to two or three hours per week what is the best use of the time?"

"I am unable and unwilling to follow a steamed fish and broccoli diet but would still like to understand what role diet can realistically take in my regime."

"How do I set realistic targets and remain motivated on the way to achieving them?"

Written in conjunction with the Lilleshall Human Performance Centre it guides the reader through designing, delivering and maintaining an optimum and time-efficient training schedule for the amateur player seeking to maximise their potential without sacrificing a healthy balanced life.

Whilst most of the market is taken up with in-depth studies of every area of conditioning, none take account of the fact that the majority of players need to balance work, and home life with their sport. Players may be committed to making a positive difference through conditioning but are not able or willing to make the sacrifices which characterise the training regimes of the elite athletes.

Consumers of the book will be men and women who play rugby of both codes and who enjoy rugby as a part of a varied, normal life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39290 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

Synopsis
This training manual will be the first in a series of titles, containing the same core information, appealing to tennis, netball, soccer players and possibly for other sports too. "Rugby for Real" covers all aspects of conditioning for rugby, from fitness drills and exercise programmes to motivation and diet. The focus market is rugby players outside the professional rank - keen amateurs.

From the Back Cover
No doubt that you will have read, or at least seen, a number of publications that promise to transform you and your body into a world class Rugby Adonis with the absolute minimum of effort.

This is not such a book.

Or perhaps you have read the books which in endless detail describe what to do with your eight hour training days and discuss the importance of steamed fish and broccoli diets?

This is not such a book.

This manual is aimed at the person who enjoys rugby as a single part of a varied life. You may have to balance work, your family and your sport. Until now it has been difficult to decide exactly what to do with the time that you want to commit to preparation for rugby. It is just how to get maximum "bang-for-your-buck" that this book addresses. It is a concise reference for those who want information that they can quickly understand and then use to help in their quest to ensure that they get all that they want out of their game. It is designed to give you an edge. It is important to note that you will not find pages of team or squad drills - this book is about you and your preparation for your sport.

"I believe that this will be of great value to players seeking to develop the physical conditioning aspects of their preparation for Rugby."
Clive Woodward

"Clear, informative and encouraging to players modeling themselves on today's top athletes. Packed with top quality professional input from the guys at Lilleshall."
Sean Long - St.Helens RLFC & Great Britain

"Whether for Union or League; this is just the type of resource for anyone, playing at any level, wishing to gain an extra a physical edge for their game."
Scott Gibbs - Widnes RLFC, NS Ospreys, Wales & British Lions.

"This book fills the gap between tactics and team conditioning drills beautifully. It offers the individual player the resources of the professional athlete in a very useable format."
Robert Jones MBE - Wales, British Lions & Adviser for Dragons Rugby Trust

About the Author
Chris Sheryn
A highly experienced consultant from the field of international commerce Chris enjoyed a successful amateur rugby career. A qualified strength development coach, his work with Lilleshall over recent years has helped to provide a practical resource for the thousands of sportspeople who have the drive to maximise their potential but a need to maintain a healthy balance between life and sport.

Conrad Phillips
A former Great Britain and RAF Team Coach, Conrad is a UK Athletics Coach and a BWLA Instructor. He has produced a National medal winner, an International Athlete or a British Record Holder every year since he began coaching in 1969. He is Chairman of The Staff Coach Council, Tutor for the new UKA Coach Education programme and he currently advises a number of premiership rugby players and teams on speed and strength development. Conrad is a former 100m champion.

Phil Newton
Phil is Director of the Lilleshall Sports Injury & Human Performance Centre and a Chartered & State Registered Physiotherapist. Specialising in sports injuries and rehabilitation he has been working with elite athletes from many sports for over fifteen years. He is the Head of Professional Footballers Association Injury Rehabilitation Centre and a Member of The Lawn Tennis Association Physiotherapy Committee.
Phil is also the England Squash Team Physiotherapist.

Pauline Newton
A Chartered & State Registered Physiotherapist, Pauline has a wealth of experiment working in injury rehabilitation and few in the UK have more experience helping athletes return to competitive action.
Pauline's most recent experience has seen her emphasise contact sports whilst maintaining her work with international racquet sport squads from around the world.

Sam Howells
Sam is a Graduate of Loughborough University and holds a Bsc Physical Education and a Masters Degree in Sports Science. A well published writer on many areas of sports science, Sam has a high level of experience supporting many elite athletes in a wide variety of sporting arenas. Her duties as Senior Sports Physiologist involves support for numerous elite rugby players in the professional and amateur ranks in both Union and League.

Customer Reviews

Great Resource
This is a book to help you on the field and off the field. It will give you training programs for the season and the off season; Weights, Cardio, Windsprints and much much more. This book is clear, informative, encouraging and challenging. This is a resource no rugby player should be without.

Rugby training for real...
This is not a book about rugby tactics, skills and positional play of which there are many different good and bad books already in existance, this instead focuses on the kind of physical training needed to be done to be successful (or even just survive) in a rugby game.

Though in five chapters the book falls into roughly three areas; how to assess your current level of fitness and strength, what type of exercises should be done to improve your weaker areas and finally tips on nutrition to help you along. However this is not aimed at professionals or top players but rather the great mass of social rugby players that make up the grass roots of our game. Important themes for the amateur player are discussed such as the machines versus free weights arguements or how to do your training outside the gym if you don't have the finances or time to use one. Simple questions that many players may be embarrassed to ask team mates or gym buddies about are answered such as how to do a proper warm up and what plyometrics are. Finally the last chapter takes an interesting approach to nutrition accepting that alcohol and take-aways are part of the life of social rugby player, so therefore guides you to the best nutritional decisions to make if you are faced with a night out for a curry then the pub afterwards!

I think this book would be particularly useful to social players wanting to make simple and easy improvements to their lifestyle to help there rugby, be they young players just entering the adult game needing to 'beef up', older players wanting to try and keep up with the new kids, a player trying to break into the first team at a social club or a team thats decided this year if they put a bit more effort they can get to the local cup final.

I am a young, fairly recently qualified rugby coach and I have found this book useful for helping me give advice to my players (who are students so as such may not have the healthiest lifestyles). I imagine coaches of similar social orientated but competetive teams may also find this book useful, either for themselves or to recommend to their players.

Comprehensive, straightforward and versatile
Whether your using a gym, a field, your home or a combination of these its a great book for helping you get started on the basics of progressing with Rugby specific training. Good info, easy to follow and carry around - you can find good generic training info as well as specifics for e.g. sprint training, speed stamina, muscle building - no gimicks here, just solid advice.