Ben,
I’m not sure if you are able to determine what a percentage of your aerobic capacity is unless you are using a VO2max test to train with. You can use HR percentages which is a good indication of where an athlete is working. Also don’t forget that when an athlete hits their lactate threshold (100% aerobic effort??) aerobic activity becomes anaerobic (this is around 80%max HR).
I know this question wasn’t intended for me, but considering you don’t have an answer yet, I thought I would throw my 2 bobs worth in.
Aerobic conditioning for any contact sport (Union, League, AFL, NFL, etc) would vary for each sport but also for each position. Forwards, generally don’t have a need for as much aerobic capacity as backs do therefore you wouldn’t train everyone under the same umbrella.
I’ve been training Rugby League guys for a little while and time of the training season has had an impact on what type of conditioning I’ve used. Early in pre-season, I worked on 400m-200m running with 1:1 work to rest ratio. As you shorten the distance, increase the rest for some sessions to work on quality speed or shorten it for others to get a metabolic conditioning effect.
In the gym, it’s difficult to measure everyone’s output on different pieces of equipment so just give them a time to go hard (maybe 60-90secs), then change it up (like a circuit) or for more endurance then maybe 3-5mins on each station, then rotate. Use your imagination and see if it works….I don’t think there are any ‘right’ answers, just try and see.
Regards,
Matt