Author: Ashley Jones

I was recently in Tokyo and was able to spend time with a colleague and friend Andrew Jackson, formerly of Christchurch, but now Head strength and conditioning coach of Ricoh rugby club, based in Setagaya, Tokyo. Ricoh is one of the 14 teams that make up the Top League competition within the Japan Rugby Union….

As Thibadeau has been quoted as saying “complexity is the language of simple minds” this being a truism, I would like to believe that the reverse is also true that simplicity is the outcome of a complex questioning mind. I am a Physical Performance coach for rugby, so I have to juggle all the physical training…

Block work I believe is a much under used modality for training, often just the domain of Olympic lifters, it can add both variety and supplement your more traditional training elements. A good solid set of pulling blocks should form the cornerstone of every gym from the garage dwellers to Olympic training centres around the world. By performing…

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…

Author Ashley Jones A few years ago I wrote an article for Milo on using three exercises of a similar theme in sequence, increasing load moving from one to the next. My rationale for the use of these triplets is that they cater for my needs of an intense short duration workout that I can…

1. Cambered Bar Shoulder Press Usually a bar you associate with squatting and good morning but press it overhead and reap the benefits to the rotator cuffs and the stabilisation of the trunk as the bar swings slightly out of alignment as you press it overhead. Watch you don’t catch you hands on the support racks…