Everyone is in search of the best program, the best way and in the fastest time. When you begin the quest for strength, you always feel that you need to know more.By Damian Marsh Athletic Performance Coordinator ACT Brumbies Rugby Union, Australia A man was travelling in his car when he came to an intersection not knowing which way to go. Luckily he saw two gentlemen on the corner. “Excuse me” the traveller asked, “Can you point me in the direction of the land of strength?” The men … [Read more...] about The Roads to Rome
The Holy Grail Grail – Damian Marsh
The search for the perfect program. It is a romance that I will take to my grave. Years of reading, watching, doing and asking, yet I am no closer to the strength man’s Holy Grail. What would it look like? What would it entail? Basic compound movements? Surely. It would probably start with an athletic powerful movement. Something like a power clean I’m sure. Something that expresses strength and power in equal servings. Next would be a heavy movement for the legs. We … [Read more...] about The Holy Grail Grail – Damian Marsh
Variation on a Theme -Overload Variations – Part 1 – Damian Marsh
Introduction In our quest for size strength and power it is easy to stay on the same path, to do what we are familiar with, what we like doing. We all have our “go to” methods which we believe gives us results. However, the body is an amazingly adaptive organism. Sometimes we need to head in a completely different direction compared to our “normal” training. In this context, normal is a relative word. It may be that we need to start straining under the bar with close to maximum poundages for … [Read more...] about Variation on a Theme -Overload Variations – Part 1 – Damian Marsh
Speed & Agility Training for Rugby – The Warm Up – Damian Marsh
Introduction A general warm up can be used to increase the core temperature of the body consisting of general running, stretching and dynamic range of motion exercises. However, the latter stage of the warm up can be made more productive by incorporating drils that aid in technical development or specificaly lead into the type of speed or agility session to be performed. The folowing drils are some examples of drils to use in the warm up that have a specific focus. Where possible they can be … [Read more...] about Speed & Agility Training for Rugby – The Warm Up – Damian Marsh