Ashley Jones Q&A Archives Page 4

[sthompson@getstrength.com]

Hi Ash, enjoyed your Day in the life of Strength Coach article, simple straight to the point and you even included some of your “personal” things in their like breathing meditation which was cool!!!

How would I be able to get a programme from you Ash for league season? I’m keen to get some from you so I can 1) learn more this is the major reason 2) improve my performance, I’m no kiwi league player and don’t intend to be however I have my own version of personal excellence that I aspire to!

I realize this maybe a big ask but if you don’t ask you don’t get and hey I can handle a No J

Anyway brother thanks for your writings they are a nice simple effective read without the EGO that comes through from other professionals articles!

Enhancing Human Performance Ltd

Spida Hunter
Performance Trainer/NZ Fitness Expert

Hi Spida, thanks for your feedback, I am sorry but I can not design you a full program, but if you glean the basics form my articles and send me a program that you have put together I would be happy to adjust a few things if I thought it would make it better, again just stick with the basics and you can not go wrong, my whole career I have emphasised that the key to programming is to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, I see a lot of programs that are just far too complicated to get results, cheers, ash

Hey Ashley,
How is it going? First of all i have to give you some credit on your articles they are fantastic.

To introduce myself I am Dustin and i play scrumhalf here in the united states, i have been on the fringes of the u18,u19, and u20 national set up for sometime now and i was wondering if you could help me out a bit.

What i’m looking for is maybe some excersizes or programs that the pro scrum halves use to a.)strengthen their pass b.) increase pass distance and c.) make the pass overall more explosive and quicker.

Right now i have a pretty decent pass off both hands and i try to spend as much time as possible passing, i can pass about 18m off my right hand and 17m off my left hand straight off the ground, without the scrum half hop. I am basically looking for excersizes that strengthen the pass overall.

I know you probably get a ton of emails and are very busy with the crusaders, but if you could answer this question for me i would greatly appreciate it! Thank you Ashley.

– Dustin
Hi there Dustin, glad you have got something out of the posts to date, we specifically use the Gilbert weighted rugby ball for a lot of our pass specific strength training, just be careful since the laws of specificity come into play with the strengthening of a skill activity and if you do too much of the weighted ball work it may work against you, sets of 5 passes with the weighted ball then sets of 5 with the regular ball would work well, I will check with our rugby development managers and see what specific drill they have and will forward them on via this site, cheers, and all the best, ashley

Hi Ashley,
My name Matias from Argentina, Im a 23 year old rugby player, midfield back, 1.78 cm 90kg. I play in Argentina premier Division and Im also a IRANZ graduate from february 2007.
I have benn struggling for a couple of years with a tendinopahty on the patella tendon caused by a disbalance in the quad, the outside side muscles are more powerfull than the inside muscles.
Recently by suggestion of my physio I bought a Globus muscle stimulator to train the specific muscles and I wanted to ask you how I can combine the work in the gym (mini squats, legs extensions, step ups) with muscle stimulator work.
I ve read a reaserch from french scientists of muscle stimulation on elite rugby players, but they dont specify if the players continue with gym work or just only rugby training.
I ll attach the reaserch if you want to read it.
Many Thanks, regards.
MATIAS

Thanks for your details and the pdf file of the research study with the EMS, I really feel that isolated use of EMS is not warranted and that it should be a supplement to an overall strength program, to ensure transfer of strength to rugby activities which are never just isolated single muscle events,, so i would definitely be following a comprehensive strength/power program whilst undergoing EMS treatment, you could use it as a potentiator prior to the strength training, so firing the motor units with the EMS and then training them in multi join compound movements, and then also potentially as a recovery technique post training as well, all the best with your treatment and training, ashley

Hi Ash,

My name is Gavin. I am in collage in Ireland and play rugby for Buccaneers a second division AIL team.

I am 20 years of age and my weight is 96 kg. Height is 1.80m. My position a little bit undecided as I play 7

and 1st centre and occasionally at hooker. I take part in three squad sessions a week and a match at the weekend.

I would like to add in another two to three sessions for gym and fitness. My aim is to tone up and get a bit quicker on

my feet and I would be grateful if you could provide me with a programme to accomplish this.

Many thanks

Gavin.

Hi Ash,

My name is Paul I am 20 years of age, I am currently playing with buccaneers a division 2 side in Ireland and some of my team mates advised me

to contact you to help me to get weights and fitness program.

Currently I am weighing in between 83 Kg and 85 Kg, 178 cm height.

I`m looking to bulk up while maintain my fitness. I was wondering if you could help me achieve this.

I am currently training 3 times a week and have 1 game a week, I would like to do 3-4 gym sessions a week and if you think this is to much could you advised me other wise. I have just come back from a broken leg so im really trying to bulk my legs up. It would be much appreciated if I could here back from you.

Best regards

Paul

Hi Gavin and Paul, I know you sent me separate email questions but I can deal with your questions together as you both come from the same club in Ireland as well maybe you can pass the material on to your fellow players and get together and train in the gym as well.

Mondays – Full Body Strength

Select exercises (4 in total) from options chart, stay with same exercises for 3 weeks, then select similar but different exercises and start the three week program again

1 x Olympic or Hamstring/Lower Back

1 x Bilateral or Unilateral Squat

1 x Upper Body Vertical or Horizontal Push

1 x Upper Body Vertical or Horizontal Pull

Weeks
Size Group
Strength/Power

1
8,6,4
6,5,4

2
5 x 5
5,4,3

3
6 x 4
4,3,2

Tuesdays or Wednesday – Speed/Power complex (Alternating speed activities with gym based power training.)

Group 1 – Band Box Squat/1/4 Explosive Squat/Band Power Sprinter/Jump Split Squats

Group 2 – Power Tackler/Block Clean or Pull/Power Snatch/Hammer Push-Pull

Group 3 – Rack Split Jerk/Jammer/Band or Weight Release Bench Press/Push Press

Group 4 – Box Jumps/Knees to Feet Jumps/Seated to Box Jumps/Band Horizontal Jumps

Alternate each week:

Weeks 1 & 3 – 5 sets of 3 reps

Weeks 2 & 4 – 3 sets of 5 reps

Thursday – Upper Body

1 x Upper body Horizontal Push Pull super sets

1 x Upper Body Vertical Push Pull super sets

Select exercises (4 in total) from options chart, stay with same exercises for 3 weeks

Weeks
Size Group
Strength/Power

1
8,6,4
6,5,4

2
5 x 5
5,4,3

3
6 x 4
4,3,2

For the footwork we always include a lot of ladder sequences into a 10 – 15 metreacceleration during our speed warm ups, we will do ballistic movements first, either plyo jumps or KB swings or MB throws then into the gym for exercise group 1, then out side for assisted speed work then back into the gym for group 2 exercises, then outside again for maximal speed work then back int the gym for group three then back outside for resisted methods and finally to the gym to complete the speed power combo session. Hope this helps you guys out and all the best for your season, cheers, ash

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