How to – Stay in Top Condition

AS THE festive season looms, you will need to manage your time and social life well, writes John Dams, Harlequins’ head of strength and conditioning. So while others take a break from training, it’s your turn to work harder than everyone else.

Warm-up

Lateral hurdle walkovers are good for improving mobility around the hips, while the wall slide is a thoracic mobility exercise.

  • Lateral hurdle walkovers (left): put hands on head. Keep chest high and legs straight. Step over without breaking at the hip
  • Sharman wall slide (right): Sit up against a wall with a small bend in knee and arms on wall. Keep lower back against wall
  • Push hands and elbows up and down the wall

Key movement I

Stay focused on training despite festive distractions. These two intense lower-limb lifts will help you through to the New Year.

  • Box squat (left): use box positioned at appropriate height, with thighs slightly below parallel
  • Keep weight through heels. Control descent to box, pause, lift
  • Pistol squat (right): use band or rope to assist movement
  • On a single leg, sit down as deep as you can and then push up

Key movement II

This chins-dips superset will help you add volume to the upper body and drive down body fat – useful at this time of year.

  • Perform one set then the other with no rest between exercises
  • Chin-up (left): keep chest up and get your chin over the bar
  • Bar dips (right): position bars a little wider than shoulder width. Support body weight through hands
  • Lower chest until 90° bend at the elbow and push back up

Conditioning Tool

Wrestle mania! These are two intensive conditioning tools to help you maintain that physical edge.

  • Thai-style clinch (left): start with one hand on back of partner’s head and on ‘go’ work to gain head control with two hands there
  • Greco-Roman wrestle: aim to get two arms around partner above the hips. Start with one arm under theirs
  • On ‘go’, work to get both hands around partner

This article appeared in the December 2012 issue of Rugby World Magazine.

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