If you want to excel on the rugby field your training off it has to cover a lot of bases. You need to be fit enough to cover a lot of ground at speed, powerful and agile enough to charge past your opponents, and strong enough to ensure they don’t charge past you.
That goes for all kinds of rugby, but it’s especially the case with sevens, where the pitch size remains the same as in 15-a-side rugby but your team size drops to seven. That means each player has to cover a huge amount of ground and make a massive number of tackles in every match.
A strong core is central to success in a game of sevens, because it provides the foundations of the all-round fitness required. Below you’ll find a six-move core circuit devised for the England Sevens team by their strength and conditioning coach Tom Farrow, ahead of the HSBC London Sevens tournament this weekend in Twickenham.
“Within our England team training programme, we include this type of circuit one to three times a week,” says Farrow. “The main purpose of the circuit is to develop the muscles of the trunk to improve the players’ strength and endurance. The trunk is key to all athletic movements within rugby sevens, and any other running- or contact-based sport, because all the force that a player is required to withstand is transmitted through the trunk.”
The six moves of the circuit should be done in order without breaks for a total of three minutes of work. Then rest for one minute and run through the circuit again. Aim for three to five rounds in total.
Rugby Sevens Core Workout
1 Bowl hold
Time 20sec
Lie on your back with your arms extended behind your head.
“Keeping your arms and legs straight, simultaneously lift all your limbs off the ground slightly to form a bowl shape,” says Farrow. “Hold, making sure to keep your lower back on the ground throughout.”
2 Lateral long lever V-sit
Time 20sec each side
Lie on your side with your legs straight and held just off the ground, your left arm out to the side and your right arm stretched out behind your head.
“Keeping your right arm and both legs straight, bring your right arm and legs up to meet in the middle,” says Farrow. “Then reverse the movement, bringing your arm behind your head and legs back to the floor. Work continuously for 20 seconds and then repeat on the other side.”
3 Leg flutters
Time 20sec
Lie on your back and lift your arms and legs slightly off the floor.
“It’s a similar start position to the bowl hold, but your shoulders don’t need to come as far off the floor,” says Farrow. “Keep your lower back on the floor – you can put your hands under your bum if it helps – and your legs straight. Flutter your legs up and down slightly until the time is up.”
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4 Lying back extension
Time 20sec
Lie on your front and put your hands behind your head.
“Keep your feet and hips on the floor and, keeping your hands behind your head, lift your torso as high as you can, then return to the start position,” says Farrow.
5 Crunch
Time 20sec
“Start with your feet on the floor, knees bent and arms across your chest,” says Farrow. “Contract your abs to bring your shoulders as far off the floor as you can, keeping your lower back on the floor. Return to the starting position and keep repeating the movement at a steady tempo.”
6 Crunch hold and rotate
Time 20sec each side
“Start sitting up with your feet on the floor and knees up,” says Farrow. “Lean back until you find the ‘nasty place’ – the position you feel you can hold just before you fall backwards – and then hold that position. From there, rotate as far to the side as you can, then come back to centre. Perform all your reps rotating one way for 20 seconds, and then for the next 20 seconds rotate the other way.”
The HSBC London Sevens comes to Twickenham Stadium on 25-26 May 2019. For more information and to book tickets, visit englandrugby.com/tickets
