Unlocking Forward Power: Key Performance Indicators and Gym Strategies

Who are the powerhouse players who are crucial to the success of every rugby team? The forwards!

Understanding the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for forwards is vital for maximizing performance on the field, and I’m here to guide you through what you need to focus on in the gym to achieve those KPIs.

1. Scrum Strength
Your ability to generate power in scrums is essential. This KPI measures maximum strength and stability when engaging in scrums. It’s a tough old game if you can’t secure ball for the backs when it’s your scrum…

2. Tackle Efficiency
The ability to effectively tackle opponents, which is critical for gaining possession and defending against the opposition.

3. Lineout Jumping
Forwards need to excel in jumping for lineouts, which requires explosive leg power and timing.

4. Work Rate 
We use a combination of “explosive distance” and “metres-per-minute” at Biella Rugby to define our work rate. This is all about endurance and ability to maintain intensity throughout the game. It’s not the most complete metric (what about contacts and collisions), but it is a simple metric we can review and track over games.

5. Body Composition
Maintaining an optimal balance of muscle mass and body fat is crucial for power, speed, and overall performance.

So how do you smash these KPIs?

To reach these KPIs, it’s essential to implement a targeted training regimen in the gym. Here are some effective strategies that I recommend:

1. Strength Training for Scrum Power
- Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Push Press, and trunk work!
- Aim for low-rep, high-weight sets (3-5 reps anywhere between 75 - 90% depending on the phase) to build maximal strength.
- Once a week is fine if you’re already strong, twice a week is what we do on the upper body, with once a week lower body because of running volume during the training week.

2. Tackle Technique and Power
- Power Cleans, Snatch, and loaded jumps.
- These explosive movements will help us develop the fast-twitch muscle fibers necessary for effective tackling. It goes without saying, you need to be practicing your tackle technique once a week as well!

3. Explosive Jump Training for Lineouts
- Box Jumps, Depth Jumps, and Olympic Lifts.
- I tend to follow this cycle throughout the season: 
“Height - Contact - Repeats” (if you want more info on that -ask!). 
- Implement plyometric exercises to improve explosive power. 
- Aim for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps with maximum effort.

4. Endurance and Work Rate Training
- Circuit Training and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
- Did you see my recent instagram post where the front row were getting after it on the assault bike superset with a DB complex?!
- Try 30s on / off (EMOTM) for 6 rounds…3 mins rest…repeat…

5. Body Composition Management
- Nutrition and Conditioning.
- Definitely consider working with a nutritionist to optimize your diet for muscle gain and fat loss. Combining weight training with cardio will help maintain a healthy body composition.
- Check out the video below if you’re someone who struggles a bit to stick to a nutritional plan. 

Remember:

Set Specific Goals
It’s important to identify the KPIs you want to improve and set measurable goals. For example, we could aim to increase your squat weight by 10% over a 6 week block - actionable, specific and either a secondary or tertiary transfer to the pitch for most players. 

Track Progress
I encourage you to use a training log to monitor your lifts, conditioning sessions, and body composition changes.

Engage in Team Practices
It’s important to apply what you work on in the gym during team training sessions to ensure the skills transfer effectively to match situations.

Forwards play a pivotal role in the game. By focusing on these KPIs and gym strategies, you can significantly enhance your performance on the field. Remember, consistency is key, and every training session counts!

Thanks for reading this far! This blog post was actually my newsletter a few weeks ago, be sure to sign-up so you don’t miss out on rugby related S&C news.

Forza. 

Fraser.