In this episode of the Rugby Muscle Podcast, I open up about the biggest mistake I made as a strength & conditioning coach — one that held back my athletes and limited progress more than I realized at the time. It’s a commonly overlooked piece of the puzzle, but once I fixed it, the results changed fast. If you’re serious about rugby performance, this one’s for you.


00:00 Intro
01:29 Early Coaching Philosophy and Mistakes
02:48 The Shift in Training Philosophy
05:17 Realization Through Endurance Athletes
07:21 Implementing Aerobic Work
09:03 Wrap up


You can now register for the Rugby Specific Fitness Masterclass here: https://rugby-muscle.com/fitness-workshop

Join Team Rugby Muscle

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint

Support the show

In this episode of the Rugby Muscle Podcast challenges conventional notions of rugby toughness and offers a fresh perspective on what it truly means to be tough on the rugby pitch...

In this episode:
00:00 Intro
01:12 Defining Toughness – It’s not just physical grit
02:08 What actually matters
03:10 My Experience – How aerobic capacity changed my game
06:36 Mental Toughness
07:20 Consistency Wins – Building habits that last
09:29 Final Thoughts


Join Team Rugby Muscle

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint

How to Actually Get Tough for Rugby Without the Bullshit
tags: rugby training, rugby toughness, strength for rugby, conditioning for rugby, rugby muscle podcast, rugby fitness, how to get tough for rugby, rugby strength training, mental toughness in rugby, rugby endurance, rugby mindset, smart rugby training, real rugby training, rugby workout, rugby tips, rugby performance, rugby athlete, training without the bs

Support the show

Optimizing a Real Rugby S&C Program

In this episode, I break down a real rugby strength and conditioning program sent in by a listener. I talk about the balance between keeping training simple enough to be consistent, but complex enough to actually work. I go through each part of the program—from warm-ups to main lifts and conditioning—explaining what works, what doesn’t, and why.


In this episode:
00:00 – Intro
00:24 – Reviewing a listener’s program
03:22 – Program breakdown
08:44 – Conditioning and cardio finishers
11:41 – Day 2 & Day 3 review
20:08 – Final thoughts


Join Team Rugby Muscle

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint

Support the show

Optimizing Off-Season, Pre-Season, and In-Season Training for Amateur Rugby Players

In this episode, I explain how to train smart through the off-season, pre-season, and in-season as an amateur rugby player. I break down why pro-level S&C plans don’t work for most people and share a realistic year-round approach to strength, fitness, and performance.


00:00 Introduction
01:26 Common Misconceptions About Training Phases
04:12 The Rugby Muscle Model Explained
05:29 Off-Season
08:28 Pre-Season
11:31 In-Season
13:55 Recap and Final Thoughts
14:47 Wrap up



Join Team Rugby Muscle
https://rugby-muscle.com/team

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C
https://rugby-muscle.com/aaa

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint
https://rugby-muscle.com/blueprint

Support the show

In this Rugby Muscle podcast episode we've got listener questions about zone 2 calculations, effective aerobic training strategies, best ways to improve flexibility for older athletes, and how to maintain fitness while recovering from an injury.

Join Team Rugby Muscle
https://rugby-muscle.com/team

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C
https://rugby-muscle.com/aaa

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint
https://rugby-muscle.com/blueprint

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

01:27 Question 1: Importance of Aerobic Training

07:03 Question 2: Improving Flexibility

13:58 Question 3: Training with Osteitis Pubis

19:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Support the show

Many rugby athletes find themselves falling for this law with their strength and conditioning, it's a very easy mistake to make and never recognise... hence this podcast where you'll understand how focusing on specific metrics, like penalties or weight targets, can sabotage overall performance, and outcomes.



Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C
https://rugby-muscle.com/aaa

Get early access to the ALL-NEW 5-day Rugby Athlete Blueprint
https://rugby-muscle.com/blueprint

Join Team Rugby Muscle
https://rugby-muscle.com/team

Support the show

To play your best Rugby you need to be fit, but you also need to be big, strong and powerful. In this episode you'll learn how you can do that within a single week and become a weapon of a rugby player

Get personalised 1on1 Coaching from me for S&C
https://rugby-muscle.com/aaa

Join Team Rugby Muscle
https://rugby-muscle.com/team

00:00 Introduction: Are You Training Effectively for Rugby?

01:48 Understanding Training High: Strength, Power, and Speed

02:41 Training Heavy: Building Strength for Rugby

05:02 Training Fast: Enhancing Speed and Explosiveness

07:30 Training Low: Developing Your Aerobic Engine

13:04 Blending High and Low Training for Optimal Performance

15:14 Conclusion: Train Smart, Dominate on Game Day

Support the show

In this episode of the Rugby Muscle Podcast, we'll go through 15 common mistakes that rugby players make during their off-season training, preventing them from achieving optimal results.

To apply for one of the limited spots for 1on1 Off-Season Coaching:
https://rugby-muscle.com/cta-6551

To join Team Rugby Muscle
https://rugby-muscle.com/team

00:00 Off-Season Training

02:19 1. You don’t have a plan—just workouts.

03:07 2. You have a plan—but it's copied from another sport.

03:56 3. You think off-season = bulking time.

05:20 4. You do no conditioning.

06:03 5. You chase fatigue, not progress.

06:38 6. You do endless fluff work to build muscle.

07:18 7. You think cleans and snatches are enough speed/power work.

08:14 8. You have no progression—just sets and reps.

09:14 9. You don’t progress your conditioning.

09:40 10. You force lifts that don’t fit.

10:18 11. You only train up and down.

11:32 12. You sleep like a uni student in exam week.

12:23 13. Your nutrition goal is to "eat healthy."

13:35 14. You “grind” for 4 weeks then ghost the gym.

14:04 15. You constantly second guess yourself.

14:31 Conclusion

Support the show