Bullet Proofing my body for Rugby:

Alex Ackerely, Personal Trainer and Sports-Scientist for Kitsilanos Better-Bodies Health Solutions is putting his know-how to the test and attempting to go injury free this Rugby season.

 

 

I’m just going in to what will be (by my reckoning), my 20^th season of rugby. Now I don’t have any grand ambitions of representing Canada or rubbing shoulders with those bearded chaps just returned from the world cup as I have done in previous years. This year I’m returning my old Club down in Stanley Park to link up with some old friends and play just for the enjoyment of the game and of course a few beers in our great Club House on the Water at the VRC.  Somewhat more of a relaxed attitude and I think I like it!

 

Now this doesn’t mean I don’t want to play as well as I can. And as most of you will know, Rugby of any level is not without it’s injury risks. Anyone whose played with me over the years will also know that I have a few Glass-Like tendencies!  As such, I’m always very keen to get in to the very best shape I possibly can before taking to the field.

 

So over the next few posts I’ll be going through the steps necessary for me to Bullet-Proof as best I can, my body for the upcoming season. Further more, I’ll track my progress through the season as I deal with the bumps and bruises and juggle them with the full-time  job of Personal Training at our studio in Kitsilano.

 

I’ll start off with an outline of the considerations necessary to plan out a thorough Pre-habilitation athletic conditioning program..

 

1. Identify your goals – Succesful participation, impactful on the field as well as resistant to injury.
2. Identify the facets of physical fitness required  – Aerobic, Anaerobic conditioning as well as strength speed and power, injury resilience.
3. Identify methods of staying on track – structured training program with variation and multi disciplinary focus including addressing of underlying injury risks. In season, a key consideration is flexibility in your schedule. You will probably need to shuffle your days as bumps and bruises require extra rest of certain muscle groups.
4. Basic Program outline is this – Address historical predetermination to injury while safely ramping up intensity of exercise in order to match the level of performance I want on the field, aim to continue to improve fitness levels in-season. Not just maintaining .
5. Enjoy the season, no injuries, winning championship, having laughs with the guys.

Stay tuned!