It's hard to argue with the idea that strength helps you on the pitch. Whether it's letting you sprint faster or helping you hold on to the ball in contact, more strength is rarely a bad thing. The problem many people have is actually getting stronger. We all know the gym is the place to build muscle and strength, but beyond that, many people are clueless. If that's you, don't worry: here are three of the best exercises for turning anyone into a much stronger player.

The squat

The squat is perhaps the most celebrated exercise of all, because it's so much more effective than most other lower-body exercises. It trains a lot of muscle at once and, done properly, it's hard work. If you want functional lower-body strength (and almost every athlete should), there's no better choice.

Good form is enormously important. Without it, you put yourself at risk of injury, which no athlete wants.

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Brace your core and keep your back flat and neutral throughout; the load should be driven by your legs and hips, not by your back rounding. Squat down until your thighs are at least parallel with the floor (go deeper if you can keep good form), then drive back up. How many reps is up to you and your programme, but sets of 3 to 8 are a good range for strength.

Squat strength is linked to speed. In a study of elite soccer players (Wisløff and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004), maximal half-squat strength correlated strongly with 0 to 30 metre sprint times, 10-metre shuttle times and vertical jump height. The authors concluded that players should prioritise maximal strength training, with an emphasis on moving the weight with maximal intent.

The deadlift

Squats are a big part of lower-body strength, but they're not the only part. The deadlift is another excellent exercise for building strength and muscle that will give you an edge. Like the squat, it builds strength in your legs, particularly the hamstrings and glutes. Unlike the squat, it also hammers your whole back and core, which helps in rugby and pretty much every other sport.

As with the squat, keep your back flat and braced. If your lower back rounds under load, you're not only getting a worse workout, you're also putting yourself at risk of injury.

Grip is personal preference. Most lifters start with a double overhand grip and switch to a mixed grip (one palm facing you, one facing away) or straps when the weight gets heavy. Try the options and see which works for you. Training without straps when you can will also build your grip strength.

The bench press

The last exercise is the one most people already know: the bench press. The first two exercises mainly train your lower body; this one is all upper body. You'll use your legs far more than your upper body on the pitch, but that doesn't mean you should neglect it: fending off, tackling, scrummaging and mauling all need a strong upper body.

There are plenty of variations, but the flat bench is the one to master, with the incline as a good alternative.

In recent years, bands and chains have become popular for adding resistance as the bar rises, since free weights feel heaviest at the bottom of the lift and lightest at the top. Do they work? In a 2009 study (Ghigiarelli and colleagues, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research), 36 college American football players trained the bench press for seven weeks with elastic bands, weight chains or a normal barbell. All three groups got significantly stronger, but there was no significant difference between them. In other words, bands and chains are a useful way to add variety and train speed off the chest, but plain heavy bench pressing works just as well for strength.

The big three

Master these three lifts and you'll be well on your way to being a far more effective player. You may have noticed that they're the three powerlifting lifts. That's no coincidence: they're the best exercises in the gym for building raw strength.

For a complete programme built around them, read our rugby training guide.

References

  • Wisløff U et al. Strong correlation of maximal squat strength with sprint performance and vertical jump height in elite soccer players. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004; 38: 285 to 288. PubMed 15155427
  • Ghigiarelli JJ et al. The effects of a 7-week heavy elastic band and weight chain program on upper-body strength and upper-body power in a sample of division 1-AA football players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2009; 23(3): 756 to 764. PubMed 19387404