JT Performance

Sports specific training for rugby

Freakish athletes.

Rugby players have big and athletic legs Here’s how you build them 👇 Plyometrics - 2-3 sessions per week - 4-10 sets per session - Total sets and reps will vary massively based upon the plyometric you’re using. I’d recommend a mixture of skips, hops, and bounds in all 3 planes of motion. Squats - 1-2 x per week - 3-5 x 3-8 reps - During the off-season spend more time one higher reps to lay your foundation. During the session, using shorter ranges of motion and less reps if needed. Max Effort Jumps - 2 x per week - 3-6 x 1-5 reps - Do both horizontal (i.e. broad jumps) and vertical (i.e. box jumps) variations. RDL - 1-2 x per week - 2-4 sets x 3-10 reps - You can pick any hinge (deadlift, back extension, RDL). I prefer RDLs for the greater hamstring focus. Sprints - 2-3 x per week - 150-300m per session - Accumulate a total of 150-300m per session. In sets of 10-40m reps. Full rest periods between each set. Calf Work - 2 x per week - 2-4 x 3-10 reps per session - Go heavier than you think you need to. Ferrari’s don’t run on flat tires. Bent-leg hamstring Work - 1-2 x per week - 2-3 x 3-10 reps - Notes: Nordics, GHR, or seated hamstring curls (my favourite). Credit to @gainlinesfitness for the clip Hope you find it useful!

Earlier last year, I had a brain fog after rugby training I couldn’t remember the head knock But I didn’t feel right One of my first protocols was 30g of creatine (I weighed just over 92kg. And ~0.3 g/kg/day is recommended (Conti et al., 2025)) Why? Creatine levels have been shown to drastically drop following head injury (Dolan et al., 2019) Supplementing may help But high doses are required to cross the blood-brain barrier Promisingly, Some studies have reported up to a 50% reduction in symptoms from high dose creatine Yet the research is still young And more human testing is needed However, the most recent literature review by Condow et al., 2026 Confirms high dose creatine is safe and mechanistically it should help with concussion symptoms So, to me, high dose creatine is a no-brainer I keep my day-to-day creatine consumption at 5-10g But if I ever get another head knock - I’m hopping straight back on 30g

This voicenote got me 🥹 Only coaches will get this - Best feeling in the world. Jack torn his ACL skiing in January 2025 (Fuck skiing) He decided not to get surgery Instead, rehabbing it with me Alongside the free physio we offer at JTP with Laura There’s been ups and downs But Jack has absolutely crushed it Not only hitting all time squat PBs But 5 and 10k PBs Sprinting and jumping And considering a return to rugby or American football This is exactly what coaching is about If you want to join our team Click the link in my bio

The best upper power exercise you’re not doing. Most athletes use exercises like speed bench or landmine punches OK exercises. But as you’re not throwing the bar - You have to decelerate as you reach the top IMO: bench throws are a better alternative And the research seems to support this. For peak power, use heavier loads (30-40% of max) x 2-4 sets x 3-6 reps. Focus on launching the bar. For speed and “elasticity”, use lighter loads (10-30%) x 2-4 sets x 6-10 reps. Focus on speed of movement. Please note, most “upper-body power” comes from lower-body force generation (that’s why standing throw didn’t improve as much as seated). Squats, sprints, and plyos should be your foundation. But bench throws can be a great addition. Credit to @_dylanshannon for the clip. Love the content.

“Train like an athlete, not like a bodybuilder” Is an overused, misunderstood, and over simplistic term. But it does hold some truth. It doesn’t mean neglecting basic hypertrophy and strength work. That’s stuff is incredibly valuable. Yet, it does mean taking a more balanced approach to training. Most sporting actions like sprinting, tackling, and changing direction happen within milliseconds. In order to maximise this transfer, you’ve got to train high rate of force development exercises. Most rugby, american football, and GAA athletes I’ve worked with over the last 15 years are relatively strong but have neglected proper sprint and plyometric training. I think they’d benefit massively from training more like a sprinter. As a bare minimum you should be hitting: 150m of sprinting once per week, 30 hops or bounds, 20 maximal jumps, and 150m of skipping.

If you want a brutal training session, do 5,000 box jumps Even better, run a marathon with a fridge on your back Hard work doesn’t always equal effectiveness

Contact athletes: impress your coaches, not gym bros.

5 - The five forwards with the best gainline success rates in this year's @SixNationsRugby (min. 10 carries): 79% - Henry Pollock 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 75% - Joe McCarthy ☘️ 70% - Alex Coles 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 69% - Francois Cros 🇫🇷 69% - Ewan Ashman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Punchy.

Future of neck training? I used to think neck training reduced concussion risk. Now I think its effect is small, if it exists at all. Back in the early 2020’s there was a study flooding instagram: “For every pound of neck strength, odds of concussion is reduced by 5%” (Collins et al., 2014) Coaches and athletes were well intentioned in sharing it. Logically it makes sense – a stronger neck will resist head motion Which reduces the risk of brain injury. Turns out, no. And I’m still ashamed of my lack of vigor before sharing this study. There’s one huge problem Peak brain strain occurs  ~15ms after head impact (Viano et al., 2007) It’s instantaneous. As soon as you’re hit, you’re concussed. But, your neck only starts contacting 80ms after impact i.e. by the time your neck contracts, the damage is already done, meaning strength isn’t that valuable Devices like this are trying to train rate of force development to better protect your neck Whilst it looks strange Creative solutions are needed to work out this important problem What do you think? Will it help?

Contact athletes, avoid: Size without strength Strength without explosiveness Explosiveness without speed Speed without capacity Capacity without skill

Bench throws might be the most underrated upper-body power exercise. I rate med-ball throws — they have their place — but they just don’t deliver a strong enough power stimulus. Bench throws, on the other hand, let you load in multiple ways and give you a true plyometric effect. The only drawback? They’re not full-body. And in most sporting actions — throwing, punching, fending — power starts from the legs. That’s why they still fall behind my GOAT for upper-body power - the push press/jerk. If you could only pick one exercise - what are you picking?

Do more bench throws.

Collision dominance is predicted by… your momentum — Mass × velocity. So if you want more power in contact: Don’t just get bigger. Get faster. Train speed 1–2x per week. Distance per sprint: 5-30m Rest per sprint: Full rest period Distance per session: 120-240m

Train like the athlete you don't want to play - sprint fast - lift heavy - build an engine - study your sport like a PhD - do extra skill work - eat like an adult - ignore social media fads Screw playing that guy.

@HybridElitePrep What’s the 2026 version of tib raises? I’m going with long duration isometrics (useful but overrated).

@jtperformance__ Only can go so long before people realize the 2020 era hype was too big for what it was

What happened to tib raises?

Me getting into an Uber: “how’s it going?” Me getting out of an Uber: “So it’s 150m of sprints per session, 50 bounds or hops a week, spam upper-body armour (neck too), squat heavy 1–2x, RDLs and seated hams weekly, eat like an adult, sleep 8 hours, study your sport like a PhD — then finish with a cold glass of choccy milk.”