The rugby season (and off season) can be broken down into a number of periods for the purposes of training and fitness. Put simply, there is pre season, the season itself, post season and off season.

Each one presents its own particular challenges and needs to the coach and player, and should be met with very specific  and very different styles of training. Getting the levels of intensity and styles of workout right for each period is the secret to maintaining the best possible levels of fitness for each player, as well as avoiding the risk of over training.

At the beginning of the pre season period, you will need to assess the fitness levels of all of your players. Your goal in this period is to build up the basic fitness of your players – stamina, strength and endurance improvements should be targeted for your players. This can be done through alternating hard and easy sessions – one day with intense stamina building that pushes your players to their maximum heart rate and weights training designed to give strength improvements; followed by a day with low intensity aerobic activity. Alternating this over five days allows for a rest at the weekend for recovery. It is important not to over train during pre season to avoid peaking too soon or risking injury. The last few weeks will inevitably become more intense than the beginning. This is for the simple reason that you will be focussing on technical skills as the games start bearing down on you, and will have less time to work out. As such, intensity is needed to make the same gains in less time.

During the season itself, it's important to bear in mind that if your players are playing two matches a week, they will already have two serious workouts under their belt. This will take care of all the training necessary for specific “rugby muscle groups”. In more general terms, aerobic fitness and strength training needs to be kept up during the season to ensure the players retain the athleticism necessary for a full season of rugby. Small amounts of extremely high intensity training will help with speed and stamina.

It is useful to break the season down into a few blocks, each of which has a different focus and type of training. This variation in challenges produces a better response from players' bodies than the same training over and over. On a smaller level, you will want to vary your training sessions as you see fit to suit different matches as they come up. Be flexible and respond to the needs of your players – even if that need is for rest rather than training. Nevertheless, it is certainly  possible to raise the overall fitness standard of your team during the season, even allowing for appropriate levels of rest and recovery after matches.

The end of season period is one for rest, relaxation and recovery from the stresses of the season. While your players should keep up some level of activity, now is the time for them to take holidays, de-stress and let their bodies recuperate after the  strains of the last few months.

After a couple of weeks of rest, with minimal exercise, it is into off season training again. This is the least intense of the serious training periods, and as such, there should be plenty of recovery time between sessions.  Your main goal should primarily be increases in muscle mass and sprinting, with a lesser focus on aerobic fitness.  In general you should be aiming to get your players into the right shape for pre-season training – in other words getting them to work on their weak areas. That prop could lose a few kilograms in an aerobic fitness program, the winger could bulk up a bit with weight training. After this period, players should be ready to start all over again with pre season training!

It is impossible to maintain the same fitness regime over an entire year and expect your players to cope well with it – it will either be too intense to keep up, or not intense enough to bring them to the fitness levels required for the tough games. Instead, varying your training over the different periods of the season, with an eye to peaking at the right time and allowing for appropriate recovery, will hopefully keep your team healthy and fit.