Im sure there will also be new younger players coming up the ranks to make this list. They actually avoid cardio training as its believed to be harmful to strength gains. Wayne Shelford is the hardest player in rugby. Heavy is a relative term, but for rugby strength workouts, it means working with weights of 85% or more of your 1RM and using the 1-5 rep range. 1 guy). Bench press twice a week and perform 3 sets of 8 each workout. He would have become a British & Irish Lion but had to withdraw from the tour due to injury. Rugby players love to hit the weight room and throw around some big weights to build their muscular frames. Perform these once per week and 5 sets 4. These are much less likely to happen as the week progresses. This allows (and demands) that players prioritize strength in a way that would be counterproductive in rugby. For most rugby players, having a big number on the bench isnt worth the risk of a potentially season-ending injury. For me to get through the toughest periods in my life, I had to look within to find the energy to do it. Strength can be measured in several ways, but the most practical is doing 1RM testing on common gym exercises. One rep max bench presses are also a potentially dangerous exercise for contact sports athletes to attempt. You may be surprised at the distances they cover during a match. He plays both in a tight and loose forward position, and according to some sources, he can squat over 770 pounds. There are five of them in total, and they all play rugby. So, while getting stronger will probably improve your playing performance, dont neglect the other aspects of your fitness. The bulk of the heavy training is front-loaded at the beginning of the week, usually Monday and Tuesday. And wouldn't we love to know what Os du Randt, Bismarck du Plessis and Bakkies Botha in the prime of their careers could've lifted? Nevertheless, be it a spotty teenager aiming to make the schools first XV or a veteran tighthead who wants the club bragging rights, the bench press remains an entrenched part of rugbys cultural psyche. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A 100kg bench press is relatively common, and a lot of average gym-bros can put up this kind of weight. Disclaimer, Follow 75. BEN WALLACE 6'9, 240, power-forward/center, NBA: 1996-2012 Ben Wallace claims his biggest bench press was 460 pounds, which is nearly twice his playing weight! Retirement coming soon. Their sport consists entirely of doing only three lifts, one of which is the bench press. Here are 15 of the biggest beasts in rugby in no particular order. A post shared by ANDREW PORTER (@andrewporter___). As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. One Pro14 head coach RugbyPass spoke to said that he was interested in creating powerful, fast athletes, regardless of their size. None of the above. Andrew Sheridan (Prop) - 225kg The prop was known for his great physical strength - he is a near-elite class powerlifter and able to bench press 225 kilograms (35 st 6 lb; 496 lb) and squat 275 kilograms (43 st 4 lb; 606 lb). Who Are The Biggest Bodybuilders in The World? For example, Wallaby backrow David Pocock benched 185kg at his peak, but admitted in a 2019 post on Instagram that "I'd be pushing it doing 155/160kg at the moment". Check out our article on how far rugby players run. The Australian centre-back has recovered from a broken toe and is now "100 per cent fit". Some trainers only allow two weight sessions a week during the season. Across sports, the bench press is the gold standard for measuring upper body strength. 2023 (3.0.23061.8) 24.com. Allen is a remarkably strong player. Good exercises for rugby strength include: Thats not to say you cant include isolation exercises in your workouts, but the meat and potatoes of your training should be compound exercises. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. window.scriptsToInit.push('BrightCoveEmbeddedScrollVideo.init("6151210647001");'); It goes without saying that rugby players are neither powerlifters, professional strongmen nor bodybuilders. A post shared by Eben Etzebeth (@ebenetzebeth4). Unlike muscle power, which is force generated quickly, movement speed is not part of strength, and its all about the amount of weight you are lifting. Once rugby players start barbell pressing it is only a matter of time before they start hitting personal records on the bench press. Female backs: 41.42kg/91.124 lb. Beast Factor: 225lb Bench Press: 29 reps By far the biggest player on the list and he is all muscle. This puts rugby in the upper echelons of strength requirements across all sports. He has been called a rampaging ball of destruction and is know for his barging runs and ball carrying. The players will do some basic stretching but not much else. This story was originally published on Rugbypass.com and was re-published here with permission. We also look at typical weight training schedules for international players. The speedy half-back can bench press about 130kg, an impressive effort for someone who tips the scales at 83kg. While its beyond the scope of this article to provide you with a detailed strength training program, we can offer some guidelines that will help make your workouts more productive. Our range of supplements can help professional and amateur rugby players alike to perform, recover and live better. However, there is at least a correlation between muscular endurance . kg 1).Before participating in the training intervention, they were screened using medical history . But as we've seen, some players can lift far more than this. We do update the article from time to time, and we take your suggestions into consideration. Benefits of the Bench Press Increased Upper-Body Strength Predictor of Upper-Body Strength Bigger Pec Major Stronger. J Strength Cond Res 35 (2S): S44-S50, 2021Power development is critical for enhancing rugby performance because there is a close relationship between power and sport-specific skills. Total Shape is a reader-supported site. Get the Sport Report every Thursday to stay up to speed with everything you need to know in the world of sport. Many rugby players lack explosive power and speed and end up failing their bench press reps because they cant get the bar off their chest. Famously, Andrew Sheridan a world cup winning prop for England could bench press 225 kilos and squat 300 kilos and was known to be one of the strongest rugby players, but there are many more who could outdo him now. Before you add weight you should be able to perform 3 to 4 sets of 20 of body weight dips. In number 2 spot is Biyi Alo of Wasps who has bench pressed 220kg (484 pounds). He's basically on his knees wanting a mammoth rugby nation like Wales to take him on. Wales, particularly excelled in chop What Is The Easiest Olympic Sport To Qualify For And Play? That is serious weight! Josua is a Fijian rugby union player who is known for his strong running and physical play. E-BOOK STACK. "Obviously we are thinking of them at this time. He changed his body significantly prior to this season. The Springboks, for example, expect Test players to bench press between 1.3 to 1.5 times their bodyweight, position-dependent. This article is about strength, but what about height? It also shouldnt get in the way of skills sessions. However, a current rugby player wouldn't get very far in an elite powerlifting competition. Source: FOX SPORTS For example, Wallaby backrow David Pocock benched 185kg at his peak, but admitted in a 2019 post on Instagram that Id be pushing it doing 155/160kg at the moment. In a rugby context, an enormous bench press is not necessarily indicative of anything other than a strong upper body. Our goal is to provide factual information and unbiased product recommendations for our readers based on relevant expertise, extensive research and feedback. Recently, Chandler Parson also highlighted Pekovi as the strongest player he ever faced. Sergio is an Italian rugby player who plays for the French club Toulon and is captain of the Italian team. It made him one of the strongest players in combine history. If you are not consistently pushing your body it will stay the same and your strength and muscle levels will not change. DM us on Twitter, or email us at ian@rugbypass.com. 1RM absolute bench press was recorded in kilograms (kg), and the 1RM relative bench press was calculated as 1RM/ (bodyweight 0.57). Upper body strength remains a valuable asset in the game, once it doesnt come at the cost of compromising a players speed or endurance. Is this talking about the current Englan 8? Im not sure if his songs are any good, but if they arent, I wont tell him. Generally speaking, S&C coaches have moved the sport towards core and explosive strength training in the last decade away from a "bulk at all costs" mindset. Want to see a comparison of size in these two sports? Heres a look at the strongest players from the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine based on bench press reps. . Enough talking. Rounding out the top 3 is Tongan international, Leo Halavatau who has lifted 217.5kg (478.5 pounds). Perform 3 sets of 8. he must be this good at club, definitely not test rugby. He can put up an impressive 460 lbs (210 kg) on the bench press. He was rumored to be heading to play the game in France, but so far, he has denied such a move will happen. It wasnt easy. Apart from effectively using linear periodisation the other way rugby players can increase their bench press is through incorporating effective supplemental exercises into their programs. The file: Josh Uche, Hudson's teammate at . It made my life a bit easier." Gerry Thornley. Typical numbers for a front rowers bench press are between 180 kg and 220 kg. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed. Hard to imagine why. Generally speaking, S&C coaches have moved the sport towards core and explosive strength training in the last decade away from a bulk at all costs mindset. Eben is a South African Rugby Union player, and hes one of the tallest rugby players on our list at 68 [1]. Aled de Malmanche, Andrew Sheridan, Alfie Tooala Vaeluaga, WillGriff John, Max Lahiff, Nicky Smith, Rory Sutherland, Jon Welsh, Tom Court, Jack Whetton have all benched over 200kg which is a strong deadlift let alone a bench press. He is getting up there in age though. Your email address will not be published. Upper body strength remains a valuable asset in the game, once it doesnt come at the cost of compromising a players speed or endurance. SPOTLIGHT: England head coach Eddie Jones believes Rassie Erasmus sent the wrong message to youngsters with his 62-minute video rant in July. Discover RugbyPass+ premium articles, the best rugby content from award-winning journalists, pundits, top coaches and the biggest stars of the game. Players need to be aerobically and anaerobically fit, fast, agile, mobile, powerful, and strong. While this is somewhat higher than what a front-row rugby player is doing, these also tend to be much heavier players. Also, they use all kinds of aids. Aled de Malmanche (Stade Francis, retired) - 220kg, Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks, retired) - 215kg, David Pocock (Panasonic Wild Knights) - 185kg, Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira (Old Glory) - 180kg, Paul O'Connell (Munster, retired) - 179kg, Pierre Spies (Montpellier, retired) - 165kg, Sam Whitelock (Panasonic Wildknights) - 160kg, Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) - 140kg. An honorable mention must also go to former Wallaby wing Murdoch Alistair, who benched 227.5kg (raw) at the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) in 2014 in the under 110kg bodyweight category. But what they do out on the pitch is more important! - Nick Bowen COLLINGWOOD Many avoid PBs on the bench as they pose a significant risk of pectoral tears or upper limber injury. He did, however, manage this feat long after his retirement from rugby, and at the age of 46. Team: LA Rams. His skill set is phenomenal and so at the international level, having a loose forward that is super skilled is a point of difference in that loose forward trio because they are often big bangers up here. Pappoe's bench-press performance is tied for ninth among Auburn players at the NFL Scouting Combine this century. So how do Rugby players measure up? He plays as a scrum-half for Japan on international level and for the NEC Green Rockets and the Sunwolves at domestic level. The list is also not an exhaustive list of the top bench press records in the sport; rather its the bench press PBs of some notable professional rugby players. Bench Press: 500 lbs (PR), 35 reps of 225 lbs. Opposing players should fear the beard or feel its wrath! 8). These are minimums, many players are capable of bench pressing more, such as Biyi Alo and Gheorghe Gajion who both have lifted over 200kg. Mentions, Privacy He did, however, manage this feat long after his retirement from rugby, and at the age of 46. That said, in a sports lab environment, strength is sometimes assessed using devices called dynamometers. Lions contender Porter is poised to make a sizeable impact for Ireland moving forward. A lineman needs a lot more strength than backs or receivers. This is a recipe for failure. He benches 415 lbs and is an absolute animal on the field. Aaron Donald. How often players lift weights is determined by several things, including. Maybe its because he reportedly benches over 500 lbs (230 kg). According to Jonny Waterson in The Irish Times: "Noted . In over 100 years of league, not one first grade player has ever reached the double ton. One day will focus on lower body and the other day on upper body strength. Outland Trophy winner Brandon Scherff is viewed as one of the top offensive line prospects in this year's draft (if not the outright No. 20) Andrew Sendejo Strong Safety College: Rice University Height: 6'1 Weight: 209 Beast Factor: 40-yard dash: 4.65, 225lb Bench Press: 19 reps, 34-inch vertical jump 19) Aaron Donald Defensive Tackle College: Pitt Height: 6'1 Weight: 285 I would expect them to hit the 300kg (660 pounds) mark.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'fluentrugby_com-leader-3','ezslot_20',132,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-fluentrugby_com-leader-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'fluentrugby_com-leader-3','ezslot_21',132,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-fluentrugby_com-leader-3-0_1');.leader-3-multi-132{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:600px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}, To increase their bench press rugby players need to program their weightlifting using linear periodisation by slowly increasing the intensity of their workouts over time. Join free and tell us what you really think! Increase your weights gradually you are only as strong as your last workout, and if you want to get stronger, you need to incrementally lift more weight. http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/player/159922.html, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sonny-bill-williams-13168.php. Quickest back in 2020: Jake Averillo 34.4km/h Round 6 Quickest forward in 2020: Josh Jackson 31.4km/h Round 8 Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Adam Elliott are the leaders of the pack in the gym. Rounding out the top 3 is Tongan international, Leo Halavatau who has lifted 217.5kg (478.5 pounds).16.11.19 Ospreys v Munster, Heineken Champions Cup Gheorghe Gajion of Ospreys take on Kevin OByrne of Munster. Joe Marler is probably Englands biggest Rugby Union player, or at least we weren't able to find any bigger rugby players in England. Gehrig's record was at 175kgs? Guys like Pete [O'Mahony] coming off the bench. Here's a look at the 10 strongest players at this week's combine, guys who bench pressed 225 pounds at least 30 times: T10.