SW7 Academy

In this SW7 Academy Open Gym Podcast, we sit down for a conversation about what it takes to build a career in professional sport. From the early years and breaking through, to staying at the top and adapting throughout your career.

The conversation covers training, recovery, mindset, performance, life as a professional athlete and the lessons that come from years spent competing at the highest level.

We also look at how the right training and development from a young age can help athletes build strong foundations for the future, both on and off the pitch.

Whether you're an aspiring young athlete, a rugby player looking to improve your performance, or simply interested in what goes into reaching the top of professional sport, there's plenty to take away from this episode.

🏉 SW7 Rugby Performance Programme
Designed to help rugby players develop the physical qualities, skills and mindset needed to perform at their best.

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💪 Youth Athlete Development
Helping young athletes build strong foundations and develop the habits, confidence and physical qualities needed for long-term progression.

https://buy.stripe.com/aFa9ASawc2wG8N...

🔥 Built For Life
A programme focused on building strength, fitness and healthy habits that go beyond sport and support you for life.

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Find out more about SW7 Academy and explore the programmes available through the links above.

#SW7Academy #Rugby #RugbyTraining #AthleteDevelopment #PerformanceTraining #BuiltForLife #YouthAthlete


0:00 Intro
1:30 Growing up
9:00 Gaining confidence
19:50 "No one is elite at 13"
25:00 Behind the scenes
37:00 Goal setting
41:12 "Being good at rugby wasn't enough"
46:50 Training at 15 vs 26
53:30 Elite S&C
57:10 Early days nutrition
59:30 Small wins
01:02:40 Recovery 

Thinking that more is better, is not the answer! Rest and recovery are absolutely vital in order to develop physically and importantly perform optimally! 

A deeper dive into the training schedule and the need for quality rest and recovery days to go alongside the training stimulus. 

Adaptation occurs away from training. Training is the stimulus. Recovery days is where the magic happens. The three main pillars of recovery;

Sleep, nutrition and hydration.

We dive into the super professional players and some of the most physically gifted players we’ve worked with over the last 20 years. 

In this episode, we take a look at what makes a good professional, and why some players excelled. Their work ethics, and the diligence to prepare as optimally as possible. Covering all areas of preparation. We also take a trip down memory lane, sharing stories of players who had freaky physical qualities and athletic ability.

If we could only perform 10 exercises as an athlete for the rest of our lives and split them into 2 sessions what would they be? 

After 3 decades in professional sport, Chris tells us what are the exercises where you get the most ‘bang for your buck’.  A fascinating episode which will certainly educate you on how you should plan & maximise your time in the gym.

You will also be surprised how well you can progress in the gym and on the pitch using just a few exercises.

In this episode we discuss one of the the most debated topics amongst professional S&C coaches at professional level.

How to plan your weekly rugby schedules.

With so many qualities that players need to develop such as speed, strength, power, fitness & prehab to name a few, scheduling this can become a head ache.

Chris and Sam talk you through their ideal schedule and why it’s most effective when training multiple aspects of fitness at the same time.

In this episode we discuss how the use of Velocity Based Training (VBT),  and it's role in maximising adaptation for Strength and Power using optimal loads with the integration of technology.

This is where our programming focusses on the variety of bar speeds you need to employ on a weekly basis to maximise strength and power gains but with VBT, it allows you to hit the sweet spot every time.  As an athlete and trainer, fatigue means extensive recovery, and a loss of training stimulus. Here we discuss and teach you that it's actually quality over quantity.

In this episode we cover:

Why we test.

Which physical qualities are important to excel at rugby.

Training your strengths and weaknesses.

Challenges and constraints of testing.

In this episode Sam and Chris discuss everything around elite performance.  They chat through all attributes that a person needs to have to make it to the very top of the game. 

A lot can be said for having the correct training programmes to follow, both in the gym and the training a rugby player does on the pitch. But that only makes up 3-4 hours a day for a professional. It's what you do in the other 20-21 hours that really sets the elite apart from the rest.

Correct nutrition and recovery play a huge role as well as mindset and the daily habits. The small things you do on a daily basis can have a huge impact on the overall picture and in this case your athletic performance.

Tune in to learn how to set yourself  apart from the rest of the pack from former 2 times Lions Captain Sam Warburton and Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Tombs, who has over 20 years experience coaching some of the best rugby players around the world.