Off-season guide
Rugby off-season training: what to do between May and pre-season
How amateur rugby players should use the off-season: how long to rest, then a strength, speed and size block, how much conditioning, and a sample week.
The off-season is the only part of the year when no game is coming at the weekend. For an amateur rugby player that usually means late May to early July. Use it well and you start pre-season stronger, faster and already fit enough to cope with it. Waste it and you spend pre-season getting back to where you were in March.
The plan in short: a short easy period, a main block built around strength, power, speed and (if you need it) size, and a late block that brings rugby fitness back in before pre-season. This guide is for adult amateur players and follows the Match Ready Coaching Rules.
Step 1: the end-of-season break
If you started most games, take 1–3 easy weeks after the last one. Lift with lighter weights and higher reps, try new exercises, do slower lowering and holds, play another sport, and do no hard rugby conditioning. Players who barely played can skip straight to the main off-season.
How long to rest is a judgement call. A meta-analysis of training cessation found strength losses grow the longer the break lasts, with power and submaximal strength affected too Bosquet et al. 2013. In practice, strength usually holds for about three weeks of complete rest and fades faster after that McMaster et al. 2013. Two to three weeks off is fine. Two months on the sofa is not.
Before you start the main block, check where you are: a jump test, an estimated max from your training weights, and an honest answer to “how do I feel?”. If both the jump and strength are down, you’re still tired, so take the longer end of the break. If your performance keeps dropping for weeks alongside poor sleep, low appetite or low mood, see your GP.
Step 2: the main off-season block
The priorities are strength, power, sprint technique and size where you need it. Conditioning takes a back seat: easy aerobic “blood flow” sessions on recovery days, not long medium-hard runs.
How many gym sessions?
Three a week if you can fit them in. Heavy, fast strength best separates playing levels in research on rugby players Payne et al. 2025, and the textbook view is that building strength needs about three hard sessions a week, while two mainly maintains it Zatsiorsky & Kraemer. Two is fine for busy players; progress is just slower.
With three sessions, give each a priority so every movement gets one heavy, one moderate and one light day across the week:
| Session | Starts with | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Total body (T) | Cleans, jumps, throws | Moderate squat, moderate press or row |
| Lower body (L) | Heavy squat (3–6 reps) | Upper-body work, Romanian deadlift, Nordics |
| Upper body (U) | Heavy bench, weighted chin-up | Lighter jumps, single-leg work, neck |
Keep the main lifts the same through the off-season and pre-season. Changing exercises every few weeks slows progress; most players need two to three months on the same lifts to peak. Change the reps and loads instead.
Size, if you need it
The off-season is the best time to add muscle, because there are no games to recover from and no contact. More weekly sets drive more growth Schoenfeld et al. 2017, so a size block uses 3–4 sets of 6–12 reps on the main lifts and accessories, with a modest food surplus. Track a 10 m sprint or a jump alongside your bodyweight: if they get worse as you get heavier, slow the weight gain. Our guide to gaining size for rugby covers the eating side.
Speed runs all year
Don’t park speed until pre-season. In the first month, do short accelerations over about 10–20 m twice a week before your weights, with full recovery, and some low-volume change-of-direction drills of under 10 seconds on a third day. Distances lengthen later in the off-season, up to about 30 m for forwards and 40 m for backs.
Power and speed fade faster than maximal strength when you stop training them McMaster et al. 2013, and sprints and jumps lose their effect if they’re dropped for more than 3–4 weeks. That’s why a little fast work stays in every week, even during a strength block. Our speed training guide has the sessions.
Jumps
In the early off-season, keep plyometrics simple: skipping, easy hops and jumps on the spot. Harder shock work such as depth jumps comes later, once landing technique is good. Plyometric training does improve jump height, by about 5–9% on average in a meta-analysis Markovic 2007.
Conditioning: less than you think
You don’t need to run much in the main off-season. Easy 20–30 minute sessions on a bike, in a pool or on foot at a conversational pace, on days between lifting, keep a base without blunting strength and power. Aerobic training doesn’t blunt strength or size much, but it can blunt explosive strength when done in the same session Schumann et al. 2022, so keep any running away from heavy leg days.
Rugby itself once or twice a week at low intensity (touch, small-sided games) keeps your hands and decision-making sharp and is far more fun than laps.
Step 3: the late off-season (the last 4 weeks)
About four weeks before pre-season starts (up to eight if you’re short of fitness, two or three if you’re already fit), bring rugby fitness back:
- Repeated efforts: short sprints and get-ups with the rest between efforts shrinking week by week (for example from 35 seconds down to 20 seconds over the block), with every 4th week lighter.
- Reactive agility: mirror drills and reacting to a partner pointing a direction.
- A MAS time trial to set your pre-season running speeds. The MAS calculator turns it into interval distances.
You should be at your playing weight by now. Then the pre-season training plan takes over.
A sample main off-season week
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Gym L: accelerations 6 × 15 m, then heavy squat, upper pull, Romanian deadlift, Nordics, trunk |
| Tuesday | Easy 25-minute bike or swim; mobility |
| Wednesday | Gym U: heavy bench and chin-ups, lighter jumps, split squats, neck, shoulder work |
| Thursday | Touch rugby or change-of-direction drills (under 10 s each, full rest) |
| Friday | Gym T: accelerations, cleans or jumps and throws, moderate squat and press, calves |
| Saturday | Another sport, or rest |
| Sunday | Rest |
Group the hardest work (heavy lifts, flat-out sprints, jumps) on the same days, keep easier days between, and take at least one full rest day a week.
Don’t forget the neck and hamstrings
Two things should never drop out, off-season included. Neck work 2–3 times a week keeps the strength you built over the season; the neck strength guide has a progression. And Nordic curls plus a hip-hinge exercise every week keep your hamstrings used to hard lowering work. If you take Nordics out for two months, restart them gently, because the first sessions back will leave you very sore. The hamstring training guide explains the dose.
Common off-season mistakes
- Resting for two months. Losses speed up after about three weeks McMaster et al. 2013.
- Running long and slow “to stay fit”. It adds little for experienced players and eats into strength and speed work.
- Changing programme every fortnight. Stick with the same main lifts long enough to peak.
- Bulking without checking speed. Extra weight only helps if you’re still quick.
- Starting pre-season unfit. The last four weeks of the off-season are there to stop pre-season being a shock.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a rugby off-season break be?
One to three easy weeks for players who played most of the season, then the main off-season block. Strength usually holds for about three weeks without training and fades faster after that McMaster et al. 2013.
What should rugby players do in the off-season?
Build strength, power, speed and, if needed, size. Lift three times a week if you can, keep short sprints and jumps going every week, and keep conditioning easy until the last four weeks before pre-season.
How many times a week should I lift in the off-season?
Three if you can fit them in, because that’s what building strength needs. Two still works for busy players; progress is slower.
Should I run in the rugby off-season?
A little. Easy 20–30 minute sessions on recovery days keep a base. Hard rugby-specific running comes back in the last four weeks or so before pre-season.
Is the off-season the best time to bulk up for rugby?
Yes. There are no games or contact to recover from. Use more sets in the 6–12 rep range, eat a modest surplus and check that your sprint or jump isn’t getting worse as you get heavier.
References
Sources behind this guide, from the Match Ready Coaching Rules. Linked entries were checked against PubMed or the publisher. See the science for how we grade evidence.
- Bosquet L et al. Effect of training cessation on muscular performance: a meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2013;23(3):e140-e149. DOI
- McMaster DT et al. The development, retention and decay rates of strength and power in elite rugby union, rugby league and American football: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2013;43(5):367-384. DOI
- Payne et al. (2025). Systematic review of physical qualities that separate playing levels in rugby; cited in the Match Ready Coaching Rules (I3).
- Zatsiorsky VM, Kraemer WJ. Science and Practice of Strength Training (textbook); cited in the Match Ready Coaching Rules (Y30-Y41).
- Schoenfeld BJ et al. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073-1082. DOI
- Markovic G. Does plyometric training improve vertical jump height? A meta-analytical review. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(6):349-355. DOI
- Schumann M et al. Compatibility of concurrent aerobic and strength training for skeletal muscle size and function: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2022. DOI
This guide is general training information for adults, not medical advice. If you have pain, a health condition or a head injury, speak to a doctor or physio. A doctor decides when you can return to play after a head injury.