And join in to stay healthy
RUGBY is one of the most well known contact sports. But it is easy to forget when watching a thrilling game that every time a player is in a scrum or takes/makes a tackle, they are strengthening their bodies.
The pushing and pulling against bodyweight strengthens muscles and bones, ultimately making them stronger and fitter.
Of course, not everyone fancies getting muddy on a cold field, or wants to risk injury in a scrum, but taking inspiration from these rugby players and introducing strength training to your week will do you the world of good.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND SCRUMMING (AND RUNNING!)
RUGBY is one of the few competitive supports that combines the athleticism of running and sprinting with extreme physical contact.
Strengthening actions and exercises concentrate on your muscles, making them work harder than usual and increasing your strength, size, power and endurance. This, of course, makes you physically stronger and more robust, and is great for lowing your blood pressure.
Aerobic exercise, meanwhile, is great for burning off extra energy, fat, keeping your heart healthy and regulating your blood sugar.
Again, while you might not fancy running round a rugby pitch – this magic combo of cardio and strength work is good to remember. Building both types of activity into your exercise regime will be really beneficial.
CAN KIDS KICK IT? YES, THEY CAN!
STRENGTHENING activities are particularly important for children as they help build strong bones, regulate blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight from a young age.
The Government recommends children’s activities should include strengthening exercises for around three hours a week.
While a kids’ rugby group (and there are many options available these days) is a perfect way to help your child meet these targets, there are plenty of other things children can do to improve their strength.
Swimming, yoga and martial arts are all fun activities to increase muscle strength. And games at home can include wheelbarrow races, dancing, or doing cartwheels and handstands. Alternatively, you can take the activity a little further afield and try climbing trees and hiking and scrambling up hills.
These are all fun activities that you can do as a family and don’t feel like strengthening exercises.
FOREVER YOUNG, FOREVER STRONG
AS WE age our bones naturally weaken, causing problems for our joints including hips and knees. By doing strength exercises that mimic body weight movements of rugby players, you will start to build stronger bones to help prevent avoidable weakening and conditions such as osteoporosis.
Strengthening exercises also help improve balance, which means you are less likely to suffer a fall as you naturally become more fragile.
Out of the recommended 30 minutes activity a day for adults, at least two sessions should be based around strengthening exercises. Again, these can be achieved through lifting weights at the gym or going to specific classes.
For those who aren’t keen, you can still achieve good results through activities such as hill walking or, at home, squats, calf raises and heavy gardening (with plenty of digging).
For an activity to be muscle strengthening it needs to work your muscles to the point that you may need a short rest before continuing. As with the children, yoga classes, martial arts and walking will also do you good.
BODY IMAGE
CONTRARY to popular belief, strengthening exercises won’t bulk you up. In fact, the muscle fibres developed through strength training can help improve whole-body metabolism and make you leaner. It’s actually very difficult to achieve the physically bigger muscles we see at body building competitions or on many gym floors. In order to bulk up you need to combine very specific workouts with a dramatically increased calorie intake and supplements regime.
Saying that, you may well find you put on weight as you increase your strengthening exercises, but it is important to remember this is muscle weight and not body mass.
BE INSPIRED!
IF YOU or your kids like the sound of rugby, there are plenty of grass roots clubs you can go along to for taster sessions.
Remember there are lots of different types of rugby – with Union and League being the most popular – so make sure you choose one that is right for you or your child. Even if tackles, scrums and muddy pitches really aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways we can take inspiration from players in this year’s tournament. Go on, give it a TRY!
If you don’t like the idea of charging round a cold damp field for exercise, you can achieve similar results at home or in the garden, above