15 Mins With
Rugby player Maro Itoje
At just 26, Maro Itoje is one of the rst names on the team sheet for both club (Saracens) and country (England). He’s even a nailed-on starter for that precious pinnacle of northern hemisphere rugby: the British and Irish Lions.
Having recently signed with Under Armour – a partnership that will see UA donate £1 million of performance sports apparel to KIT US OUT – Itoje is also leading the way o the eld as one of the few rugby players who truly transcends the sport.
MF grabbed 15 minutes with Itoje at the end of UA’s ISO-CHILL product launch. Here’s what he had to say…
With tness it’s all about how you package it. At times, it might not be the most fun thing in the world, but it’s necessary to play and perform at a certain level. If I wasn’t a rugby player, I wouldn’t have been exposed to this type of training, so I would train in a slightly di erent way. But if I were to stop being a rugby player today, there are de nitely a lot of aspects I would keep up – and maybe some I wouldn’t.
We’re always [as rugby players] exposed to new ways of conditioning and di erent training stimuli. But the fundamentals of strength and conditioning haven’t really changed for quite a while. You still need your compound lifts, and to load your legs and back for strength and injury prevention.
Trap bar deadlifts are my go-to. e trap bar takes the load o the back a bit, but still allows you to get the work in.
A lower-body session might look like this:
• 5 x 5 on the trap bar
• Weighted concentric jumps
• Romanian deadlifts
• Prowler sled nisher
I try to eat little and often, rather than having massive meals. But it’s really just about sticking to a balanced diet. Obviously you need to get your protein and your greens in, as well as a necessary amount of carbs. And then it’s about making sure you don’t overindulge too often – which can be easier said than done.
I want to be a very, very, very successful rugby player. I want to win. I want to be part of teams that are dominant and always competing for trophies. I want to experience the highs that rugby can give me. Competition, passion, and the ability to get better are what really motivate me.