So, while getting stronger will probably improve your playing performance, dont neglect the other aspects of your fitness. Stephen Paea is the more recognizable figure at the top of the bench press rankings. The Samoan is the second of the Tuilagi brothers on this list. Stephen Paea - DT. To be successful, a rugger needs to have an abundance of: In contrast, other sports often only need a couple of these components. Who Are The Biggest Bodybuilders in The World? At the start of each new week add 2 to 2.5 kg to your working weight. The powerlifting record for the bench is 508 kg, as of 2021. Apps. The first is from an interview with an England international (Thomas Waldrom). And liberals want trans men to compete against women? But what they do out on the pitch is more important! In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. Linear periodisation involves continually increasing the intensity of your workout over time. He also benches over 450 lbs, according to rugbybypass.com. Derrick Henry Workout and Diet To Dominate The NFL, The 15 Worst Fan Bases in Sports: Most Hated and Annoying, 11 Jacked Athletes You Have Never Heard of, Top 5 Exercises To Make You A Rugby Badass, Top 5 Exercises Every Rugby League Player Should Be Doing. However, a current rugby player wouldnt get very far in an elite powerlifting competition. It goes without saying that rugby players are neither powerlifters, professional strongmen nor bodybuilders. After all, thats how they work on the rugby field. Not only does he have imposing size, hes also known for his strength and can bench press 440 lbs. Here are 15 of the biggest beasts in rugby in no particular order. In a recent poll on the rugby strength coach Facebook page about what you wanted to see covered in the blog, the most popular topic was strength standards, specifically just how strong do you have to be to play rugby at the elite level? He plays for London Irish in the English Premier League and has also made it on the Irish and British Lions squad. would be considered a pretty good squat for an average male gymgoer, and many would be happy to be able to squat 100kg/220 lb. We provide resources about fitness, workouts, and Policy, Terms & Across sports, the bench press is the gold standard for measuring upper body strength. And for our fans from Ireland, weve added Sean OBrien to our list as well. Defensive end Carl Lawson in 2017 and guard Braden Smith in 2018 are at the top . Baboumian is an Iranian-born, Armenian-German strongman and former bodybuilder. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Henry who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds bench-pressed 440 pounds, squatted 500. He was rumored to be heading to play the game in France, but so far, he has denied such a move will happen. However, testing individual muscles would be time-consuming and impractical. Hafthor Bjornsson 'channelled his inner Game of Thrones strength' with an incredible display after lifting wife Kelsey Henson with only a single hand The Captains Run is about an hour of light cardio training on the match pitch. Your body adapts to the type of workout you do; if you want to get stronger so you can lift heavier weights, you need to lift heavy weights in training. The speedy half-back can bench press about 130kg, an impressive effort for someone who tips the scales at 83kg. These players need tremendous strength to hold scrums up and to lift players in lineouts. Underhand pull-ups I live in Ireland, and I started hearing a few years ago about the impressive gym stats of a prop playing at the under-20 level. A post shared by Sean O'Brien (@seanobrien678). The bulk of the heavy training is front-loaded at the beginning of the week, usually Monday and Tuesday. The relative bodyweight of players and what they're throwing up on the bar must be taken into account. If you are a rugby player looking to increase their bench press then you better have strong and powerful shoulders. This puts rugby in the upper echelons of strength requirements across all sports. A lineman in the NFL would be expected to have a one-rep maximum on the bench of between 204 kg and 250 kg. Make sure your diet and lifestyle support your training what you do in the gym is only part of the equation for getting stronger. I don't give up. Rassie video was 'disrespectful' says Jones. But as we've seen, some players can lift far more than this. The rugby player from South Africa is also called The Beast for being such a powerhouse on the front row of his club (The Sharks) and national team. Our goal is to provide factual information and unbiased product recommendations for our readers based on relevant expertise, extensive research and feedback. Andrew Porter is known to have a squat max of 325kg. 'How much do you bench bro?' In the case of professional players, ruggers often squat weights that would make a wannabe powerlifter blush. It's appropriate Larry Allen is #1 alphabetically, because, with the possible exception of Terry Long, he is the strongest NFL player of all-time. Poor discipline and fatigue from the Drua allowed the Tahs to take control of the game, and when the Drua were reduced to 13 men because of uncontested scrums, the Waratahs were able to pile on the points in the last 10 . Oops! It would be interesting to see just how much a player like Gheorghe Gajion or Biyi Alo could bench press if they quit rugby and focused on powerlifting. He has helped hundreds of people lose weight, get in shape, and maintain their healthy lifestyles through proper training and eating habits. Japan. A post shared by David Pocock (@davidpocock). This should give you the work capacity to increase your old bench press max by 10% to 15%. Our range of supplements can help professional and amateur rugby players alike to perform, recover and live better. A 100kg bench press is relatively common, and a lot of average gym-bros can put up this kind of weight. Chris Yarran can lay claim to being the Blues' strongest player on a pound-for-pound basis. Im not sure if his songs are any good, but if they arent, I wont tell him. Should rugby players bench press? Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'LWLZP98qT21RaPQ5ymrXdg',sig:'2t18CoBcdW65NOLmgGs-jrkeSBVj7HmqEncNw0u13MI=',w:'594px',h:'407px',items:'1245337747',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Cian is an Irish rugby player with Rugby Union. Ruggers should focus on compound exercises as theyre generally the most effective and time-efficient. In 2006, Mike Kudla was said to be one of the strongest players in the draft, and a weight room fanatic. Apparently, he can bench press over 400 lbs, which explains why fans look forward to him simply pushing other players out of the way. NRL strongest players: King of the Gym, each club, biggest lifters, Josh Mansour, Maika Sivo, Marty Taupau HOME NRL NRL-PREMIERSHIP Kings of the gym: NRL players reveal the strongest men at every club Adam Elliott, Marty Taupau, and Josh Mansour are some of the NRL's strongest men. After the recovery day on Wednesday, the player might be back to the weights. Joe Marler is probably Englands biggest Rugby Union player, or at least we weren't able to find any bigger rugby players in England. Get two gym-bros together, and invariably, one will ask the other, Hey how much can you bench? Even non-exercisers know the bench press is a famous exercise, even if they dont know which muscles are actually involved! A heavy leg training session will consist of squats and deadlifts. A post shared by Jamie Roberts (@jamiehuwroberts). 8). 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. One day will focus on lower body and the other day on upper body strength. The coaches and physios constantly adjust training based on these metrics. For example week 1 you bench press 70kg for 6 sets of 3 reps and then in week 2 you bench press 72.5 kg for 6 sets of 3 reps. J Strength Cond Res 35(2S): S44-S50, 2021-Power development is critical for enhancing rugby performance because there is a close relationship between power and sport-specific skills. At least one elite rugby player has gone on to do well in powerlifting after his playing days were over. In number 2 spot is Biyi Alo of Wasps who has bench pressed 220kg (484 pounds). A post shared by Sonny Bill Williams (@sonnybillwilliams). Intra By Swolverine Review: Is this BCAA Supplement Any Good? After all, rugby is played out on the field against the other team, not in the gym where the barbell is your only competition. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Ian Cameron takes a look at the bench press PBs of some notable professional rugby players. Aled de Malmanche (Stade Francis, retired) 220kgAndrew Sheridan (Sale Shark, retired) 215kgAlfie Tooala Vaeluaga (Samoa) 210kgWill Griff John (Sale Sharks) 210kgNicky Smith (Ospreys) 200kgRory Sutherland (Edinburgh) 200kgJack Whetton (Highlanders) 195kgBen Tameifuna (Racing 92) 190kgManu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) 190kgSiate Tokolahi (Highlanders) 190kgCian Healy (Leinster) 190kgDavid Kilcoyne (Munster) 187.5kgJackson Wray (Saracens) 187.5kgMaro Itoje (Saracens) 187.5kgDavid Pocock (Panasonic Wildknights) 185kgJoe Moody (Crusaders) 180kgPouri Rakete-Stones (Hawks Bay) 180kgMax Lahiff (Bristol Bears) 180kgWill Genia (Rebels) 180kgDigby Ioane (Glendale Raptors) 180kgMike McCarthy (Leinster, retired) 180kgTendai Mtawarira (Old Glory) 180kgPaul OConnell (Munster, retired) 179kgNemani Nadolo (Montpellier) 175kgEben Etzebeth (Toulon) 175kgJaycob Matiu (Northland) 170kgBen Funnell (Crusaders) 165kgPierre Spies (Montpellier, retired) 165kgMatt Vaai (Counties Manukau) 162.5kgPete Samu (Brumbies) 160kgSam Whitelock (Panasonic Wildknights) 160kgMatt Todd (Crusaders) 150kgCaleb Timu (Montpellier) 150kgCourtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) 140kgJim Hamilton (Saracens, retired) 140kgDan Carter (free agent) 145kgSonny Bill Williams (ex-Blues) 140kgRichie Mounga (Crusaders) 137kg, Bosch gets captain's armband for clash against Stormers, Crusaders dedicate first win to absent Razor, Pushback after launch of 'World 12s' event. Not surprisingly, he is nicknamed The Bus. While most of the numbers represent personal bests for many of these players, inevitably some will have either bested these records or, inversely, are no longer capable of lifting that amount. Many of the worlds best rugby players have modest PBs on the bench press. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. The women's equipped bench press record belongs to Rae-Ann Coughenour-Miller from the United States, who lifted 290 kg (630 lb) (2022, Metal Militia Powerlifting standards), [4] and the raw bench press record belongs to April Mathis also from the United States, who lifted 207.5 kg (457.4 lb) (2016, Southern Powerlifting Federation standards). We also found a good highlight video that shows what a beast he is as well. Before starting any new diet and/or exercise program, always be sure to check with your qualified medical professional. Hard to imagine why. First, Hall's offspring miraculously benched a 20kg bar with ease more than 10 times. Once rugby players start barbell pressing it is only a matter of time before they start hitting personal records on the bench press. Please, his skill level is so average at international level, this description is about him.. did you proofread this article? Alonso-Aubin, D. A., Picn-Martnez, M., & Chulvi-Medrano, I. The Australian centre-back has recovered from a broken toe and is now "100 per cent fit". It goes without saying that rugby players are neither powerlifters, professional strongmen nor bodybuilders. Enough talking. His playing position is a tighthead prop. The players will do some basic stretching but not much else. If you dont believe me watch this video for verification. Linear periodisation places increased stress on your body which forces it to adapt resulting in increased strength and muscle. Many rugby players go into the weight room with no real plan and dont follow a program. Age: 43 years old (as of 2023) Place of birth: Abadan, Iran. Despite that, inevitably, some question marks remain over one or two of below numbers, especially in a discipline so given to hyperbole. Players need to be aerobically and anaerobically fit, fast, agile, mobile, powerful, and strong. This article looks at how much weight that elite rugby players can lift in the gym. For example if your current max bench press is 100kg the program will look like this: If you are able to consistently add 2.5 kg every week by the end of the program you should be lifting your former 87.5% of your max for 3 sets of 8. This is a recipe for failure. Rugby does quite respectably in the squat when compared with NFL football. We have compiled a list of 15 of the biggest beasts in rugby that easily rival those of the NFL. It may surprise you that he was a winger, not a burly forward. SPOTLIGHT: England head coach Eddie Jones believes Rassie Erasmus sent the wrong message to youngsters with his 62-minute video rant in July. ULTIMATE BODY TRANSFORMATION 3.Ben Wallace. Upper body strength remains a valuable asset in the game, once it doesnt come at the cost of compromising a players speed or endurance. He has spent the last 8 years staying at the forefront of the health and fitness industry. The relative bodyweight of players and what theyre throwing up on the bar must be taken into account. While this is somewhat higher than what a front-row rugby player is doing, these also tend to be much heavier players. on pinterest, The Worlds Biggest International Rugby Players. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in Round 2 and went on to have a seven-year career with a career-high 6 sacks in 2014. Heres a look at the strongest players from the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine based on bench press reps. . And you most certainly dont want to get on their wrong side. Nick Walshaw and Fatima Kdouh 6 min read 4.Karl Malone. But there are some general guidelines that emerge if you look at the training programs like I showed above. Never will.. Invest in the future today. REACTION: World Rugby chiefs have called for "comprehensive consultation" after the launch of a new short-form international Rugby Union competition. These elite players lift weights three times a week. The list is also not an exhaustive list of the top bench press records in the sport; rather it's the bench press PBs of some notable professional rugby players. One of the points he made was a set containing 15+ reps builds/requires muscular endurance. He benches over 475 lbs (220 kg). And a lot of them will completely dwarf American football players. He is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster and Ireland. This week on The Breakdown the team is joined by Peter FitzSimons to address the mountain of issues that face our friends across the ditch. 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. (40) Correct as of 20 January 2022. You dont have to be idle or passive between sets. Focus on the big lifts while the bench press and squat are two of the best exercises for testing strength, theyre among the best for building it, too. Date of birth: 1 July 1979. International journal of environmental research and public health,18(11), 5615. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115615, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8197353/. Mentions, Privacy This sport is littered with guys, just like the 15 here. The 34-year-old Icelandic strongman shot to. Words get out quickly! The figures below come from comments made by team-mates, coaches or the player themselves in the media or on social media platforms. Enjoy! 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. While its unfair to compare Sonny to Jona Lomu, considering that the game has changed a lot, he certainly enjoys the same level of worship and respect [2]. Avoid excesses of junk food, soda, candy, takeouts, etc. Rounding out the top 3 is Tongan international, Leo Halavatau who has lifted 217.5kg (478.5 pounds). This allows players to work hard with enough of a distance to the next match minutes. Andrew Porter - Ireland. Even as he's played for multiple teams with some controversy, Howard is still known for having one of the league's best bodies. See more ideas about football, rugby players, rugby. The file: Josh Uche, Hudson's teammate at . That is serious weight! A post shared by Joe Marler (@joemarler17). Unfortunately, we cant find how much he can lift anywhere on the web, I guarantee its a lot though, just look at the traps on that dude! For sheer strength in the squat, no one in any sport really comes close to the top powerlifters. Because squats involve such a large number of muscle groups, Consuming enough protein one gram per pound is a good target for most ruggers, Eat plenty of vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and some fruits. Female forward: 35kg/77 lb. Thats an immense size, and if you look up some videos of him playing for the English team Leicester Tigers or Tonga during the world cup tournament, youll get an idea of how he can make other rugby players just bounce off him. If you are not consistently pushing your body it will stay the same and your strength and muscle levels will not change. He was a unanimous All-American for the Iowa . Cal made its final home rugby match of the season a good one as the Golden Bears beat defending national champion Army 31-14 on a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon at Witter Rugby Field in Berkeley. 2023 (3.0.23061.8) 24.com. Weight: 285 lbs. Austin Healey likes to tell a story about when he and Tuilagi were teammates at Leicester Tigers. Ruggers are undoubtedly stronger than the average human, and strength is a critical factor for successful rugby. NFL Combine Bench Press Rules. He changed his body significantly prior to this season. 5.Charles Oakley. The bench press is a classic exercise for building upper body strength and power, and it's a favorite of many NRL players. It specifically targets the pectoralis major, deltoids, and triceps muscles, which are your main pushing muscles. Week in and week out, he is offering try assists or scoring himself so he helps your scoreboard tick over. Rugby is not a weight-lifting competition; its a contact sport that requires speed, endurance, and explosive strength of its athletes. Andrew Porter is an Irish Rugby Union player who plays for his home team Leinster. It made him one of the strongest players in combine history. Adam Elliott, pound for pound. REACTION: World Rugby has issued a lukewarm response to the proposed new World 12s competition. He likened it the Irish MMA fight Conor McGregor: an example of explosive athlete generating KO forces on a lithe 70kg frame. Weighted dips should be performed 1 to 2 times a week. While he doesnt really keep track of his max lifts anymore, he is reportedly able to squat 772lb (350kg). With that height and weight, he is known for punishingly big hits. Care, Lose This article is about strength, but what about height? So how do Rugby players measure up? According to Jonny Waterson in The Irish Times: "Noted . Its important to note that there is no hard and fast rule. So, all their training time is spent on improving these lifts. Too bad we couldnt find any weightlifting numbers for him online. 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. To put this in perspective, 140kg/308 lb. The back squat is the so-called king of exercises. Forwards are usually stronger than backs, but, in this study, that was not the case. 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. It doesnt always translate into a good rugby player on the field of play. 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. Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times Opinion: The All Blacks players have come into Super Rugby on a mission this year. Keep in mind this list, as with our list of the most jacked players in the NFLcould easily have been much longer. And with over 220 appearances for his home team Harlequins, hes set to become one of the teams longest-serving players. That said, every rugger is different, and while some players are superhuman in the gym, others are only somewhat above average. One rep max bench presses are also a potentially dangerous exercise for contact sports athletes to attempt. There's no doubting, much like golfers when quizzed as to 'what they shot', numbers are often to be taken with a pinch of salt. The strongest was probably Henry Tuilagi (former Samoa no. The fact that rugby players can bench press such high numbers while still training rugby full time is an amazing feat. LARRY ALLEN . The Springboks, for example, expect Test players to bench press between 1.3 to 1.5 times their bodyweight, position-dependent. The Skinfold standard and bleep test levels . In a rugby context, an enormous bench press is not necessarily indicative of anything other than a strong upper body. Rugby is one of a few sports that demands a high level of all-round fitness. Former Game of Thrones star Hafthor Bjornsson has blown fans away after footage emerged of him doing a dumbbell bench press with wife Kelsey Henson. Related: Best Creatine for Muscle and Strength. All weight exercises, Olympic or otherwise, are performed with a focus on moving the weight at speed for explosiveness. Ireland's Josh van der Flier in action against . This Tongan born rugby union player who plays for English Premiership Team Leicester Tigers is massive. Jamie is the biggest rugby player from Wales, and at 64, hes also among the taller ones. Who is your favourite to win the driver's championship this year? A post shared by Beast (@tendaimtawarira). window.scriptsToInit.push('BrightCoveEmbeddedScrollVideo.init("6151210647001");'); It goes without saying that rugby players are neither powerlifters, professional strongmen nor bodybuilders. At 65 he is the tallest athlete on here. Ruggers are not just big squatters but big benchers, too! Also, muscles tend to work in groups, so it makes more sense to test those muscle groups together. NFL Combine Bench Press Compilation!!!!! Some variation of the bench press remains a staple in rugby clubs across the globe. And the Ohio State Buckeye showed this brute strength with 45 reps on the bench press. That makes him an immense asset for the scrum. The world of rugby is full of some of the biggest men in sports.