A Focus On... The Pre Season
Elite Focus
Field Sports, Multi-sport, Strength & Conditioning, Speed, RugbyBuild a base, turn it into useful output, and roll into round one with a plan — not a scramble.
WHO IT'S FOR Field-sport athletes heading into competition who can mix gym and field work with their team's skills sessions.
WHAT YOU GET 12 weeks across three phases. The sample week has six training days (lower-limb volume/upper-limb power; total-body power plus aerobic power; upper-limb volume/lower-limb power; speed development; aerobic-capacity work) plus a rest-and-recovery day. Expect a mix of lower- and higher-volume sessions with intensity generally trending up.
EQUIPMENT Required: barbell and plates; dumbbells; bench; pull-up bar; resistance bands; cable station; medicine ball; a box or step; field/open space for running and jumps; timer. Optional / alternatives: kettlebells if you already have them; rack/pins if you use the overloaded isometric variations.
THE PHASES Capacity development — build your gym and field base. Capacity conversion — get more strength, power and output from that base. Realisation — final four weeks as a springboard into competition, with an emphasis on expressing strength and speed.
HOW TO USE IT Time it so the last week finishes within about a week of round one. If the calendar moves, don't just keep hammering the final high-intensity week without thinking. Keep going to team skills — this sits beside that work, it doesn't replace it.
RPE is an effort rating out of 10. Match the number as best you can, keep the movement solid, and log what you actually used in TrainHeroic. On power work, RPE reflects the load; the effort on those reps is still meant to be sharp.
Questions about swaps or setup? Send them through TrainHeroic. Open the sample week, see if the shape fits your week, and jump in if it does.
Dan Bunyan — Elite Focus
A1
Cook Squat
2 x 6
A2
Clock Lunge
2 x 2
A3
Pushup, Thread the needle
2 x 6
B1
Supine Medball Throws
4 x 3
B2
Band Rip
4 x 4
B3
Overloaded Bench Press (isometric)
4 x 1 @ MAX
C
Squat Variant
10, 10, 12, 10, 8 @ 6, 7, 7, 8, 8
D1
Goblet Lateral Lunge
8, 10, 12 @ 7
D2
Single Leg RDL
12, 10, 8 @ 6, 7, 8
E
Hinge Variant
8, 8, 10, 10, 8 @ 6, 7, 7, 8, 8
F1
Front Rack Step-Ups
3 x 8 @ 6, 7, 8
F2
Single Leg Hip Thrust
3 x 10 @ 6, 7, 8
A1
WORLD'S GREATEST STRETCH
2 x 5
A2
Low Pogo Jumps
2 x 15
A3
Catching partial pushup
2 x 8
B1
Vertical Jump
4 x 3
B2
Power Pushup, concentric only
4 x 3
C1
Iceskater
3 x 4
C2
Clapping pushup, hands elevated
3 x 5
D1
Isometric Split Squat Holds
2 x 5 @ 8
D2
Pushup plus, drive and hold (protract)
2 x 5 @ 6
A
Intervals
3 x 6 @ 30
A1
Overhead Squat
2 x 6
A2
Curtsy Lunge
2 x 6
A3
Hindu Push-Up
2 x 5
B1
Horizontal Bound
4 x 3
B2
Lateral hops (repeat)
4 x 4
B3
Overloaded Barbell Squat (isometric)
4 x 1 @ MAX
C
Barbell Bench Press
10, 10, 12, 10, 8 @ 6, 7, 7, 8, 8
D1
DB Lateral Raise
8, 10, 12 @ 7
D2
Cable Facepull
12, 10, 8 @ 6, 7, 8
E
Chin-Up
8, 8, 10, 10, 8
F1
DB Arnold Press
3 x 8 @ 6, 7, 8
F2
Barbell Shrug
3 x 10 @ 6, 7, 8
Speed/Agility
A
Front Side Mechanics Circuit 1
1. High knee skip (one rep for height, one rep for distance) x 15m 2. 'A' skip/bounce (think a light touch-and-go skip, not a traditional 'A' skip) x 15m 3. Step into vertical leap (think step into a basketball shot/throw), double leg x 15m Plenty of rest per effort, this is not conditioning, we are refining/developing a skill/technical output.
Speed/Agility
B
Rear Side Mechanics Circuit 1
1. Straight leg running - 15m 2. High knee carioka - 15m e/s 3. Bounds, single leg alternating - 20m Look to complete 2 rounds, plenty of rest between efforts (this is for skill/specific prep, not conditioning).
C
Curved Sprint
40, 50
D
Accelerations
1 x 5 @ 5
A
Intervals
3 x 5 @ 90, 60, 90
Dan Bunyan
Dan has worked in a variety of performance spaces for almost 20 years ranging from preparing Olympic athletes to weekend recreational athletes. Dan has considerable experience in strength and conditioning for performance in field sports as well as athletic rehabilitation. Dan holds a Masters in Exercise Science, is a NSCA CSCS and a Level 3 ASCA S&C Coach.
