MyoQuip Blog - strength equipment, rugby football

RSS Feed Homepage

Some thoughts on engagement under the new rugby scrum law
2007-04-18 05:40:00
An email I received from Colin Astley reads:"With the new scrum engagement rules everybody's looking for that little something to get the advantage. What are your views on my theory that if you use a quick 'squat' on the engage call, this would give you that extra 'bang' and you would be coming in at a rising angle. As there is only a split second to utilise this technique, the player would have to train the stretch-shortening of the muscle."Look forward to your thoughts, "Colin"I think that Colin is really onto something significant here. What we are observing under the new rules is a tendency to revert to the practice of the No. 8 pulling back on the locks while the referee goes through his " Crouch - Touch - Pause - Engage" chant. On "Engage" the No. 8 pushes with straightened arms against the buttocks of the locks before attempting to wedge his head between the locks' hips.Prior to the "Engage" the front seven of the pack are pulling forward or leaning forward against the ...
More About: Thoughts , Thought , Rugby , Gage , Under

ScrumTruk's first Olympian
2006-12-01 02:08:00
Originally developed for increasing the pushing strength of rugby forwards, MyoQuip's Scrum Truk has proved its versatility across a variety of sports. At the University of Sydney it has been used by Australian national representatives in rugby, rowing and women’s basketball, but the first Olympic representative to use it was in the winter sport of bobsleigh racing.Fifth-year veterinary science student Astrid Loch-Wilkinson was the pilot of Australia’s first-ever women's bobsleigh team which competed at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, in February. Astrid and brake woman Kylie Reed finished 14th with a time of 3 minutes 55.11 seconds for their four runs.Athletes from power sports such as weight-lifting and athletics are often recruited for bobsleighing because they have appropriate attributes to gain an edge at the explosive push-start that characterizes the event. Astrid had the necessary athletic ability having been an Australian national 400m hurdling champion and a Syd...
More About: First , Olympia

Body height in the rugby scrum: the value of equal hip and knee joint angle
2006-11-29 06:09:00
Introduction Despite the undoubted importance of efficient force delivery in the scrum, there is very limited published material addressing the actual dynamics of force delivery.Powerful scrummaging is dependent on appropriate body position and limb alignment, not just in the relatively static situation immediately after engagement but throughout the entire contest of the scrum. Much of what passes for best practice in scrum formation reflects a failure to critically examine the actual geometry and mechanics of body position and how these change during the scrum contest.I believe that an optimal configuration of body position and limb alignment on engagement involves hip and knee angles each set at 90° with both trunk and shank being parallel to the ground. During the scrum, hip and knee joints should move synchronously so that their angles remain equal. The hips may sink slightly relative to the shoulders but trunk and shank should remain parallel.Body height and joint angles – ...
More About: Join , Rugby , Equal , Value

Scots overpowered by Wallaby size
2006-11-26 22:29:00
Following the Wall abies' emphatic defeat of Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Saturday, it was interesting to note comments by the Scots' coach Frank Hadden:"It's difficult to front up week after week against heavier sides."We've hidden that for a while but the Australian pack were able to create the opportunities for their danger players."They have quality backs and when they are going forward they're very difficult to stop."The rugby community is gradually waking up to the idea that increased size and strength confers a huge advantage in the sport, and not just in the forwards. Heavy backs are also able to gradually wear down their lighter opponents.It is difficult for a national coach to do much about the physical attributes of his players - he basically has to work with the available material over a very short preparation period. The groundwork for physical dominance has to be laid much earlier - even at school level.Those in charge of Scottish rugby would do well to ...
More About: Power , Over , Size , Alla

A biomechanical model for estimating moments of force at hip and knee joint
2006-10-26 07:29:00
IntroductionThe barbell squat is a complex, mass load bearing multi-articular exercise movement. It is the basic lower body exercise prescribed in training programs for many sports even though it is unpopular with most athletes and is often performed inexpertly. One of the major problems when performing a full squat with heavy weights is that there appears to be excessive loading in the bottom part of the movement. At the same time loading through the top range of the movement seems inadequate.This study examines the extent to which these effects may be attributable to changing values of resistive torque in moving from deep flexion to full extension of the hip and knee joints, i.e., to changes in limb geometry. A basic biomechanical model of the squat has been developed to calculate moments of force or torque applied about the axes of the hip and knee joints at various angles of those joints. I am not aware of any previous comparable study of the free weight squat.The Model A mathema...
More About: Men , Force , Estima , Join

Harland force behind the Students
2006-10-16 12:10:00
by Aaron Scott*For much of the winter David Lyons looked a spent force as an International rugby player. Throughout the Super 14 season his form was slated by critics: he was too predictable, too one-dimensional, not dynamic enough. He found himself relegated to the Waratah's bench. In May he was a shock omission from the Wallabies training squad. He didn't play a Test all winter. Only gradually did it emerge that he had been suffering from a prolapsed disc in his back. Either way, it seemed that the 40-Test veteran and 2004 John Eales medal winner was washed-up at 26.Enter University's Strength and Conditioning coach, Martin Harlan d. Lyons' problems were pin-pointed. Two years of injury (groin and back) had eroded his superb physical attributes. Barely able to drag himself through an 80-minute match, Lyons had shunned the gym and the training paddock. His legs had all but atrophied.Harland decided to settle the prolapsed disc in Lyons' back, redevelop his core strength, then r...
More About: Student , Students , Force , Land

Basic strength training the key to success for Sydney University rugby
2006-09-11 22:25:00
Sydney University Football Club has just completed another very successful season. In 2006 it won the First and Second Grade Sydney premierships plus both the Club Championship and Colts Championship. In all the Club won premierships in four out of seven grades contested. These results are almost identical to those of the previous year. In 2005 it also won First and Second Grades, Club and Colts Championships, and five premierships out of eight grades contested.Another remarkable statistic is that all but one of the Grand Final winning First Grade team were products of the Club's own Colts program. In recent years Sydney University has become one of the great nurseries of rugby talent, arguably producing more professional players than any other club in the world.Rugby at the University has evolved into a comprehensive and cohesive system involving the employment of three full-time coaches - Head Coach, Billy Millard; Director of Rugby, Damien Hill; and Colts Coordinator, Nick Ryan....
More About: Sydney , Training , Success , Rain

ScrumTruk used for strength training by world champion rowers
2006-08-29 09:20:00
Rowers from the University of Sydney who have used the MyoQuip ScrumTruk as an integral part of their strength training recorded outstanding performances in world competition in 2006.Foremost among these was Liz Kell who with fellow Sydney University rower Brooke Pratley won Gold in the Women's Double Scull at the World Senior Championships in Eton, England. Kell regularly used the ScrumTruk throughout the domestic rowing season before moving to Adelaide to prepare with Pratley for the World Championships. After the race Kell commented: "We've never raced together before this regatta so this is not a bad result." A rather understated reaction to winning a world championship.Aside from their inexperience the win was also remarkable for the fact that Kell had missed the two previous rowing seasons due to back problems.In July in Hazewinkel, Belgium, Sydney University's Renee Kirby and Verena Stocker won Gold medals in the Women's Four at the Under 23 World Championships. Their cre...
More About: Training , Rowe , Rain , Train

Rugby World Cup winning Wallaby endorses the ScrumTruk
2006-08-26 12:43:00
Bob Egerton, a member of the 1991 World Cup winning Wall aby team and long-serving player and coach with the Sydney University Football Club, admits to having been "a big fan of ScrumTruk since its inception." He recommends its use for players at all levels in the game.Bob Egerton was the first Club Coach to use the ScrumTruk when in 2004 he and Todd Louden were setting up the Elite Development Squad (EDS) program at Sydney University's rugby club. The EDS program laid the foundation for the Club's subsequent success in winning premierships and developing professional players, and the ScrumTruk has been an integral part of the strength and conditioning section of the program.When Bob returned to his first love of school teaching in 2005 he recommended to the Friends of Grammar Rugby that they also install the ScrumTruk. The Friends group had been set up to assist in overcoming Sydney Grammar School's lack of competitiveness in rugby. Renowned for its academic selectiveness and out...
More About: Rugby World Cup

MyoQuip releases the HipneeThrust leg extensor strength builder
2006-08-21 22:18:00
Unique features and performance characteristics:Fully recumbent exercise position.Comfortable and natural body position throughout the full range of movement ensuring no adverse loading on spine, hips or knees.Exercise movement range from extreme flexion of hip and knee joints to full extension.Utilises QuadTorq technology providing effective activation of hip and knee extensors over the full range of movementSynchronised joint angles distribute load evenly between hip and knee extensors.8-position adjustment of the rate of change of load providing multi-functionality of the apparatus.Intuitive operation - no requirement for instruction in correct technique.No danger of exerciser being trapped under excessive load.No stress on ankle joint - no imposed dorsiflexion of the ankle.Ideal for rehabilitation of hip or knee joints.High functionality for developing and strengthening leg extensorsThe leg extensors - primarily the gluteus maximus and quadriceps - constitute the body's largest...
More About: Release , Build , Lease , Rust , Ease

The effect of varying quadrant notch settings on MyoQuip's range of variabl
2006-08-18 13:17:00
MyoQuip's QuadTorq technology is designed as a compensation mechanism for biomechanical disadvantage. When a limb is fully flexed, i.e., the foot or hand is close to the trunk, the muscles of that limb are operating in a position of considerable biomechanical disadvantage, but as the limb extends away from the trunk it moves into a progressively more biomechanically efficient orientation.An example of this changing biomechanical efficiency can be seen with the barbell squat. When the hip and knee joints are flexed as in the deep position of the squat, the lifter's capacity to cope with resistance is considerably reduced; but as they rise and the joints fully extend, the amount of resistance that can be coped with increases dramatically. This is why there is a very strong tendency for unsupervised and inexperienced lifters to perform only partial squats and why the squat does not effectively work the leg extensor muscles through their full range.Each of the ScrumTruk, HipneeThrust ...
More About: Rant , Vari , Aria , Effect , Varia

The role of synchronised hip and knee joint angles in efficient squatting
2006-08-14 22:34:00
In recent days there has been discussion among some who use their blogs as weight training diaries about difficulties with squatting. The author of A prop's journey talks about "the quarter and half squats I'm stuck with at the moment because my leg/back/ankle (it's all connected) flexibility is terrible."And then we have Scott Bird posting in 99 shades of grey >> straight to the bar that "there was going to be some work to do" in order to reach parallel in the squat which he conceded he was "nowhere near." This was confirmed by a photo showing his inability to descend to the parallel position even with an unloaded bar. I hope that Scott doesn't mind me reproducing that photo in order to illustrate some of my own ideas on squatting.I have endeavoured to estimate his joint angles from that image and I trust that the first stick-figure diagram is a reasonable approximation. Not to put too fine a point on it, Scott's squat technique looks ugly and uncomfortable.The first problem s...
More About: Join , Role , Sync , Angle , Squat

Northampton Saints endorse the ScrumTruk
2006-08-14 19:42:02
Premiership club North ampton Saint s pioneered the use of the Scrum Truk in the U.K. Performance Coach Tim Exeter installed two ScrumTruks prior to the 2005-2006 season. Exeter, a former Scotland A centre, worked in strength and conditioning with West Bromwich Albion FC, Coventry FC and Portsmouth FC, before coming back to rugby with Richmond RFC from 1997 to 1999 then joining the Saints in 2001
More About: Hampton

Building bigger and stronger rugby players - the Sydney Univ
2006-08-14 19:42:02
It is widely acknowledged that the average bodyweight of rugby players has increased considerably over recent years. Less recognised is the extent to which modern defensive alignments and strategies have transformed rugby matches into contests of attrition where bigger and stronger teams tend to wear down their smaller and physically weaker opponents over the course of a game. Perhaps the most
More About: Building , Players , Sydney , Play , Player

The Strength for Sport Refertory
2006-08-14 19:42:02
It has now become standard practice to click on search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN whenever we require information but the results are frequently frustrating. Spam sites, dead sites and pages which contain the search term but have no real relevance to the object of the search can make the search process very tedious. A quite common and irritating occurrence is to find what looks like a very
More About: Sport , Port , Spor , Tory , Refer

A prop's journey
2006-08-08 00:56:00
I came across a potentially interesting new blog, A prop's journey, the rugby diary of a young front rower from Brisbane, Queensland. It will be interesting to see how active he is in posting in the off-season but he seems determined to use the time for building up for the 2007 season. It could be worth following.rugby
More About: Journey , Prop

MyoQuip launches the HipneeFlex - hip and knee flexor streng
2006-08-06 19:27:02
After extensive prototype testing, MyoQuip is proud to release the HipneeFlex , a truly unique apparatus for the development of the hip and knee flexors.The HipneeFlex permits the hip flexor and knee flexor muscles to be exercised simultaneously through the full range of leg movement from full extension to full flexion. Both sets of muscles are subjected to substantial but appropriate loading throughout the whole movement.Figure 1 shows the basic mechanism of the HipneeFlex. The athlete operates from a supine position so that the action of the flexors - iliopsoas and hamstrings for the hip and knee joints respectively - can be effectively isolated. The feet are engaged between rollers which are cable-connected to the weighted QuadTorq mechanism.The exercise movement involves the feet being drawn back from a fully extended position to a fully flexed position. Thus both hip and knee flexors are exercised through a range where the included angle at the joints varies from 180º to aro...
More About: Launch

Essentials of the Argentinian 'Bajada' rugby scrum
2006-06-09 01:29:00
Argentinian teams are renowned for the effectiveness of their scrummaging and the central importance of the scrum to their game. From an early age, Argentinian forwards are schooled in the 'Bajada' or 'Bajadita,' a radically different scrum method invented in the late 'Sixties by the legendary Francisco Ocampo.The most obvious characteristic of the Bajada is that second-rowers bind with their external arms around the prop's hip rather than between their legs. But, as explained by Springbok coach Jake White (SARugby .com), one defining characteristic of the method is that "all the power is directed into the hooker. In other words, they scrum along an imaginary arrow drawn pointing inwards from either side of the No 8, which means all the power is directed towards the hooker."The other defining characteristic is the "Empuje Coordinado" or "Coordinated Push." "The scrumhalf gives a three part call after the "engage". On "pressure" all members of the pack tighten their binds and fi...
More About: Tinian , Esse , Jada , Argentinian

Andy Sheridan - an aberration or is prodigious strength the future of rugby
2006-04-25 13:09:00
England's loose-head prop, Andy Sheridan, achieved instant legend status when he demolished Australia's scrum at Twickenham in November. The Wallabies' Al Baxter was firstly sin-binned for his inability to hold his footing, then his replacement, Matt Dunning, was stretchered from the field with a neck injury. The more cynical might wonder how genuine that injury was, but either way it amounted to an acknowledgement that Sheridan was simply much too strong for two experienced international props. He has since been lauded as the strongest frontrower in the world.The most interesting question is whether his strength is freakish and abnormal or the product of the dedicated application of modern strength training. There is no doubt that Andrew Sheridan had the genetic endowment to be very big and strong. At Dulwich College, a prestigious south London public school, Sheridan was the dominant player in a team that remained unbeaten from under-11 to first XV. His first rugby master recal...
More About: Future , The Future , Rugby , Digi

Bands, chains and broad biomechanical correspondence
2006-04-01 03:47:00
[Summary: The addition of bands or chains to free weights permits adjustment of the resistance to the muscles' load-bearing capacity throughout an exercise movement. This broad biomechanical correspondence allows exercises to be performed explosively over their full range, effectively conditioning the body for actual sporting and athletic activities. The development of sophisticated mechanisms employing the same principle has important implications for sport-specific strength development.]There are two main types of variable resistance exercise equipment:Close biomechanical correspondenceManufacturers of cam-driven machines claim to vary their resistance to closely match the torque curves of natural joint movements. In other words they assert a close biomechanical correspondence (CBC) between resistance and muscular capacity. However, given the variation between individuals in relative limb lengths, muscle attachment points, genetically endowed strength relativities between various...
More About: Band , Bands , Pond , Road , Mechanical

A solution to uncontested rugby scrums?
2006-03-19 03:11:00
Writing in the Sky Sportzine English international rugby referee Steve Lander states that "It has long been an open secret amongst coaches, players and referees that the law" in relation to uncontested scrums "is open to 'manipulation'."Uncontested scrums "change the shape of the game and the dominant scrum is effectively depowered. Furthermore, without the contest and the need to scrummage, back row players are free to close down space ... ." However, there is little that a referee can do to prevent manipulation of the law. "From a match official's perspective. if a coach, physio or player indicates that he is injured then he is injured. In terms of safety, it is as simple as that."Lander points out that the law requires that "both teams must provide front row cover within the 22 players selected to replace the hooker on the first occasion for injury, blood, sin bin or sending off. Similarly, for either, but not both props on the first occasion for the same reasons.""A coach has...
More About: Contest , Rugby , Test , Contes , Este

Does intensive pre-season strength training protect rugby players from non-
2006-03-02 09:30:00
[Summary: Play ers at a leading Australian rugby club who undertook a high-intensity off-season strength training program experienced dramatically fewer non-contact injuries during the playing season than their less committed club mates. It is suggested that the lower incidence of injury might be attributable to an emphasis on improving basic strength and the use of rugby-specific strength equipment.]Each year the Sydney University Football Club selects a group of players for its Elite Development Squad to prepare for the next season. For 2005 a squad of 50 was chosen which did not include any of the Club's seven Wallabies nor any of the players on Super 12 contracts. Player s committed themselves to around fourteen weeks of intensive training involving six to seven sessions per week of weights, skills and fitness work despite either being full time students or working full time. At the conclusion of the season the Club's doctor, Katherine Rae, and physiotherapist, Keiran Cleary, jo...
More About: Training , Season

Comment by Nick Tatalias on hip flexor strength
2006-02-13 18:25:00
A comment by Nick Tatalias on my "Hip Flex or" post contains such significant observations and extensions to my arguments that I felt it deserved highlighting. It is by no means the first time that Nick has materially expanded on one of my posts. Here is an excerpt from the comment:... hip flexor strength is essential to athletic function simply because the body will begin to retard the agonist action early if the antagonist is weak. This reaction of the body prevents injury by preventing over extension. Strong antagonists allow the agonist to fire for much longer before the antagonist must fire to prevent joint over extension. The early retardation will slow the movement restrict range of motion and will cause slower runners. If the Weyland study is correct in its assertion that overall speed is dependant on ground forces generated and range of motion (as these two functions increase stride length) and not leg speed then by deduction if cycle times remain constant but stride length ...
More About: Men , Alias , Comment

Hip flexors - the most underdeveloped muscle group in strength training
2006-02-10 14:17:00
[Summary: Strong hip flexors provide an advantage in a wide range of sports and athletic activities but they are the most neglected muscle group in strength training. The problem in developing hip flexor strength has been the lack of appropriate exercises, but the development of flexor-specific apparatus offers great potential for fully developing these muscles.]Despite their importance to a wide range of athletic and sporting activities, the hip flexors are the most neglected major muscle group in strength training. It is very rare to find training programs that include hip flexor exercises. By contrast there is usually a great deal of emphasis on exercises for the leg extensors.There are some obvious reasons for this comparative neglect. The principal muscles involved in hip flexion are the psoas and the iliacus, collectively known as the iliopsoas. Because they are relatively deep-seated rather than surface muscles they may have been overlooked by bodybuilders who have traditiona...
More About: Training , Rain , Train , Flex , Most

Is Australian rugby finally getting the message about power?
2006-02-05 05:38:00
Today's Sun-Herald [Sydney] has a brief article titled "The Brumbies turn to power." It makes the point that the "multi-phase attacking style" used by both the ACT Brumbies and the Wallabies with success in the late 1990s and the first few years of the new century "has been superseded by a more robust forward-oriented play."ACT coach Laurie Fisher is quoted as saying: "I think we've lacked it [forwards getting to the advantage line] every year but it hadn't been as important until last season. You can't just outskill a side with a quality back line now. You've got to have a quality set piece, you've got to have a power game."Let's hope that the Brumbies have been making good use of the ScrumTruk that they installed a few months ago.
More About: Power , Australian , Message , Rugby , Finally

Nick Tatalias on explosive strength training for rugby
2006-01-14 08:06:00
[Summary: Nick Tatalias suggests that forwards who are exhausted after scrums and mauls may need greater strength and better anaerobic rather than aerobic conditioning. He argues that changes to the Laws of Rugby have increased the proportion of explosive actions in a game and consequently the need for explosive strength training.]I have just come across a very interesting post by Nick Tatalias in the IRB Forums from March last year. This was a contribution to a long thread addressing the issue of why South African teams had been so unsuccessful in Super 12 competitions.Nick Tatalias suggested that when conditioning coaches observe some of their forwards standing with hands on knees trying to catch their breath, they conclude that the players need more aerobic type conditioning; but he maintains that this "further exacerbates the problem. When in truth the issue is that greater levels of strength are needed, better anaerobic conditioning and lastly sprint endurance."Tatalias's view...
More About: Training , Rain , Train , Alias

McKenzie says no to Wallabies job - for now
2006-01-10 01:48:00
[Summary: Ewen McKenzie 's decision not to contest the Wall aby coaching position highlights the need for the organizational structure of the coaching team to be decided by the head coach rather than the ARU bureaucrats.]Ewen McKenzie's decision to withdraw his application for the Wallabies coaching position highlights a couple of interesting issues.Firstly it draws attention to how unusual it is for the position to be filled by an ex-Wallaby player. To my knowledge there have been only three: Bryan Palmer, John Solomon and Dave Brockhoff. So it is 26 years since Australia has had an ex-international as coach. McKenzie, of course, had a very long and distinguished incumbency of the Wallaby tight-head position.Although I am not really familiar with the rugby history of other nations, it would appear that the Australian situation is by no means unique. Most international coaches have not played at the top level. I would be grateful if someone can post details for any of the other rugb...
More About: Alla