Build unbeatable physicality by using these 11 set and rep schemes for rugby
1: RPE Load Drop Method
Week 1: Work up to 5 reps @ RPE 8, then drop load by 5% and do sets of 5 until you hit another RPE 8.
Week 2: Work up to 5 reps @ RPE 8, then drop load by 5% and do sets of 5 until you hit another RPE 8.
Week 3: Work up to 3 reps @ RPE 8, then drop load by 5% and do sets of 3 until you hit another RPE 8.
Week 4: Work up to 3 reps @ RPE 9, then drop load by 5% and do sets of 3 until you hit another RPE 9.
2: APRE 3RM Method
*Firstly, work out your predicted 3RM for the session (~90% of 1RM).
Set 1: 50% of 3RM x 6
Set 2: 75% of 3RM x 3
Set 3: 85% of 3RM x 1
Set 4: Predicted 3RM Weight (~90% of 1RM) x until you’re 1 rep shy of failure.
Set 5 and 6: Calculate load from set 4 (see below) x until you’re 1 rep shy of failure.
If you hit 0 reps, reduce load by 10-15lb (5-10kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 1-2 rep, reduce load by 5-10lb (2.5-5kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 3-4 reps, keep the load the same for the 5th set
If you hit 5-6 reps, increase the load by 5-10lb (2.5-5kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 7+ reps, increase the load by 10-15lb (5-7.5kg) for the 5th set.
3: APRE 6RM Method
*Firstly, work out your predicted 6RM for the session (~80% of 1RM).
Set 1: 50% of 6RM x 10
Set 2: 75% of 6RM x 6
Set 3: 85% of 6RM x 1
Set 4: Predicted 6RM Weight (~80% of 1RM) x until you’re 1 rep shy of failure.
Set 5: Calculate load from set 4 (see below) x until you’re 1 rep shy of failure.
Set 6 (optional): Calculate load from set 4 (see below) x until you’re 1 rep shy of failure.
If you hit 1-2 rep, reduce load by 5-10lb (2.5-5kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 3-4 reps, reduce load by 0-5lb (0-2.5kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 5-7 reps, keep the load the same for the 5th set.
If you hit 8-12 reps, increase the load by 5-10lb (2.5-5kg) for the 5th set.
If you hit 13+ reps, increase the load by 10-15lb (5-7.5kg) for the 5th set.
4: Rest Pause Method
Week 1: Perform 4 to 6 reps @ 75-80% of 1RM, rest 30sec, then get an additional 2-3 reps (around RPE 9, not failure). Repeat for 2 sets.
Week 2: Perform 4 to 6 reps @ 75-80% of 1RM, rest 30sec, then get an additional 2-3 reps (around RPE 9, not failure). Repeat for 2 sets.
Week 3: Perform 4 to 6 reps @ 75-80% of 1RM, rest 30sec, then get an additional 2-3 reps (around RPE 9, not failure). Repeat for 3 sets.
Week 4: Perform 4 to 6 reps @ 75-80% of 1RM, rest 30sec, then get an additional 2-3 reps (around RPE 9, not failure). Repeat for 4 sets.
5: Giant Set Method
Week 1: Do 15 minutes of sets of 5 @ 70%+ of 1RM
Week 2: Do 18 minutes of sets of 5 @ 70%+ of 1RM
Week 3: Do 15 minutes of sets of 3 @ 80%+ of 1RM
Week 4: Do 18 minutes of sets of 3 @ 80%+ of 1RM
6: Percentage Load Drop Method
Week 1: Work up to 5 reps @ 2 RIR, then do 2-3 sets with 80% of that weight for 8-15 reps
Week 2: Work up to 5 reps @ 1 RIR, then do 2-3 sets with 80% of that weight for 8-15 reps
Week 3: Work up to 3 reps @ 1 RIR, then do 2-3 sets with 80% of that weight for 3-8 reps
Week 4: Work up to 3 reps @ 1 RIR, then do 2-3 sets with 80% of that weight for 3-8 reps
7: Dan Baker Wave Loading
Week 1: 3 x 8 @ 70%
Week 2: 8-6-5 @ 70-75-80%
Week 3: 6-5-3 @ 73-80-87%
Week 4: 5 @ 76%, 3 @ 83%, 2+ @ 90% (if you get 4 reps increase predicted max by 2.5kg, if you get 6+ increase predicted max by 5kg). Record PR’s in metric section.
Week 5: 8-6-5 @ 70-75-80%
Week 6: 6-5-3 @ 74-81-88%
Week 7: 5 @ 78%, 3 @ 85%, 2+ @ 92% (if you get 3 reps increase predicted max by 2.5kg, if you get 5+ increase predicted max by 5kg). Record PR’s in metric section.
8: Magic of 24 reps
Week 1: 4 x 6 @ 75-80% (ramp up each set)
Week 2: 4 x (3/3) @85-90% (ramp up each set). With 15 – 20 seconds intra set rest
Week 3: 4 x (2/2/2) @87.5-92.5% (ramp up each set) with 20 – 30 seconds intra set rest
9: 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler)
Week 1: 65% x 5, 75% x 5, 82.5% x 5+ (+ = max reps. Only do max reps if you feel good). If you hit 8 reps, increase max in the metrics section by 2.5kg.
Week 2: 70% x 3, 77.5% x 3, 85% x 3+ (+ = max reps. Only do max reps if you feel good). If you hit 6 reps, increase max in the metrics section by 2.5kg.
Week 3: 70% x 5, 80 x 3, 90% x 1+ (+ = max reps. Only do max reps if you feel good). If you hit 4 reps, increase predicted max in the metrics section by 2.5kg.
10: Strength Waves
Week 1: 2 x (6,5,4) @ (75%,80%, 85%)
Week 2: 2 x (5,4,3) @ (80%, 85%, 90%)
Week 3: 2 x (4,3,2) @ (85%, 90%, 95%)
11: Cluster Singles
Week 1: 2 sets of clusters x 1 reps, rest 15-30s, 1 rep, rest 15-30s (repeated for a total of 5 reps). Perform with 3RM load (~92.5% of 1RM).
Week 2: 3 sets of clusters x 1 reps, rest 15-30s, 1 rep, rest 15-30s (repeated for a total of 5 reps). Perform with 3RM load (~92.5% of 1RM).
Week 3: 4 sets of clusters x 1 reps, rest 15-30s, 1 rep, rest 15-30s (repeated for a total of 5 reps). Perform with 3RM load (~92.5% of 1RM).
