I'm the least fit person on my rugby team, and that needs to change.
I've been pretty dedicated to powerlifting -- and nothing else -- for a couple of years now, so I guess I've conditioned my body to do slow, heavy sets with lots of rest in between. It really shows once I'm out on the pitch; it doesn't take much at all before I'm sucking wind and ready to face plant. I need advice on how to improve my cardiovascular conditioning, preferably without eating too much into muh gainz. I'm currently playing prop, but, due to losing some weight, they'd like to move me to flanker or number eight. Short term, I'd like to not be a liability on the field after maybe ten minutes of play. Long term (spring season, unless I'm being entirely too optimistic), I'd like to be able to play flanker for 80 minutes.
I powerlift three times a week. It's class-based, so there isn't much flexibility in the schedule or the programming. Sunday is squats, usually with some deadlift assistance work. Tuesday is bench press, press, and some kind of back work (usually bent row). Thursday is deadlift, usually with some squat assistance work. We will typically finish Sundays and Thursdays with sled work or sprint intervals, but I haven't seen any carryover from this. I can't speak to periodization, as that's handled entirely by the trainer, but the main lifts will be one, three, or five reps per set 95% of the time.
At home, I have a barbell, a squat stand, a bench, and weights in both iron and rubber. My ceilings are low, so overhead work like jerks are entirely dependent upon the weather and how motivated I am to carry a bunch of equipment outside. I also have farmer's walk implements. I live near a high school track, a fairly hilly trail, and a road that's great for hill sprints. Through work, I have access to a gym that has equipment similar to a Planet Fitness. It has treadmills, stationary bikes, and a mostly broken rower in addition to a Smith machine, an assortment of fixed-angle bench press stations (WTF?), and absolutely nowhere to squat heavy (probably not relevant, but it irks my powerlifting sensibilities).
I'm not really looking for a detailed daily plan to follow so much as some general guidance. Has my current regimen adapted my body in such a way that I'm incapable of the long term exertion rugby requires? If so, I suppose I have a longer road ahead of me than I hoped. What kind of conditioning work would best prepare me for flanker? Is there anything I should definitely avoid? As I mentioned above, there's only so much flexibility I can expect when it comes to my powerlifting programming, but I'm open to suggestions I can take to the trainer.
Thanks in advance for any help provided.
