COACH’S CLINIC


MEN IN BLACK


HOSTING THE 2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP, NEW ZEALAND’S ALL BLACKS PREPARE FOR BATTLE


BY ROB FITZGERALD O


f all the world-class strength and conditioning coaches we’ve ever profiled, Nic Gill just might


have the toughest job of all. Being responsible for training the 30 members of New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks national rugby squad is what Gill actually does on a daily basis, and given the wildly varying demands of the sport, that’s genuinely impressive. A rugby team comprises 15 positions,


all of which require vastly different physical skills. It’s an intensely physical game played with minimal protective gear, so players need to be strong, fast, and powerful. Due to the nonstop nature of game play, however, the All Blacks, some of whom weigh in excess of 280 pounds, also have to run six to seven kilometres—roughly four miles—per game. How many 500-pound-plus squatters do you know who can run more than four miles at a rapid clip? “It’s a fine balance,” says Gill, who holds a doctorate in physiology and has been involved in rugby for 11 years. “We have to be aerobically fit, and we have to be strong. Everyone knows it’s a difficult combination to achieve highly in both, but that’s what we have to do.”


48 MUSCLE&FITNESS


TO EACH HIS OWN Gill addresses these requirements with a simple yet elegant solution: he ascertains what each player needs—by position and by individual strengths and weaknesses —and he prescribes training modalities accordingly. “Players have patterns that work for them,” he says, “so we monitor that and adjust them depending on what they need at the time.”


With this individualisation in mind, the


training schedules of all 30 All Blacks can look completely different. Some players may need just one or two gym sessions per week, while others meet with Gill every day. The All Blacks aren’t a permanent franchise-style club. Rather, they’re a handpicked national team who, by definition, are always in season. As a result, they’ll play matches


DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES


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