Table 1.
Characteristics of elite English rugby players, including typical training exposure during the 14-day in-season period
| Rugby union | Rugby league | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U16 (n = 5) | U20 (n = 4) | U24 (n = 4) | U16 (n = 5) | U20 (n = 5) | U24 (n = 4) | |
| Age (years) | 15.6 ± 0.5 | 18.3 ± 0.5 | 23.0 ± 0.8 | 15.2 ± 0.8 | 17.6 ± 1.1 | 23.0 ± 1.8 |
| Height (cm) | 182.1 ± 7.5 | 178.1 ± 3.5 | 184.4 ± 3.2 | 180.8 ± 7.0 | 176.8 ± 3.8 | 184.7 ± 2.5 |
| Body mass (kg) | 85.4 ± 17.3 | 85.1 ± 8.3 | 99.4 ± 16.8 | 79.3 ± 17.1 | 87.6 ± 8.8 | 98.3 ± 4.8 |
| Fat free mass (kg) | 67.8 ± 5.0 | 68.9 ± 7.4 | 77.5 ± 7.5 | 62.2 ± 10.6 | 66.4 ± 7.3 | 82.1 ± 4.8 |
| Light training daysa | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 4 | 2 | 8–9 |
| Heavy training daysb | 3–5 | 4–7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Rugby match | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1 | 0–2 | 1 | 0–2 |
| Rest dayc | 9–10 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
aLight day consisted of one resistance or one rugby training session
bHeavy day consisted of both resistance and rugby training sessions
cRest days were when no training with the club was scheduled