So I saw Fraser McReight crushing it on the rugby pitch, right? Absolute beast. Made me think, “What’s his secret sauce in the gym?” Wanted to try sniffing out some of those expert workout methods myself, see if they’d fit me. No fancy plans, just winging it based on what I thought he might do.
Gearing Up & Starting Simple
First things first, dragged my butt to the garage gym. Wasn’t aiming for pro level, just a taste. Grabbed the old barbell, some plates, and a kettlebell. Didn’t overthink it. Started with something basic but tough:
- Barbell Complexes: This felt brutal fast. Just did a simple sequence: Row the bar up, clean it to shoulders, push press it overhead, squat down, repeat. Aimed for light weight but no stopping between moves. Did like 5 sets of 5-6 reps of the whole shebang. Sweat was pouring after the second set. Killer way to get the heart hammering.
Embracing the Grind (Legs, Obviously)
Rugby means legs, duh. Fraser ain’t skipping leg day, hell no. Didn’t wanna just do boring squats. Tried mixing explosive stuff with grinders:
- Box Jumps: Found an old sturdy box. Focused on landing soft and springing up fast. Not super high, maybe mid-shin level, but speed was key. Did sets of 5-6 jumps, focusing on explosiveness and quick ground contact time.
- Heavy Kettlebell Front Rack Holds: This looks easy. It is NOT. Loaded a heavy kettlebell, clean it up to hold it against my chest (front rack position). Then just… stood there. Seriously. Squeezing everything. Quads, glutes, abs, back. Holding that sucker for like 20-30 seconds felt like forever. Core strength was fried.
Finishing with Cardio That Sucks Less
Knew I needed some conditioning. But long jogs? Pass. Tried something rugby-specific:
- Sled Drags Sprint Intervals: Hooked a cheap sled to a harness. Loaded some weight. Went for short sprints – like 10-15 seconds flat out, dragging that beast. Walked back slow to catch breath, maybe 45-60 seconds. Repeated that cycle for like 6 rounds. Felt like my lungs were gonna burst. Short, sharp, and effective. Definitely mimics pushing through a ruck or chasing down a line break.
The Aftermath & Reality Check
Okay, that workout hurt in a good way. Was I doing Fraser’s exact sessions? Probably not, not even close. Who knows what magic the pros have? But the main takeaways I felt?
- Keep it moving: Complexes felt great for endurance and power mixed together.
- Embrace tension: Holding heavy stuff builds crazy core and mental toughness.
- Short, sharp cardio sucks but works: Those sled drags killed me fast.
End of the day, I’m not magically turning into Fraser McReight after one try. This was just me fiddling around, inspired by what I think that level of athlete might tackle – explosive power, raw strength endurance, and brutal conditioning. It worked up a massive sweat and made me appreciate the work those pros put in. Might toss bits of this into my regular stuff now and then. Not gonna lie, the legs felt like jelly the next day. Guess that means I did something right? Or maybe just punished myself for fun. Either way, I just keep showing up.
