England turned to high-altitude simulation technology in a bid to prepare for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against the Springboks at Ellis Park.
With Johannesburg sitting 1,753m above sea level, England trained with portable hypoxic generators – altitude masks that restrict oxygen intake – to replicate the physical demands they expect to face on the Highveld.
England strength and conditioning coach Nathan Beardsley said the focus is as much mental as it is physical.
“In a rugby scenario, it’s the breathlessness,” he explained. “Physiologically, you’ve got that breathlessness and you’re just trying to get your breath back, but then mentally that would then stack on top of the occasion and the stature of the match.
“Players might have repeated bouts of defending their tryline or attacking the opposition tryline. If they’re doing those repeated efforts in England, the oxygen’s there and you can breathe. At altitude, that’s going to be more difficult.”
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Rather than travel to a high-altitude venue before departing for South Africa, England used the masks during watt bike sessions.
“The mask works to sharpen the repeated sprint power and bank the breathlessness feeling,” said Beardsley.
“You’re not actually changing the physiology a huge amount, but you’re preparing that breathlessness feeling and then sharpening the repeated sprint effect, which programmes their muscle fibres to work at that fast pace.
“Rugby actions are quick and powerful, and you essentially want to get as good at them as possible.”
The sessions were conducted at a simulated altitude of around 3,500m – almost double that of Ellis Park.
“There is a setting on the machine that can range from 1,330m at the lowest level to 6,500m,” Beardsley said.
“We basically worked the lads at around 3,500m, which is almost double what they’d expect at Johannesburg, so we’re taking them higher on this protocol.”
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Beardsley also stressed the importance of controlling breathing under pressure.
“Breathing like that means you’re increasing your stress levels,” he said. “It’s a bit of a fine balance because you don’t want to get too relaxed, but you want to be in a clear mindset as well.
“The players might do a huddle and take a deep breath, but there’s various practices we teach the lads in terms of getting their breath back through things like breath dumps [diaphragmatic breathing].”
The post Poms prepared for Boks at 3,500m appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
England turned to high-altitude simulation technology in a bid to prepare for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against the Springboks at Ellis Park.
The post Poms prepared for Boks at 3,500m appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
