I just came back from a long, but very productive week in Las Vegas where I was working as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Social Vibe Pups. We won the Elite Men’s Division, the next step down from the IRB league that national teams compete in, and you’ll be able to watch as an Olympic Sport come 2016 in Rio. ViPR, a company that I’m proud to be affiliated with is a sponsor for the team, and rather than just get involved monetarily, I was able to represent ViPR as their Master Trainer with Rugby experience (full disclosure, I only played 15’s, and never at the level of the guys I was working with) and be in charge of their preparation for the tournament, as well as recovery between matches over three long days of Sevens Rugby. The Pups are an invitational team, so it was the first time a lot of these guys had played together. They had excellent fitness and could move the ball around the pitch with the best of any players I’ve ever seen. What I was able to do with them and the ViPRs I had shipped to Vegas was definitely something none of the other teams were able to do. ViPR is a Training tool that bridges the gap between Traditional Strength Training, and movement training. So I was able to have them lift it, flip it, drag and push it along the ground and throw it among other things. Exercises you just cant easily do with other equipment. My typical 10-15 minute routine with them prior to matches would start with some general mobility exercises, while some would be doing dynamic stretches, then ramp in to more plyometric movements with the ViPR, and finish my time with them by having them do some very sport specific drills with it. You can check out some video of it, hear the players thoughts on the use of ViPR, and be in awe of our uniforms (not outfits, uniforms). What I noticed as a coach is that as the tournament rolled on, these guys stayed fresh, came out harder that other teams as the tournament progressed, played their hearts out and won the tournament. Did use of ViPR contribute to their win? They might’ve done it without us, but I’d say ViPR played a big roll in their success.
A special thanks to Zach Forrest, owner of CrossFit Max Effort in Las Vegas for letting us use his facility, and being a good dude in general.
Coach Rast 