Tamara Taylor and her England team are currently on their way to France in preparation for the autumn international series which kicks off against France tomorrow evening. Before she left, we spoke to Tamara about training and preparation and of course we had to find out what her favourite Wattbike session is - take a look below and give it a try.
How has your preparation been going for the autumn internationals?
We had a training weekend in October where we had the whole EPS (elite players squad) together, which was a great chance to do some generic skills and patterns of play. Individually everyone has been doing their personal strength and conditioning sessions and we are now in a two week camp during the autumn internationals. Time together is really important for us as we are still a relatively new squad of players and everyone has been on top form, desperate to be selected to play against France and Ireland.
What type of training have you been doing in the run up to the game?
We have been on a four week block of anaerobic and power training. This has meant quite a few conditioning sessions to make sure we are anaerobically robust leading into two tough test matches. We have a lovely running session that involves 30 seconds of 50m shuttle runs with 30 seconds rest, repeated eight times. Sets one and two are ok, but it's the forth and fifth that test your physical and mental strength!
Now that we are in camp, we will do a lot of rugby preparation and less conditioning, we have set the foundation, now it's all about working together to make the best use of the strength and fitness.
How have you incorporated the Wattbike into your training for the autumn internationals?
We have been using the Wattbike for off feet conditioning sessions over the past four weeks. It's really important to make sure your body is working hard aerobically or anaerobically but not always pounding the ground by running. We do various interval sessions of either 15, 30 or a minute of hard work followed by a rest. One of my favourite sessions is the 2000m challenge which I've detailed below. Each time you are aiming to get 2000m covered. Try it!
| 6 x 30s on |
| 30s rest |
| 3 x 1 min on |
| 1 min rest |
| 1 x 3 min on |
| 3 min rest then back down |
I often use the Wattbike for my recovery sessions post match. I'll get on the bike and do some light intervals on a low resistance and then get in the pool for a stretch. Perfect for getting my body moving again without any impact on my joints.
Who do you expect will be your toughest competition during the autumn internationals and why?
We will be playing France and Ireland, both of whom have beaten us in the last two seasons during the six nations. They are both very physical sides with France having a very heavy and powerful pack.
Playing France, in France, at 9pm on a Saturday night will be a challenge in itself, but one we are really looking forward to. It will be important to see how far we have come since our narrow defeat in the 6 nations 2015 and where we need to be leading into the World Cup in 2017.