--Fabian, when we interviewed you last month regarding the UCF campaign, you mentioned that you had developed a scientific training method for rugby players which you use with the teams you coach. It is also copyrighted under you name. Can you tell us a little more about this method?

--Of course! My view is that you must train based on the way you want to play, and for the teams that I coach to be able to play at the intensity levels I envision, I designed this program to achieve that.

-Is this scientific method applicable to any age group and level of development of the players?

--This is why I developed this method as athletes in the US are not trained physically for the sport from young age. I consider critical that during the training, the player has constant contact with the ball and at the same time reproduce the physical intensity of a game.

-Can you describe this process?

--This is a training in intervals of high intensity for sports of high performance. This is done by alternating periods of cardiovascular of high intensity at 80%-90% of our Maximum Cardiac Frequency (FCMax) followed by short periods of cardiovascular exercices at a moderate frecuency, around 50%-60% of our FCmax and low between 25%-30% of our FCMax. I call these alternancies of frecuencies GUIDELINES and should be applied as reconditioning to generate a new stimulus of high intensity.

The guidelines are included in blocks of training and must follow strict premises and these blocks will be a daily module of training. The sum of modules is called program and this program will be developing based on testing and objectives.

So the Development of the planning will be obtained at the end of the year and the one for the following year will be different as the physical response never will be the same one, either individually or for the group. Not all players are alike, nor do all groups respond in the same manner. The HIITHP does not have a planification by structural levels (Macrocicle, Mesocicle and Microcicle) as was established in 1962 by Lev Pavlovich Matveyev. It is replaced by GUIDELINES/BLOCKS/MODULES/PROGRAMS/MAPS and in all cases they are dynamic and proactive.

--How is an injured player incorporated in this training method?

--In this method you can intercalate periods of recuperation of other methods of training by medical advice.

 Also, this work is complemented by the work done with weights in the gym as long as the  GUIDELINES/BLOCKS/MODULES/PROGRAMS are taken into account.

In the HIIT of high performance (as I call my work), the stimulus of high intensity never should be the same as the stimulus of active recuperation.

The periods of high intensity and those of moderate cardiovascular frequency must be variable after the team has been tested through RCP.

It is here that I add the statistics of the of the patterns by team position en the planification of a guideline.

It is important to know that not all players will be in the initial HIITHP program, as some may not support the high intensity stimulus and will be trained  separately in a more moderate setting.

All of this is developed within a global team framework.

-Coach, can you give us an example of how you approach a training session with your system for example for a tema of 15 year-olds?

-Sure. To understand the how HIIT HP works, we must understand that it necessary to list 4 guidelines, that after  you achieve all the combinations proposed for each block, we must come back to FCRH at the time that the tests show us.

Example of guidelines:

*Guideline A: Active recuperation.

* Guideline B: CD, between 20% – 30% of our FCmax

* Guideline C: moderate frecuency, between 50% – 60% of our FCmax

* Guideline D: high intensity at a 80%~ 90% of our FCmax.

The search of the FCMax will be done through a specific formula that combines different variables like the result of the RCP test 1, with weight, intensity, etc.

From my personal experience on the field and results, the HIITHP must be done in the same amount of time of the duration of a game, so for U15 it is 60 continuos minutes. There must be a recreational introduction of 25% of the time of the HIIT HC and also at the end in the same percentage.

So, a module of training for a U15 team will have a HIITHP duration of 90 minutes. If we have Tuesday and Thursday training from 6.30 PM to 8:30 PM, we still have an extra 30 minutes to work on specific areas before or after HIITHP.

-Thanks Coach for sharing your work. Have a great season!