As the second week of pre-season training draws to a close, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Mark Bennett has given his initial thoughts on the work that has been done so far.
It is the first pre-season at the Ospreys for the former WRU National Fitness Coach following his appointment in May and he says that he is pleased with the hard work and progress of the last two weeks.
He commented:
"The work ethic has been excellent, the players have really bought into what we are trying to do during pre-season and there has been a huge amount of effort being put in. That's not to say that there isn't plenty of room for improvement in the group, but I would expect to see the results of our work over the next few weeks.
"We've put in place a four week programme that will see a gradual build up in the amount and intensity of training over three weeks, with the fourth week dropping off a bit, so next week is going to be a very difficult week for the players. They will be worked hard but it's controlled and part of a carefully structured programme to get the best results out of them and because they have bought into it and understand the purpose of what they are doing they will give it everything.
"The first phase has been about trying to improve player muscle mass and body composition, as well as base line fitness work. Moving on, there will be a lot more explosive work and speed work done over the next couple of weeks. The Wales players returning next week will start the four week cycle from week one, as will the Lions when they start back in August."