Ellis Genge, the cover star of Men’s Health, credits his remarkable physique and on-field power to a precise training regimen focused on maximizing athletic performance. His workouts are designed not just for muscle growth but to build explosive strength, endurance, and resilience essential for rugby’s demanding physicality.
Genge’s approach centers on four core exercises, each tailored to develop specific attributes that translate directly to match-day effectiveness.
Barbell Back Squat
Recognized as the premier lower-body movement, the barbell back squat primarily targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. However, Genge emphasizes its full-body benefits, citing his personal best of 223 kg. While some critics question his squat depth, Genge explains that his priority is functional power relevant to rugby, focusing on the top range of motion where explosive strength is critical.
His weekly routine typically involves one heavy squat session complemented by a lighter, dynamic session aimed at speed and power. Variations include high-bar back squats, front squats for off-season muscle growth, box squats to handle maximum loads, and belt squats during back injury rehab.
Bench Press
Though often associated with chest development, Genge’s bench press technique prioritizes triceps strength through close-grip variations to enhance his pushing power on the field. His unconventional fast eccentric reps—bouncing the bar off the chest—have even been linked to increased ribcage density, offering protection during physical contact. His bench press personal best is notably close to his squat max, underscoring his balanced strength development. Variations in his routine include close-grip barbell presses, dumbbell presses, and plate-loaded machine bench presses.
Lat Pull-Down
On upper-body pulling movements, Genge incorporates heavy lat pull-downs to build strength and robustness. Beyond lifting maximum weight, he employs ‘forced eccentric’ training, where teammates assist with the concentric phase, allowing him to resist the weight slowly on the eccentric phase—pushing muscle fatigue beyond failure. This method fosters exceptional size, strength, and grit, with grip variations to maintain rugby-specific functionality.
Static Bike Intervals
Though not his favorite, Genge uses explosive interval training on the static bike to enhance match-specific stamina and leg endurance. Emphasizing rugby’s demand for repeated high-intensity efforts rather than sustained cardio, he pre-fatigues his legs before on-field training. He regularly challenges himself with demanding protocols such as sprinting 20 calories every minute for 10 rounds, pushing his limits on the Wattbike and air bike.
Through this focused training, Ellis Genge maintains the physicality and power required to excel in elite rugby, demonstrating how targeted exercises drive athletic success.
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