A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYER WITH ROCKY CLARK
Rocky is someone who needs no introduction: she is currently THE most capped England Rugby player, with 137 caps to her name. We chatted with the rugby legend about what a typical day’s training looks like, and wow did we pick a busy player! As we were talking, Rocky was driving home from coaching at a girls’ rugby club camp. Luckily, she had time to squeeze in a quick catch up with us!
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05:30 AM
Twice a week I go to CrossFit at six in the morning, which is horrendous to get up for! Once I am there it is so rewarding. I’ve noticed my fitness has improved so much since getting involved with the guys over at Core Performance.
I tend to do more of the sweat sessions, which involve low technique exercises designed purely to make you sweat. You burn so many calories and you are honestly blowing by the end.
I must admit, it’s great working in a team at CrossFit. Like everyone else, working out alone got a bit stale during lockdown, so having the option to go to this has been a game changer for me.
08:30 AM
I come back home and make sure I feed my dogs, have a bit of breakfast, and get ready to start PT sessions with my clients. I do around 3 sessions per day.
MIDDAY
Dog walk! This is the best part of my day. I walk around the lake with my dogs and make sure to switch off and chill out a bit. For me, the dogs have been a lifesaver during the lockdown for my mental health. Just getting outside in the countryside with them, getting back to nature and appreciating everything. Even if I am having a flat day, the dogs will always make me laugh by doing something funny.
In the afternoon I then go and get myself a coffee in town. I go to so many different coffee places. If I am working, I will stop off at some of my favourite coffee shops near Saracens.
06:30 PM
I get down to the club a little earlier to get myself in for a bit of physio as soon as I arrive. As I am a player-coach I get involved in both coaching and playing alongside the team.
10:00 PM
Now this one shocked us a little bit. Rocky let us in on her guilty pleasure - Love Island! The England star loves to settle down after a long day and watch the reality TV show.
This is just one example day for Rocky: with the busy schedule of a rugby player, no two days are the same! On days when she is not training at Saracens, she runs bootcamps in the evening.
Additionally, and we don’t know how she does it, Rocky coaches at Oaklands Women’s Rugby Club.
Even on her ‘rest’ days, Rocky finds a way to keep herself active.
‘On my quieter days I’ve started getting into cycling to some of my favourite coffee shops. It’s a 27km round trip so I like to reward myself with a coffee and a bacon and Philadelphia bagel – it’s beautiful and I really feel like I’ve earnt it.’
If you follow Rocky on Instagram, you will know she is a true coffee connoisseur. As a self-confessed coffee snob, we chatted for ages about the different places she had visited. When we asked Rocky what her go to coffee order was, it was clear she knew exactly what she wanted.
‘I’m picky with my coffee. I’ve gone off mainstream places like Starbucks and Costa and moved more towards little independent barista style places. I always have a latte. Wherever I go I always find a new coffee shop, I just love them! I just visited Newquay on holiday and found five that I really liked. One of the best ones I have found was a converted school bus from Texas that the owners had shipped over to the UK and turned into a coffee hatch, it was exquisite!’
Rocky has been training incredibly hard over the past few months, as she recognises she wants to be in the best form possible to allow her to continue playing rugby.
‘I’m aware of the food I am eating, but I don’t limit myself too much on the weekend. My motto is “I work hard so I can play hard.’
As one of the most experienced England rugby players, we asked Rocky for her top tips:
1. Make sure you train with people; it makes you accountable. Even if you can’t be bothered to train one day, you’ll be more likely to go and get it done because you won’t want to let the other person down.
2. Try new things! I pushed myself out of my comfort zone with CrossFit.
3. Change it up a bit. Look into doing a session slightly differently. For example, instead of doing my typical weight session, I am now adding in some endurance for a bit of variety.