Sport
Rugby asks for sprints, repeated collisions, tackles, rucks and scrums over 80 minutes, and its injury rates are among the highest in team sport, most of them in the tackle. Concussion is common in matches, and shoulders, hamstrings, knees and ankles follow. The best-tested answer is a warm-up: Activate, from England Rugby, World Rugby and the University of Bath, with balance, strength, landing and neck exercises. In its trials the effect on injuries overall was unclear, but concussions were lower in men's community clubs, and schoolboy teams that did it 3 or more times a week had far fewer injuries, though few teams managed that.
This guide sets out Activate as its manual lays it out, with the trial results and their limits; the concussion rules in community and elite rugby, union and league; what's known about tackle height and technique, neck strength, scrum caps and gum shields; shoulders and hamstrings; and the strength training that went with faster sprints and better tackling, with when to fit it in. There are two workouts with 3D demos, and touch and tag players can use the warm-up and strength sections.
Professional men's union has about 81 injuries per 1,000 match hours. In English community rugby, injuries that kept players out for 8 days or more ran at 16.9 per 1,000 match hours. Most injuries happen in the tackle, and the tackler is injured more often than the ball carrier.
There are about 10 concussions per 1,000 player hours in union and 9 in league, almost all in matches. In community rugby, union and league, a player with a suspected concussion comes off and never returns the same day, and doesn't play again for at least 21 days.
In schoolboys, the effect on match injuries across all teams was unclear; teams that did it 3 or more times a week had far fewer match injuries and concussions, but only 12 of 63 teams managed that. In men's community clubs, concussions were lower, with no clear effect on injuries overall, and half the clubs dropped out of the trial.
Eight weeks of neck holds raised neck strength a lot in under-18 players, but the link between neck strength and fewer concussions is small and very uncertain.
Programmes that include the Nordic hamstring exercise were linked with about half as many hamstring injuries across sports, and two large football trials found big falls, but when only properly randomised trials are pooled the effect is uncertain. Most shoulder injuries happen in the tackle, often to the tackler, so tackle technique matters; no exercise programme has been shown to prevent them.
Across 73 studies, a union match averaged about 156 tackles, 116 rucks and 22 scrums, and per minute of play, sevens players made more tackles and carries into contact. Backs cover more ground and more high-speed running; forwards take part in more collisions. The Compendium of Physical Activities rates competitive union at 8.3 METs (multiples of your resting energy use) and non-competitive touch at 6.3, and the UK's National Health Service (NHS) counts rugby as vigorous.
In 30 professional players in Australia's National Rugby League, match distances ranged from about 3.6 km for hit-up forwards to 6.8 km for outside backs. Forwards had more moderate and heavy collisions and a bout of repeated high-intensity efforts every 4.8 to 6.3 minutes, and the usual training drills fell short of what matches demanded.
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Across 6 studies of 134 union and league players, maximal strength was more closely linked with match performance (tackles, carries and line breaks) than speed-strength was, though the link was small and varied between studies.
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The shoulders and the joint at the point of the shoulder take the impact in tackles; the head and neck take it in tackles and scrums; the hamstrings work hardest in sprinting and kicking; and the knees and ankles take contact, cutting and landing.
Rates are injuries per 1,000 hours, and studies count different injuries: any injury, injuries that stop training or play, or those keeping a player out for 8 days or more. Read each line on its own.
Across 98 studies from 2014 to 2024, union had 9.7 concussions per 1,000 player hours and league 9.2. In union, matches had 11 per 1,000 match hours against 0.3 per 1,000 training hours, and rates were higher in girls than in boys. Where the elite Head Injury Assessment is used, almost twice as many concussions are diagnosed, probably because more are spotted.
In English community union, the tackle caused 74% of concussions. In women's rugby league, there were 10.3 concussions per 1,000 match hours. Fewer than 1 in 10 concussions involve being knocked out. The concussion section below says what to do.
In English community rugby, shoulder injuries that kept players out for 8 days or more ran at 2.2 per 1,000 match hours, with 9.5 weeks out on average, and back-row forwards had the most. Most happen in the tackle, usually to the tackler.
Video studies show dislocations in a few typical positions: the tackler's arm forced backwards, a try scorer's outstretched arm, a direct blow, and reaching over the ball at the breakdown (the poach position). Arm tackles with the arm stretched out, and a lowered head in front of the ball carrier, are the risky tackles. Our shoulder dislocation guide covers what happens next.
Injuries to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, at the point of the shoulder, were the commonest shoulder injury in semi-professional community players, usually from a direct blow, which is also how collarbones break. Our AC joint pain and broken collarbone guides cover them.
In professional union, there were 5.6 hamstring injuries per 1,000 match hours and 0.27 per 1,000 training hours, 68% of them while running, and repeat injuries kept players out longer. In community rugby, running was the commonest cause of injuries without contact, and 56% of those were hamstrings. Our hamstring strain guide covers treatment and return to play.
Knee and ankle ligament injuries were the commonest diagnoses in English community rugby, and knee injuries kept players out longest, 11.6 weeks on average. Our guides to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprains and ankle sprains cover them.
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Severe neck pain after a knock is a red flag (see the warning signs below). In one professional squad there were 8 and then 6 neck injuries in two seasons. Our neck pain, pinched nerve in the neck and whiplash guides cover the rest.
Contact brings dead legs and thigh strains, rib injuries and sprained big toes. Our quad strain, rib injury and turf toe guides cover them.
In 345 Australian touch players surveyed in 1998, injuries that stopped playing or training for at least a week ran at 4.85 per 1,000 hours, 71% to the legs (23% to the ankle), under 3% to the head or neck, and only 17% from contact with another player. We found no injury data for tag rugby.
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In 40 independent schools in England (3,188 boys aged 14 to 18, of whom 2,452 were analysed, over one season), coaches swapped the usual warm-up for balance, whole-body strength, jumping, landing and cutting drills, done as the first 20 minutes of every training session and match warm-up, with new phases every 4 weeks. The comparison teams did a running and stretching warm-up. Across all teams, the effect on match injuries was unclear: 26 against 30 per 1,000 match hours, with the trial's uncertainty range running from 39% fewer to 17% more. Concussions were 6 against 8 per 1,000 match hours, a likely but uncertain difference.
Teams that did it 3 or more times a week had 72% fewer match injuries and 59% fewer concussions than comparison teams doing their warm-up as often. But only 12 of 63 teams managed 3 sessions a week (the average was 1.9), so these figures rest on a small group.
In English men's community clubs (81 clubs randomised over the 2015 to 2016 season), the warm-up ran in seven 6-week phases, at training twice a week and before matches, with neck exercises in every phase. There was no clear effect on injuries overall. Concussions were 60% lower, 1.2 against 3.4 per 1,000 match hours, with the trial's uncertainty range running from 30% to 80% lower, and lower-limb injuries were about 40% lower, though that range reached no difference. But 40 of the 81 clubs dropped out or sent incomplete data, and shoulder injuries weren't lower.
Both trials reported 90% rather than the usual 95% uncertainty ranges, and the biggest effects came from small groups that did it most often, so we grade Activate as emerging.
Activate comes in versions for under-15s, under-16s, under-18s and adults. Each session has 4 parts: running preparation and change of direction; balance (youth) or range of movement, strength and balance (adults); strength (youth) or strength, stability, agility and power (adults); and landing and jumping (youth) or repeated sprints and neck strength (adults). It takes 15 to 20 minutes for young players and 20 to 25 for adults.
Everyone starts at the first phase and moves on after 6 to 8 weeks, or 12 to 16 sessions at twice a week, and injured players restart at their own phase. Adults use a separate match-day phase before matches, without Nordic hamstring exercises, which "can tire the hamstring muscles". The online programme lists the same versions as levels: four for each youth age group, and seven plus a match-day session for adults.
The manual says the best results come from 3 sessions a week, and that teams doing it once or twice a week still saw fewer injuries. The trials were in schoolboys aged 14 to 18 and adult men, so it asks coaches to adapt it for younger players and women.
In a real-world study of schoolboy teams, 16 of 25 teams took Activate up, and only one used it 3 times a week with the full phases. Players who did it 3 or more times a week had fewer training and match injuries than those who did it less than once a week. In the men's clubs that kept to it best, the injuries the programme targets were about 60% lower. As with football's 11+, the benefit follows how often teams do it.
Across 15 studies of 8,459 athletes of both sexes in several sports, programmes that included the Nordic hamstring exercise were linked with about half as many hamstring injuries, and two large football trials found big falls, but when only properly randomised trials are pooled the effect is uncertain. In professional union, players who added Nordics to their usual strengthening and stretching had fewer and less severe hamstring injuries, though that study wasn't randomised. A review of 24 rugby studies lists playing position, fatigue, a previous injury, strength differences between the legs, returning too soon and running as risk factors.
The 10-week build and the weekly upkeep from the football trials are in our hamstring and groin injury prevention workout.
No shoulder prevention programme has been tested in rugby, and in the adult Activate trial, which included shoulder exercises, shoulder injuries weren't lower. Tackle technique is the practical lever (see the tackle section below).
After a dislocation, our shoulder dislocation guide explains why young players in collision sports should ask about surgery: repeat dislocations are common. After surgery, collision athletes still dislocate again more often than other athletes, and in contact and collision athletes, open repair was followed by fewer repeats than keyhole (arthroscopic) repair, 7% against 18%, with similar returns to play. The NHS says getting back to some sports can take up to 16 weeks.
Padded headgear didn't reduce concussion in a randomised trial. Neck strengthening hasn't been shown to reduce it. Lowering the tackle height in elite men didn't reduce concussions, and tacklers were concussed more often. In schoolboys, Activate done less than 3 times a week showed much smaller effects.
In 19 professional rugby league players, an 8-week pre-season of strength then power training raised their best back squat from 171 to 201 kg and cut their 10 m sprint time from 1.78 to 1.65 seconds. There was no comparison group, so the gains can't be pinned on strength alone.
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In 24 semi-professional league players, 8 weeks of strength and power training raised squat and bench press strength and jump power, and the players whose squat improved most also improved their tackling most.
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Maximal strength was more closely linked with match performance than speed-strength across union and league studies. The link is an association and varied a lot between studies.
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In 14 professional and 15 college-aged league players, strength, power and conditioning work through seasons of 19 to 29 weeks kept their strength and power, and the college players' bench press rose. There was no comparison group.
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In professional league, the usual training drills fell short of the collisions and repeated efforts of matches. Repeated sprints are part of Activate for adults, and the Norwegian 4x4 intervals from our football page suit rugby too (our suggestion).
Pre-season: two or three strength sessions a week (squats, hinges, presses, pulls, Nordics and neck work), plus intervals. In season: one or two sessions a week, early in the week. Activate is the warm-up at every training session and before matches.
Our suggestion: no heavy lifting, Nordics or hard jumping in the 48 hours before a match, as on our football page (editorial).
World Rugby's message for the community game is recognise and remove: anyone with a suspected concussion comes off, and "return to play or training on the day of a concussion or suspected concussion is forbidden". Get them assessed by a healthcare professional or through NHS 111 within 24 hours, and call 999 for any red flag.
Rugby league follows the UK grassroots guidelines in full. Its community game has no Head Injury Assessment: "Once removed, a player cannot return that day". The club reports the injury, and the Rugby Football League (RFL) adds a concussion flag to the player's GameDay record, which stops them being picked until the return is complete.
The Rugby Football Union's (RFU) graduated return to activity and sport runs in 6 stages: relative rest for 24 to 48 hours; daily activities and light activity such as short walks; easy aerobic exercise and light bodyweight training, using Activate exercises; non-contact rugby drills and weight training, no earlier than day 8 and only once free of symptoms at rest; full-contact training, no earlier than day 15 and only after 14 days free of symptoms at rest, building from walk-throughs to tackle bags; and a return to play no earlier than day 21. The 21-day minimum is the same for adults and children.
World Rugby says players with two or more concussions in the past year should see a practitioner experienced in concussion before playing again, and that children and teenagers are more susceptible and take longer to recover.
The Head Injury Assessment (HIA) is for approved elite adult matches; World Rugby says it "does NOT apply to community rugby at any level or age". Players with clear signs, such as being knocked out, a fit or obvious balance problems, come off for good. Otherwise there's a 12-minute check off the pitch, with symptom, memory and balance tests and a video review, another within 3 hours of the match, and a third after two nights' sleep.
The minimum return is 12 days for most players. A 7-day path exists only for players with no concussion history, no clear signs at the time and a normal test after two nights, who finish their rehabilitation without symptoms and are cleared by an independent concussion consultant. Neither path applies to community players.
Former Scottish international union players had about 2.7 times the risk of neurodegenerative disease, such as dementia, of matched men from the general population, and former first-class New Zealand players about 1.2 times. These are associations in players from earlier eras, and they can't give today's community players their risk, but they're one more reason to limit head impacts.
In English professional men's matches, lowering the highest legal tackle from the shoulders to the armpits made upright tackles and head-to-head contact less common, but didn't reduce concussions, and tacklers were concussed more often. In Irish community rugby, lowering it to the base of the breastbone was followed by about 40% fewer tackle concussions in adult men, about 60% fewer in women, and fewer match injuries overall. In English schoolboys, tackle technique changed but injuries and concussions didn't. In Scottish men's community rugby, head-to-head contacts fell.
The results differ by level and by law, and none of these were randomised trials. Lower tackles haven't solved concussion.
A review and a panel of 50 experts rated the tackler's head on the wrong side of the ball carrier as the most important cause of tackle injuries, and backed coaching and education as the fix. In 13 studies, tackle training improved technique or head impacts, though none measured injuries.
Our suggestion: tackle with your head to the side of the ball carrier, at waist height or below, wrapping with both arms rather than reaching with one, and build from walk-throughs to tackle bags to live tackles, as the RFU's return-to-play programme does (editorial).
In 28 under-18 regional players (a randomised pilot trial), 8 weeks of trainer-led neck holds, pushing as hard as possible against their own hands for 15 seconds forwards, backwards and to each side, 3 times a week in pre-season, raised total neck strength by about 156 newtons more than in the comparison players. In 15 professional players, 5 weeks of neck training twice a week raised neck strength in every direction, while semi-professional comparison players didn't improve.
But across 8 studies of 7,625 team-sport athletes, the link between stronger necks and fewer concussions was small, not significant and of very low certainty, and a review in collision sports found no evidence that neck training reduces injury. In one professional squad, a 26-week neck programme was followed by fewer match injuries but not by significantly fewer neck injuries. A 2025 expert consensus recommends neck training to reduce head accelerations, on mixed evidence. Activate includes neck work in every phase, but its effect can't be separated from the rest of the programme.
In a randomised trial of under-13 to under-20 teams over two seasons, padded headgear didn't reduce head injuries or concussion, though few players wore it consistently; the authors said routine or compulsory headgear "cannot be recommended". Players without a gum shield had more than twice the risk of mouth and face injuries, and in collision sports, a review found about a quarter fewer concussions with mouthguards.
England Rugby's and World Rugby's Activate: the adult sample phase exactly as its manual sets it out, 20 to 25 minutes. It was trialled in schoolboys and adult men, with the clearest results in teams that did it 3 times a week. Start at the first phase and move on after 6 to 8 weeks; before matches, adults use the manual's match-day phase. The official programme has every phase and the youth versions.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Single-leg hop and stick
Each has a 3D demo. Activate's partner drills and tackle technique need a partner and a coach, and the figure can't show them.
3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor point
3D demoSingle-leg hop and stickIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoIsometric neck holds (four-way)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBarbell back squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoBarbell bench pressIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoChest-supported dumbbell rowBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoFace pullIntermediate · A band
3D demoJump squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoPlyometric push-upAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoMountain climbersIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall
3D demoShuttle runsAdvanced · No equipmentThe first two are new: Activate's adult sample phase, and a strength workout for rugby players. The hamstring and groin session has the Nordic programme as trialled, and the Norwegian 4x4 suits rugby conditioning.
England Rugby's and World Rugby's Activate warm-up, the manual's adult sample phase: running, balance, partner holds, hops, sprints and neck holds.
25 minBeginner15 movesCardio machine, A wallA 55-minute gym session for rugby: jump squats and chest throws, heavy squats, bench press, Romanian deadlifts, rows, Nordic lowers, shoulder and neck work.
55 minIntermediate15 movesA band, Medicine ballThe Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.
15 minIntermediate6 movesA wall, An anchor pointA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandDeep neck holds and shoulder-blade strength in under 20 minutes: one of the best-supported kinds of exercise for a stiff, sore neck.
18 minBeginner11 movesA band, An anchor pointA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandThe Norwegian 4x4, a well-studied interval session for raising VO2 max: four 4-minute hard efforts with 3 easy minutes between, on a bike, rower or treadmill.
40 minIntermediate3 movesCardio machine, A wallAn advanced jump training session: pogo hops, box jumps, split squat jumps, broad jumps and depth jumps.
30 minAdvanced8 movesA bench or box, A stepBarbell strength workout A: back squats and bench presses in sets of five, plus rows. Workout B (squat, overhead press, deadlift) is a separate session.
40 minBeginner6 movesA band, A barbellA gym lower body workout for legs and glutes: trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse lunges, leg curls, hip abduction, calf raises and core.
50 minIntermediate13 movesOther / check instructions, A barbellA pull day workout for back and biceps: pull-ups, barbell rows, chest-supported rows, face pulls and curls, with sets, reps and rest.
55 minIntermediate10 movesPull-up bar, A barbellTwo or three strength sessions a week fit around pre-season training; drop to one or two in season.
A 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginner4 days a weekA 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate2 days a weekTwo full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner4 days a weekA 4-day gym workout routine for men: upper and lower days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps, progression and the evidence.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA weekly workout plan for women: three strength days, cardio and pelvic floor training, with the evidence on periods, pregnancy and menopause.
3 training days45 minBeginnerThe NHS advises speaking to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time, or if you have medical conditions or concerns. The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or fainting, other long-term conditions and their medicines, and bone or joint problems. A yes to any of them means checking first.
The PAR-Q+ asks you to see a qualified exercise professional before vigorous to maximal exercise if you're over 45 and not used to it. Rugby is vigorous, so build your fitness before contact.
Follow the graduated return: no game before day 21, and see a practitioner experienced in concussion after a second concussion within a year.
Get a specialist's view before playing again. A 2023 review found no single factor, including scans, that decides retirement on its own, so the decision is an individual one.
Repeat dislocations are common in young players, and our shoulder dislocation guide explains why young collision-sport players should ask about surgery. Get your physio's clearance before contact.
Nordics and Activate's hops are for preventing injuries, and they're late-stage exercises after one. Follow the pain guide first.
Children and teenagers are more susceptible to concussion and take longer to recover. Activate has under-15, under-16 and under-18 versions, and our exercise for children guide has more.
The NHS advises against sports with a risk of falling or bumping your tummy, and names rugby. Talk to your midwife, and see our pregnancy guide.
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The UK guidelines call these red flags, needing urgent assessment by a healthcare professional or at A&E (accident and emergency), by ambulance if necessary. World Rugby adds numbness, tingling, burning or weakness in the arms or legs, and slurred speech. If a neck injury is suspected, only trained healthcare professionals should move the player.
World Rugby lists signs any one of which may suggest a concussion. The player comes off, and doesn't return that day.
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The NHS says to get help from NHS 111 if, after a head injury, you're being sick, feel dizzy, take medicine that thins your blood, were drinking alcohol or taking drugs at the time, or have any other symptoms you're worried about. See a GP if symptoms last more than 2 weeks, and don't play contact sports for at least 3 weeks.
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Go to A&E if you can't move your arm, the shoulder has changed shape, or it's painful, bruised or swollen after an injury. Don't try to put it back in yourself.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack when you were injured, the injured part has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb or tingling, or the skin has turned blue or grey or is cold to touch. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, very swollen or bruised, or you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps.
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Call 999 for sudden chest pain that doesn't go away, pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.
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In a randomised trial in youth rugby, padded headgear didn't reduce head injuries or concussion.
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Neck training builds neck strength, but the link between neck strength and fewer concussions is small and of very low certainty.
Activate's balance, strength, landing and neck work went with fewer concussions than the warm-ups it was compared with: a running and stretching warm-up in schools, and stretching with general strength exercises in men's clubs.
In community rugby the minimum is 21 days, with 14 days free of symptoms at rest before contact training.
Shorter returns apply only in approved elite competitions, with specialist medical teams and an independent concussion consultant's review, and only for some players. Community rugby has no Head Injury Assessment.
The results conflict: fewer tackle concussions in Irish community adults, no change in English schoolboys, and more tackler concussions in English professional men.
Gains in squat strength came with faster sprints and better tackling in rugby league players.
Activate as the warm-up at every training session; heavy squats, presses, rows and Romanian deadlifts; Nordic hamstring lowers; rotator cuff and neck work; and repeated sprints. In rugby league players, strength gains went with faster sprints and better tackling.
A 15 to 25-minute warm-up from England Rugby and World Rugby, with versions for under-15s, under-16s, under-18s and adults, built from running drills, balance, strength, jumping, landing and neck exercises that progress through phases of 6 to 8 weeks. In its trials, the effect on injuries overall was unclear, but concussions were lower in men's community clubs, and schoolboy teams that did it 3 times a week had far fewer injuries.
Three times a week gives the best results, and the manual says once or twice still helps. In schoolboys, the big reductions came in teams that managed 3 sessions a week, but only 12 of 63 teams did.
In community rugby, union and league, at least 21 days, after a staged return: rest, light activity, non-contact training (not before day 8), then contact (not before day 15, and only after 14 days without symptoms at rest), then a match. Never play on the same day, and see a practitioner experienced in concussion after a second concussion within a year.
World Rugby's Head Injury Assessment, for approved elite adult matches: a 12-minute check off the pitch, another within 3 hours and a third after two nights. It doesn't apply to community rugby, where anyone with a suspected concussion comes off and doesn't return that day.
It isn't proven. Neck training clearly builds neck strength, but across 8 studies the link between neck strength and fewer concussions was small and very uncertain. Activate includes neck exercises, and concussions were lower in its adult trial, but the neck work can't be separated from the rest.
No: in a randomised trial in youth rugby, padded headgear didn't reduce head injuries or concussion. Gum shields cut mouth and dental injuries, with a smaller, less certain effect on concussion.
Most happen in the tackle, especially to tacklers who reach with an outstretched arm or lower their head in front of the ball carrier, so tackle technique matters most; no exercise programme has been shown to prevent them. After a dislocation, young players should ask about surgery, because it cuts repeat dislocations.
Build up Nordic hamstring lowers over 10 weeks, then keep them going once a week. Programmes that include them were linked with about half as many hamstring injuries across sports, though the strictest analyses find the effect uncertain, and professional rugby players who added them had fewer and less severe hamstring injuries.
One or two sessions a week, early in the week, kept strength and power through long seasons in rugby league players. We suggest no heavy legs or Nordics in the 48 hours before a match.
Exercise education for people who play sport, not a personal prescription or a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP or physiotherapist before hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or an injury that isn't settling, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
