Wales train for the Rugby World Cup in the Alps: Why, where and how

Altitude

Height is the key to training camp 1. The resort of Fiesch in the Swiss Alps is spread over three stations at heights ranging from 1000m to 3500m – more than enough to force the body into significant adaptations.

It’s all to do with the lack of oxygen at altitude. That forces the body to produce more of the oxygen carrying cells that help it function. When that’s put into a sporting context it means players’ bodies are becoming even more accustomed to working harder for longer. The hope it Wales’ already world renowned fitness levels will be taken up a notch thanks to this early season conditioning.

The team are employing a ‘live high, train low’ philosophy based on scientific research. It means they live at 2200m , eating, sleeping and relaxing up the mountain whilst coming down to around the height of Pen y Fan to do their training.

Daily Grind

Whether you play for a local club or the national side pre –season training is never pleasant. But when that pre season is ahead of a Rugby World Cup it is nothing short of brutal. The squad are split into three training groups and rotate around multiple sessions a day. Intense, vomit inducing cardio workouts, weights, rugby skills sessions, hiking, recovery, sleep. Repeat. It is relentless.

When you factor in the thin air at altitude it can be nothing short of horrendous. And there’s something else - Fieche was meant to be a mild-temperature altitude camp but the Europe-wide heat wave has hit Switzerland hard. Sessions have been regularly in temperatures upwards of 30 degrees Celsius. Not nice.

Foundations

Wales hope that two weeks in Fiesch will lay the foundations for the rest of their build up and the World Cup campaign beyond.

It is the first of four pre-tournament camps before Warren Gatland names his final 31 man squad for England 2015.

Following their return from Switzerland Wales will head off to their (official) nine day warm weather camp in Doha where temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius will be combined with sleeping in altitude tents replicating 4500m above seas level.

They will then to Parc Eirias in Colwyn bay for a short two day camp before heading to the final camp back at their now regular base in Spala, Poland.

Each camp will offer something different. Something that will help, they hope in their quest for success this summer.