Mirafit has sat down with several inspirational strong women to talk about their experiences, and why everybody should be lifting weights. For the fourth and final interview in series one, we spoke with four-time England Rugby Union squad member, Rachael Burford.

Tell Us About Your Journey into Rugby

My mum, dad and sister all played rugby and I started playing when I was six years old. I did county and then regional, academy, A-team, senior team and I was 19 when I got the call-up for the England squad, which is a position I kept for 13 years.

How did You Start Incorporating Strength Training into Your Rugby?

When I was at school there was a program put in place for young athletes in the area that gave us free gym memberships. It was very machine based and 3 sets times 10. When I went to a rugby academy in Bath it was the first time that we were given a dedicated program for fitness training, weight training and speed training. I love training so that is why I have a home gym; I like seeing how I can evolve.

What Mistakes Do You See Women Make When They Start Getting into Rugby?

I see a lot of women trying to carbon copy what the men’s squad do, but that can be detrimental to female bodies. You need to take your menstrual cycle into account. You can be stronger at certain times of the month, you need to spend more time on recovery in some other parts of the month, and supplementation is often based on male athletes who can be much taller and stronger. There isn’t enough research yet about women in sport and there needs to be more.

What Misconceptions Do You Think People Have About Rugby?

People assume it’s really dangerous and that it hurts. The risks that are in rugby are everywhere in life, but the rewards are really worth it. There is a lot of fear about concussions but rugby as a sport is doing a huge amount of studying and research into concussions in order to mitigate the dangers and protect their players.

What is Your Experience as a Woman in Rugby?

Because my mum and sister played, I never thought of rugby as a man’s game. When I first started playing on the boy’s team, they didn’t want to pass me the ball and assumed that I wasn’t good enough to be there and I had to really earn their respect. I also had teachers tell me that I focused too much on rugby and that it would never take me anywhere, but I think that set me up for the rest of my life; I’m strong and stubborn and I’m proving that I can achieve what I want to do in life.

I still hear so many stereotypes about girls playing rugby, such as they won’t want to do any contact work and I think putting girls into that bracket is part of the problem. Slowly I think that times are starting to change.

If You Could Go Back in Time, What Advice Would You Give Yourself?

I think that I didn’t push myself as much as I could. After I got injured, I realized how much more I could have done. Set yourself small goals throughout your training sessions and work up from there. I think it is easy to be really focused and very intense, but it is important to remember to enjoy the journey.

How Had Lockdown Altered Your Training?

I’ve been very fortunate because we already had a lot of weights and cardio equipment at home. We had a few mini gym set-ups; first we had a gazebo tent, then another tent that flooded, then a makeshift one built and then we decided to build a long-term home gym. I was recovering from an injury, so I wasn’t able to have hands-on treatment with a physio, but the rest of my training was pretty normal.

From August I was also in club training with Harlequins Women and, luckily, we were allowed to train at the gym there. We had to split into groups of six and we had to reduce contact training as much as possible. Every 15 minutes we had to wash all the equipment and disinfect gym equipment and we were wearing masks in social areas. We also have adaptive laws in place so there aren’t as many scrums or mauls, and you can’t celebrate after the game. We’re extremely privileged to be playing but it’s still far from normal.

[This interview was conducted remotely during the pandemic, restrictions have changed since this conversation.]

What Three Pieces of Equipment Do You Recommend for Someone Starting Out in Rugby?

If you get Dumbbells or Weight Plates and a Barbell, they are not only good for increasing your strength but also for improving your core and your balance which will help in every sport.

Medicine Balls or Kettlebells are things that you can do a wide variety of exercises with and they’re really useful for functional movement and circuit training.

If someone is thinking of doing Olympic lifting, then they need to focus on technique early; start with low weights and increase from there.

What Would You Tell Someone at the Very Beginning of Their Journey into Rugby?

I’d tell them to come to one of my camps if they’re a young girl! I think that you need to allow yourself to be a beginner; you don’t need to put pressure on yourself to know all the laws and all the skills straight away. You can watch and learn so much online about strength work and training and nutrition and the more you can absorb, the quicker you’re going to learn.

What is the Best Advice You’ve Received?

Do your best because your best will be good enough for you. If you don’t win or don’t get picked but you know that you tried your best then that’s okay, but if you didn’t try your best then you’ll always wonder if you could have made it.

Also, try and learn something new every day because there will always be things that you don’t know yet.

Who Is Your Biggest Inspiration?

My mum and my sister were big inspirations in my childhood because I wanted to be like them. My mum still inspires me because she does every task to her absolute best, and she takes a lot of pride in what she does and never shies away from hard work.

If You Were Not Doing Rugby, What Would You Be Doing?

I struggled academically at school so I don’t know where life would have taken me if I didn’t do sport. Boxing excites me but I only ever did rugby and nothing else has fired my passion like this. Maybe I would have owned my own gym.

And Finally… What is On Your Gym Playlist?

If I’m doing a conditioning session then it will be fast, intense music but if it’s an early weight session then I’ll have quite chill music.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading our series on strong, inspirational women in sport. At Mirafit we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy increasing their fitness levels, whether they are a beginner, intermediate or a professional athlete. Keep reading our blog for more information on achieving your strength goals, and on incorporating fitness into your everyday routine.

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Tags: Exercise Type > Strength