The Wigan Warriors forged their way to last seasons Super League title by pushing for every single edge they could possibly get over their opponents.
Under the coaching of Michael Maguire they lifted their training standards, worked hard on their defense technique, and it payed off in his first season at the club with a Grand Final win.
Instead of resting on their laurels, Wigan have continued looking for a further edge in the area of sports science.
Wigan have employed the use of OXYfit to help aid with recovery after training sessions.
The basic idea is that by using OXYfit during and after training, players are able to train for longer and recover at a quicker rate.
The pure oxygen allows the body to recover quicker than it normally would, and that allows players to push themselves harder in training while not feeling the same heavy after effects they normally would.
Mark Bitcon, the head of Sports Science at the Warriors, has said “We are still at the early stages, but we’re already seeing some promising results over the first few weeks with enhanced maximum power outputs during intensive training.”
“Our research will take several months. If Oxyfit gives us an edge, even a small one, it will be extended to wider use in the club.”
It shows that Wigan are willing to look outside the box, which is great. You normally only see this sort of thing being looked at by NRL clubs. When you see that Wigan are looking into these area of sport science, its pretty easy to see why they are the club to beat in Super League.
As clubs start to look for an extra edge, systems like OXYfit are becoming more common across the game. If you are able to train that bit harder than your opponent with less of an impact, you’ll be better for it come game day.
You can check out the http://www.oxyfit.co.uk/ web site for more details.
