No, 25 is not too old to start playing rugby. Plenty of adults take up rugby in their twenties and beyond. You do not need to arrive at your first training session already match-fit or with years of experience. You do need to find a club that can introduce you to the game at an appropriate level, build your fitness progressively and learn contact skills under a qualified coach.
Starting community or amateur rugby at 25 is also a different goal from trying to become a professional player. A professional pathway is exceptionally competitive and no training programme can promise it. But if you want to learn the game, improve your fitness, play for a club and be part of a team, age 25 is not a reason to rule yourself out.
What should you do first?
Contact a few local clubs and be straightforward: tell them you are new to rugby- or returning after time away -what sport or training you have done, and whether you have any current injuries. Ask whether they offer a beginner session, touch or non-contact introduction, or a development or social side. In England, the RFU Find Rugby directory can help you locate clubs. Elsewhere, check your national union’s club finder. Rugby Football Union
You do not have to become fully match-fit before you turn up. Attending a coached session helps you understand the game’s movement and skill demands. If you have been inactive, start rebuilding your general fitness alongside those early sessions rather than going straight into repeated full-contact training.
How to prepare your body for rugby
Rugby asks you to accelerate, brake, change direction, jump, get up from the ground, make contact and repeat hard efforts while tired. The best preparation develops several qualities gradually. A gym plan can help build physical capacity; it cannot teach you how to tackle, bind in a scrum or enter a breakdown safely. Learn those skills with your club coaches.
1. Build basic strength with controlled movements
Start with exercises you can perform confidently, using a comfortable range of motion and a load that leaves a few good repetitions in reserve. For example:
- Goblet squat or box squat: practise lowering and standing with control; it builds basic leg strength.
- Hip hinge, such as a light Romanian deadlift: develops the hamstrings and hips, which contribute to sprinting and changing direction.
- Split squat or step-up: builds single-leg strength and balance for running, stepping and landing.
- Push-up or dumbbell press, plus a row: train pushing and pulling strength for general upper-body capacity.
- Calf raises and simple trunk work, such as a side plank or carry: add lower-leg and trunk capacity that supports running and whole-body control.
A sensible starting point for many healthy beginners is one or two full-body strength sessions per week. Begin with two or three sets per exercise and a manageable number of repetitions; adjust based on your experience, soreness and the rest of your training week. Good technique and consistency matter more than testing a one-rep maximum.
2. Improve mobility you can control
You do not need a complicated stretching routine or extreme flexibility to play rugby. Work on comfortable, controlled movement at the ankles, hips, upper back and shoulders, especially where you feel restricted. A warm-up might include brisk movement, leg swings, lunges with rotation, squats, calf raises and gradually faster running drills.
Mobility is useful when it helps you reach and control the positions your sport requires. It is not a guarantee against injury. Pair movement work with strength through a range you can control, and ask a coach or physiotherapist for help if a joint feels painful or unusually restricted.
3. Build running fitness before adding lots of intensity
If you are not running regularly, start with easy running or walk-run intervals at a pace where you can still speak in short sentences. For example, alternate a short jog with walking for 15–20 minutes, once or twice a week, and progress gradually if you recover well.
After you have a consistent base, you can add short accelerations, controlled changes of direction and repeat-effort conditioning. Rugby involves repeated high-intensity running and collision efforts, but an all-out shuttle session is not the best first workout for someone returning from a long break. Your club training will also add to your total workload, so count it when planning gym and running sessions.
4. Learn contact progressively
Being strong or fit in a gym does not automatically make you ready for full-contact rugby. Learn tackling, falling, binding, rucking and other contact skills in the order and format your coaches set. Do not practise tackling with friends or jump into full-contact drills without coaching.
World Rugby’s Activate is a rugby physical-preparation warm-up resource. In a cluster randomised trial in adult men’s community rugby union, a movement-control programme reported lower incidence of lower-limb injuries and concussion. That supports regular, well-coached injury-prevention preparation, but it does not make rugby risk-free or guarantee that an individual will avoid injury. Activate
5. Treat recovery as part of training
Your body needs time to adapt to new running, strength and contact demands. World Rugby advises progressive training load alongside rest and regeneration, and recommends a reconditioning period before returning to full training or play after a lay-off. Physical conditioning
If soreness is lingering, your movement is changing, or your performance is dropping, reduce the load and reassess rather than adding more hard sessions. Persistent pain, unusual swelling or a change in the way you move is a reason to stop and seek appropriate advice.
Returning after an injury or a long break
If you are coming back from an injury, do not use the calendar alone to decide when you are ready. World Rugby advises a reconditioning phase before returning to full training or play. Rehabilitation may include restoring strength, joint movement, coordination and balance, then gradually reintroducing rugby-specific running and skills before contact and full play. Follow the advice of your doctor or physiotherapist, especially after a significant injury or suspected concussion. Physical conditioning
Even if you have no injury, a long lay-off reduces what your body is accustomed to doing. A few weeks of progressive preparation can make the first block of club training feel more manageable, but there is no universal number of weeks that makes someone “rugby-ready.” Your coach can help judge how to progress through training and contact.
What matters most when starting rugby at 25?
- Choose the right entry point: find a club and session that are suitable for a new or returning adult.
- Tell your coach your background: previous injuries, time away from sport and contact-sport experience help them guide you.
- Build strength and conditioning progressively: do not try to make up for lost time with daily hard sessions.
- Treat mobility as controlled movement: work on useful range and strength rather than chasing flexibility for its own sake.
- Learn contact skills under coaching: gym training complements rugby practice; it does not replace it.
- Make recovery part of the plan: rest, sleep and manageable weekly training help you adapt.
- Get help with pain or injury: do not play through symptoms that worsen or change how you move.
How SW7 Rugby Performance can support your preparation
Once you have found a club, a structured gym plan can help you develop the physical qualities rugby asks of you. SW7 Rugby Performance provides progressive, season-specific gym training focused on strength and power, speed and acceleration, rugby conditioning, mobility and recovery. The programme currently includes three full-gym sessions per week, typically 45–60 minutes each, with coaching guidance and exercise demonstrations. It is physical preparation to complement club coaching—not a substitute for learning rugby skills or being assessed for return to play. sw7academy.com
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Frequently asked questions
Is 25 too old to start rugby?
No. Many adults start community rugby at 25 and later. Look for a club with a suitable beginner, development or social entry point, and build up to contact and match play with your coaches.
Can I start rugby if I have never played before?
Yes. Tell the club you are a beginner and ask how they introduce new players to skills and contact. You can build general strength and fitness alongside coached rugby practice.
How fit do I need to be before my first rugby session?
You do not need to be match-fit before attending a beginner session. If you have been inactive, start with manageable strength and easy aerobic exercise, and let the coach know your current fitness level. Follow their guidance on training intensity and contact.
Can gym training prevent rugby injuries?
No gym plan can prevent every injury. Progressive strength and conditioning, a rugby-specific warm-up, sound coaching, skill development and adequate recovery can help prepare you, but rugby remains a contact sport with inherent risk.
Is it too late to become a professional rugby player at 25?
A professional career is a very different and exceptionally competitive goal from starting amateur rugby. It cannot be ruled on from age alone, but nobody should promise that a training programme will create a professional pathway. If your goal is to play and improve, there are many worthwhile reasons to start rugby at 25.