Aerobic Base drill
MAS Time Trial
Measure your Maximal Aerobic Speed, the number every other conditioning session in this library is built from.
- Time
- 25 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 30 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- None
- Space
- 1200m measured on the pitch
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A measured 1200m on the pitch. That is 12 lengths try line to try line on a full-size field - pace it out once with a tape so you know your pitch is a true 100m.
How to run it
- Warm up thoroughly for at least 10 minutes.
- Run 1200m as fast as you can hold - it should take you between 5 and 7 minutes, so it is a hard, even pace rather than a sprint or a jog.
- Time it, then divide 1200 by your time in seconds to get your Maximal Aerobic Speed in metres per second; professional rugby players sit between 4.0 and 5.0 m/s.
- Retest every 6 to 8 weeks, because every MAS-based session uses this number and a stale one makes every distance you run wrong.
Coaching cues
- Even pace - the first lap must not be your fastest
- Hard but repeatable, not a sprint
- Retest every 6 to 8 weeks
Common mistakes
- Going out too fast and fading, which understates your real MAS
- Building sessions off a MAS number measured months ago or on a different surface
Related drills
- Maximal Aerobic GridHold time at or above your maximal aerobic speed, which is the single biggest driver of aerobic power.
- Eurofit 15:15 IntervalsBuild aerobic power with short, fast repeats that feel manageable and accumulate brutally.
- Tabata ShuttlePush aerobic power with a dense 2:1 work-to-rest format once you can handle the gentler MAS methods.
- Extensive Tempo RunsBuild work capacity and aid recovery between hard days without adding meaningful fatigue.
- Pitch-Length Long IntervalsDevelop aerobic power with longer efforts held at your maximal aerobic speed.
- Four by Four Aerobic IntervalsRaise VO2 max with four long, hard intervals and a steady jog between them.