KEY POINTS:
The Blues will be staying clear of turkey and mince pies over Christmas and sticking to their strict diet of hill running and gym work.
Well, that's the plan at least and players who get other ideas into their heads will regret any over-indulgence during the festive period.
The introduction of new rules and a draw that will see the Blues head to South Africa in the early rounds has set the players up for a summer of brutal conditioning work.
Punishing runs up Mt Eden and around the Domain, strongman competitions and dreaded speed, strength and endurance sessions on the beach are what the players have to look forward to.
While the players have become used to tough pre-season work-outs, this year will be tougher than most due to the increased focus on aerobic conditioning. It is predicted that, with the new rules in force, the ball could be in play for about five minutes longer each game.
Making life even harder for the Blues will be the extreme heat and humidity they will encounter when they play in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban in rounds two, three and four.
Blues head strength and conditioning coach Mark Harvey, said: "Up until Christmas a typical week would include four to five weights sessions which could be in the gym or strongman-type work outside. We also try to mix that up with boxing, wrestling and then we would also do two or three speed sessions and two or three conditioning sessions.
"It's the same old problem we face of having to work out how we can make repetition fun. We have a standard run we do in the Domain which we call the Ho Chi Minh - it's pretty good because it feels like you are getting out of the city and it is up and down. We have already been to Bethells Beach, we will do some hill repeats on Mt Eden and some straightforward interval training where the boys run 100m, 200m, 300m.
"We have got some guys from the Fire Service coming this week to set up an obstacle course. We don't want things to be too gimmicky but we do try to find things that are demanding and a bit different.
"There is a bit more emphasis on aerobic conditioning this year so we will maybe add an extra two or three minutes onto one of our conditioning games at training.
"It's been a while since we had to go to South Africa in the early part of the season so the heat and humidity are going to be really tough. We need to be able to handle that because if we can come back from there in good shape that will set us up."
The squad will break up at the end of next week and reconvene on January 7 where the focus will shift towards skills and team development.
There will still be plenty of aerobic work on the agenda and Harvey says that most players are coming to grips with the demands of being professional and would not go crazy over Christmas.
"A few years ago I would say too many of the players did not assume responsibility for their diet and fitness when they were away from the team environment. We have a few players here who only have to look at a potato chip to put weight on.
"But they have a good understanding now of diet and they know that they can't afford to pitch up here on day one out of shape. The players now have a better training ethic, a better understanding of what being a professional is about.
"We want them to enjoy themselves at Christmas the same as everyone else but everything has to be in moderation. We need them to report back here in January at a certain standard of fitness and that's what most of them will do."
The Blues will play warm-up games against the Reds in Brisbane on January 31 and the Highlanders in Dunedin on February 8 before starting their campaign proper against the Chiefs at Eden Park on February 16.
