Richmond’s players can expect an increase in training loads and conditioning as they prepare for the 2014 season.

The Club’s first to fourth year players returned to training on Monday, starting a pre-season program which will get progressively tougher as the weeks progress.

“Pre-Christmas will be more fitness based, with an individual skills focus,” Richmond’s Elite Performance Manager, Peter Burge, told Roar Vision.

“Given it’s a young group, there still is a pretty heavy emphasis on conditioning.  We have to step up to some new levels with some of our guys, and they’ve got to set themselves some high standards with their conditioning.

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“Everyone has an individual focus.  With the football side of things, their football stuff gets broken down into the areas they need to improve on, and it’s the same with the conditioning.

“When all the older boys get back, the program will progress.  It won’t change too much, but it’ll probably just get harder.  It will be a pretty solid pre-Christmas period.”

The majority of Richmond’s playing list is healthy, with the Club aiming for an empty medical room by the New Year.