IT is just six weeks since Worcester's remarkable last-day victory over Sara-cens but the players return on Monday to get in shape for the new Guinness Premiership season.

While those who have been touring with their national sides during the summer will be given more time to re-charge their batteries, the majority of the squad will be back at Sixways next week.

And conditioner Stuart Pickering has given an insight into what the players can expect in the coming weeks.

"They will turn up on Monday, we will have a team meeting and they will go through a process of screening. They will be screened by the physio and we will measure how much excess fat they are carrying.

"It's a variation of twice-a-week rugby-orientated sessions with the coaches and the other three days will be predominantly a skills and games focus apart from the Friday sessions.

"We are going off to the Malverns this Friday where they will do some interval work and we will be going to various different places across the county just to get them off site.

"During the rest of the pre-season, a lot of focus is on variation. We will load up for the first three weeks, then have a week where the load is dropped."

Every player's individual needs will be catered for by Pickering and strength and fitness co-ordinater Keir Hansen.

In some cases, this will be done through "generic training programmes" while players like Kai Horstmann and Drew Hickey - who are on their way back from surgery - will have more specific schedules devised.

And Pickering says any player who returns from their short break out of shape could be in for a shock.

He said: "It's a time for them to get away from rugby but they know the score. If they go away and abuse themselves and come back here carrying a lot of body fat, they will have to put in extra work."