The players had five weeks off at the end of the season before returning for fitness testing followed by another fortnight off if they managed to hit all their targets.
And Olivier admitted he had to keep one eye on what he was eating and drinking during his time off, in order to stay in shape ahead of his return to Sixways.
He explained: “I went back to South Africa after the season and it was great to see the family and friends again, just to catch up and be back home and I then had a little break in Hvar, Croatia.
“Gary and the management put a bit of responsibility on the players ahead of pre-season, giving us five weeks off and if we came back in decent shape and passed our fitness tests, we were able to get another couple of weeks off.
“I must say the first two weeks in South Africa was quite difficult because all my friends and family wanted to have a beer and lots of food but you have to be mindful. I had a couple of early mornings training with my brother and mates so between a couple of beers and catching up there was a fair bit of training to stay in shape.
“I’m obviously not as young as I used to be so it’s a little bit more difficult to stay in shape these days but it was all good. If you just plan in advance to look after yourself, the shock when you come back is not as big as the one where you come back from five weeks off without any training at all!
“But the boys were all in good condition and most of them smashed their targets so standards were set, standards were improved and everyone is on the same page now working towards the same goal.”
New signings David Denton, Tom Howe, Simon Kerrod, Pierce Phillips, Sam Olver and Ethan Waller arrived at Sixways this summer and Olivier insists they have fitted in well.
He revealed: “Worcester is a great place to be. There is a great family atmosphere and they’ve slotted in quickly. Everyone helps everyone with whatever they need.
“There is a great atmosphere at the Club. The management have been doing an unbelievable job in pre-season, trying to get everything together for the coming season so a lot of credit needs to go to them as it makes it even easier for the new boys to slot in.”
Warriors open their Sixways Premiership campaign at home to Wasps on Sunday 10 September before two more home games on Friday nights against Exeter Chiefs and Saracens before the month ends.
And Olivier is relishing the opportunity to play against the league’s top sides especially under the Friday night lights.
He explained: “It’s always nice competing against the best of the best and obviously those are three of the best sides. We proved that we can challenge the top sides towards the end of last season especially after beating Saracens and picking up points against Wasps and Exeter.
“It’s nice to have Friday night home games with a loud crowd behind us. The atmosphere is always buzzing. Coming to Sixways is quite tough because it’s not similar to any other place.
“We will go out there, enjoy it and show what we’ve got. Hopefully we can pull in a big crowd and show our supporters that we are not doing this just for ourselves but also for them and hopefully they’ll get behind us for the rest of the season.”
Olivier also admitted that he hopes good friend and teammate Francois Hougaard returns for Warriors duty sooner rather than later after the number nine helped South Africa thrash France 3-0 in their Test series.
He added: “I speak to him every week. He’s a busy man. He’s on holiday now and I think he’s off to New York to get a bit of a break after his duties with the Springboks. Hopefully we can have him back sooner rather than later!”
You can book your place for all 16 Warriors home games with a 2017/18 Season Ticket by clicking here, calling 01905 459309 or visiting the Ticket Office.