To prevent injury and maintain pre-season conditioning, sign up for a Total Athlete Training – In-Season program:
- Maintenance lifts scheduled 2 days a week
- Saturday or Sunday stretch and rehab sessions
- Critical in-season nutrition counseling
Why is in-season training so important?
It wouldn’t be surprising if the playoff performances of high school, college, or professional players suffered after their grueling seasons. It makes sense that since they play a heavy schedule of intense games, practice for hundreds of hours and often travel extensively all while typically carrying a heavy academic load. Yet, these athletes continually perform at unmatched levels in their quest for personal greatness or a team championship.
While factors like effort, intensity and focus do contribute to game-time play, it would be impossible to sustain performance without in-season maintenance training.
In-Season or Maintenance training is designed to do exactly what it suggests—maintain strength gains achieved during the off-season. This serves at least to maintain and hopefully to improve performance throughout the season, as well as to prevent or greatly assist in minimizing injury.
The key to maintenance training is to perform your workouts at a lower intensity (less weight) with less volume (less sets and reps) than your off-season workout. Coach’s Sandoval and Lewis recommend performing one to three sets of three to six reps at no greater than 85 percent of your max. This lower intensity is critical, as it allows your body to recover from the combination of games, practices and training.
It’s important to spend less time in the weight room during the season. To achieve the most strength benefits in the least amount of time, there will be a focus on exercises involving multiple muscles groups such as Power Cleans, Squats and Bench Presses and over isolation exercises like Leg Extensions and Curls.
The demands on your body are much higher during the season. You need to account for your overall workload so your body can recover. Here are the benefits and expectations that come with an In-Season program from Coach Sandoval…
You Will Be:
Training Light and Fast
Instead of loading on plates, you’ll use no more than 85 percent of your max weight with a focus on speed and range of motion . This challenges your muscles without fatiguing your body and explosive lifts will more closely simulate how you use your muscles during a game.
Focusing on Recovery
Extra time will be spent before and after workouts foam rolling and stretching tight muscles. Range of motion and mobility will also be a key focus. Some yoga or massage on other off days can also be an asset. Most importantly, get at least eight hours of sleep each night to allow your muscles to repair and grow while also hydrating sufficiently.
Addressing Dings Before They Become Injuries
If you feel any pain during your season, trainings will be modified as we consult with your athletic trainer or team doctor to devise a plan of action. Workouts may be modified by swapping out weighted exercises for bodyweight moves, switching from kettlebells to resistance bands, or adjusting your grip, etc.
To maintain and maximize your full potential both mentally and physically in-season and off, schedule a consult today.
