For the athletes that have trained hard during the off-season to prepare themselves for the physical riggers of the season, staying strong is just as important as getting strong.
Athlete's who've spent the summer in rigorous pre-season workouts such as weights and specific sport conditioning turn up for pre-season training in great shape and ready to perform at their highest level for coach and team.
Unfortunately, too many athletes let their off-season hard work go to waste by not training in-season and failing to maintain the physical attributes they worked so hard to enhance. They feel they can rely on pre-conditioning done in earlier months to see them through the season.
But fall-off in performance and fitness can be quick and in a short season sport such as Football there is no time to recover especially during the critical end-of-season competition when championships are on the line. Why be at the strongest at the start only to be weak at the all important final competitions?
Performance deterioration caused by cessation of training will lead to a decrease in time to exhaustion which on the playing field means less playing time, or in cross-country out of contention for medals.
From the perspective of a Sports Performance Coach, it can be very difficult and frustrating when it comes to educating athletes, coaches, and parents on the importance and benefits of in-season training. It is my experience that the lack of in-season training can be attributed to hectic schedules, fear of over training, and lack of physiological knowledge.
There are some major benefits to in-season training.
In season training will allow the athlete to maintain the strength, speed, and explosiveness they developed in the off-season. Maintaining these attributes should allow the athlete to avoid physically breaking down as the season progresses. When an athlete does not maintain these attributes it can lead to a decrease in performance and increased rate of injury.
Also, in-season training can allow the athlete to recover faster from practices and games.
It is understandable that there can be difficulty finding a time for in-season training while trying to appropriately balance schoolwork, practice, work, etc. Also, many coaches want to spend in-season practice time on skill development and strategy. Fortunately, the benefits of in-season training can be attained by as little as 1-2 maintenance sessions per week with each session lasting about 45-60 minutes.
There are many studies supporting performance deterioration by not performing conditioning workouts during in-season and those athlete's, and coaches, who utilize in-season training, are more likely to reach their full potential than those who do not.
The goals of an athlete's in season program must be clearly defined in accordance with the physical demands of their sport.
Liane Blyn is the co-owner of Athletic Based Training in the Metro-West Boston area and helps athletes of all levels and ages optimize their athletic performance. Liane runs programs for Strength and Conditioning in Milford and Holliston Massachusetts locations and you can get more details about her programs at her website here: http://www.athleticbasedtraining.com/
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