In Season Strength Training for Sport

Okay little boy's and girls, pop quiz.  What is the primary goal of lifting during the season?  The answer isn't to look better in your jersey, or get ready for spring break!  It's to maintain the strength you worked so hard to gain over the summer months.  You did work hard over the summer, right?  Right!?

Anyway, your goal should be to maintain and even increase your strength.  We do this so that next summer, when its time to get stronger, you already have a baseline, and you can increase where you left off.  Many athletes will take 8 months off from the weight room, and start off BEHIND where they were before the season started.  That's like being in a hamster wheel, you just keep going around and around.  Instead of actually going somewhere, and not wasting your time.  You'll be light years ahead of your peers by getting stronger and stronger.  Don't be that athlete that year after year comes back looking the same, lifting the same, with the same skills.  Be proactive, and look to improve yourselves.

I know its hard, I've been there.  3 hour practice, hours of homework ahead of you, you haven't eaten yet, etc.  And you still have to go downstairs and put another hour worth of work in.  For many it's not fun.  They can think of a million more things that they would rather do with their time. But you have to look at it as an opportunity to improve yourself, and take yourself as an athlete to the next level.  So you can go from the bench, to getting playing time.  From getting playing time to starting, and so on.  Sure you may be able to get by on your skills alone, but you shouldn't.  One day that "bum" that worked his ass off is going to take your minutes.

As I stated above your lift should take you about an hour.  If you hustle down before you cool off from practice it should take you even less.  Ideally, you would lift before practice but just get it in.

Here is a sample in-season training day:

Foam Roll and Dynamic Warm up- Don't skimp on these.  They are a huge component of keeping you healthy.  If you need more help with part email me or steal one from a previous blog post.

Power exercise(squat jump, box jump, Olympic lift, etc) 2-3 sets*3 reps

Squat or Deadlift 2-3 sets*4-6

Chinup or Row 2-3 sets*4-6

Single Leg Exercise 2-3sets*4-6

Planks or side planks 2*max time

As you can see it's simple and to the point.  It shouldn't take you very long.  If you have the time choose the higher set scheme.  If your time is limited choose the lower rep scheme and get out of there.  But make it a priority, and you will reap the benefits.