How to keep progress going in season? Training in season, is it necessary?
I recently received an email that made me want to address training in season.
The summarized version:
“My son made the varsity team at his school! I really want to thank you for the effort you have made into training Johnnie(name changed for privacy). Johnnie is a sophomore and was pleasantly surprised he made the team. He told us how much faster/stronger and in better shape he was than in the past.”
Now the bad news:
“Because of making varsity he won’t be able to continue to train. We will get him back in after the season is over.”
First, I want to say I am always stoked on getting these emails and texts.
Helping athletes reach their athletic goals is a big part of what we do in the program.
However, I am always bummed that parents and athletes quit the thing that arguably was one of the biggest factors in helping them make the team.
In this case Johnnie spent the past 12 months training – going from a weak freshman to a strong sophomore. During this time he trained 4-6x a week without fail. Johnnie missed less than a week during the last year due to a vacation( very understandable and well deserved).
The schedule is going to get tough, between school, practice, etc. But In Season training is AS IMPORTANT as out of season training.
Let me say that again – training in season is as important as out of season training.
During the season I tell kids to get into the gym here 2x a week at minimum. Complete one lower body session and one upper body session. Really doesn’t matter the days they come in – just that they continue training.
Why is in Season training important?
A season is typically 3 to 4 months – sometimes more. During the season, the games that are most important are towards the end of the season – like the playoffs for example. The further the kids are from where they were the strongest the greater their risk of injury – as they are weaker than they were 3 months ago. Also their speed, explosiveness etc starts decreasing which means their play suffers. During this time, at the end of the season is when they need to be the strongest, and they need to be playing their best.
We realize it’s super tough especially with school as well. But as a strength and conditioning coach who has been coaching high school kids for the past 12 years this has been our experience.
The athletes also give us this feedback.
The training helps your kids make the teams they want to make – the training will also keep them healthy during the season. We urge all parents to make it work to get your athletes in the gym 2x a week at minimum in season.
