The Perfect Pre-Season

We have all returned to pre-season training a little underdone. A little too “festive” over the holiday period. Fitness levels are well below where we want them to be. With pre-season set to begin for most clubs in the coming few weeks, we wanted to give you our top tips to ensure you hit pre-season training track in good form, maximizing your time on the track, and out of the treatment room? !

Where Do I Start?

Running, cycling, weights, boxing? This is all going to depend on your current training levels and injury history. Most players at this time of year are either in one of two groups;

1. Those that haven’t trained since the season finished, And
2. Those that have started to complete a couple of sessions a week throughout the off season.

For the group of players that haven’t trained since the season finished this is where you should look to start.

Tips:

• Start slowly, in the first week completing 1-2 runs and 1 strength session. Slowly rebuilding your base level of fitness and strength. Gradually building. You should be aiming to complete the same number of sessions that you are expected to complete by the club. That is, if the club completes 3 training sessions during pre-season, aim to complete 3 running sessions and 3 weights sessions a week. This will mimic your training load. Your body will adjust to the new routine quickly.
• Recovery is an essential part of this process. Ensuring you are building slowly, allows you to back up your training sessions. If you are too sore to train because you have gone out too hard too soon. You will find you will pay the price with missed sessions, increased soreness and possibly injury.

“CONSISTENCY BEATS INTENSITY”

For the players who have been training over the break:

Tips:

• Now is the time to increase your base and focus on your goals. Players often ask, why do I need to complete strength sessions to play sport? The simple answer is to prevent injuries and improve performance. The stronger we are the less likely we are to sustain injuries. We are able to move faster and more efficiently.

So for these players, it’s now time to introduce some interval running. Team sports require lots of changes of direction and variable running speeds. It’s vital to build this type of running into your program to help you improve.

Tip: Complete both short and long interval runs as well as the odd long slow intensity run.

Building Strength:

Weights sessions will then change to a pure strength training program after a period of completing hypertrophy training. We need to train a muscle 3 times a week to see strength gains.

Tip – Aim to complete full-body weights workouts so that I get it all done in one go!

Another component often overlooked is “Explosive Power” Adding power or an explosive exercise to your program will see your muscular gains and fitness levels soar to the next level. Box jumps, cleans or snatches. Just remember power exercises require a baseline level of strength before starting. As well as a high level of coordination and control.

Tip – use lighter weights to master complex movement patterns. Having perfect technique allows lifting of greater weights, bigger strength gains and reduces the chance of injury as a result of poor technique.

Keep in mind, you should never start any training program without the consultation of a healthcare provider. So if you are looking to improve your game in 2020 but are unsure of what type of training, number of sessions or how to prevent injuries, book in and see one of the Osteopaths at Equilibrium Sports and Spinal and let us guide you through a step by step program.

You may also want to take us up on our FREE INJURY ASSESSMENT Let us identify any weakness you may have before you start your preseason program.

No one likes to sit on the sidelines!