Over the years we have found out the secrets to sports performance enhancement lies in the understanding of in-season and off-season training. I wanted to share them with you because many athletes and parents that we work with NEED this info, but do not have it.
Secret #1
Off-season training HAS to be maximized to the fullest. If you want to play better when you are in season, you have to get as many strength and conditioning sessions OUT of season as possible.
Every time you play your sport, you are losing muscle and increasing wear and tear on your body. That is a fact. That is why professional and collegiate athletes train 4-5 times a week, sometimes more, when they are out of season. They know that they need to strength train as often as possible when they are out of season, in order to play their best IN season.
At PFP, it is important to train 3 days per week (12/month) when you are out of season.
If 2 (8/month) is all you can do, that is better than 1. But 3 is IDEAL. We see more progress and better performance in our 3 day a weekers compared to 2, and more in the 2/week compared to 1/week.
Secret #2
It is critically important to stay in the gym while IN-season.
We get it, schedules are nuts these days with athletes and their sports. However, we have athletes that make it work and make it a priority.
Here is why. You spend the off-season getting stronger, faster, more injury-resistant. You begin the season and are stronger than ever during the first 3/4 of the season.
Then, your muscles start to get weaker (don't feel bad it's just science, if you do not workout, you lose muscle), your speed and performance drops off little by little, and your injury risk goes up little by little.
By the time you get to playoffs, when things matter MOST, you are at your worst.
This is where MOST athletes struggle, late in season. But, could you imagine if you were the 1% who played BETTER as the season went on?
Do yourself or your athlete a huge favor and find a way to continue training at the very least, 1x per week while in season.
Secret #3
It is all up to your commitment to getting better.
At the end of the day, your attitude determines your altitude. If you make the commitment to training consistently, 2-4 days per week, during the majority of months of the year, both in-season maintenance and off-season, than you will succeed.
Stick with it. We are what we repeatedly do!
