In-Season Training Is Critical For An Athlete

Once one has trained to get strong in the pre-season, in-season training to stay strong is simply the next logical step in the process. For an athlete to spend all of their time and energy in pre-season training just to let their physical peak slowly slip away during the regular season simply doesn't make sense.

Many athletes show up for training camp in great shape and ready to perform at their peak levels for the team and the coaches. Many have spent the off-season working with weights and performing spot training to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming season.

After going to all of this extensive training in the off-season, the question that needs to be begged is why would these same athletes then let all of this hard work go to waste by not continuing to press hard to stay in peak condition during the regular season? Is it because they feel that this pre-season conditioning will last them through the entire season?

Many young athletes are not aware of just how quickly they can have a fall-off in performance and physical strength if they don't remain dedicated to their exercise regimen. In a short season sport like football, many do not take into consideration that it's next to impossible to re-condition oneself once the critical post season games start. Why risk not being in peak condition when the season ending championship games are being played?

With the slow deterioration in stamina and strength that occurs as their training regimen falters, the athlete becomes far more susceptible to early fatigue and exhaustion during each subsequent event. In the case of a cross-country runner this would quickly spell finishing out of contention for a medal.

Many Sports Performance Coaches become very frustrated when confronted with athletes that fail to recognize they need to remain disciplined despite the hectic schedules that are often part and parcel of dealing with the regular season schedules and school work. Key concerns related to educating athletes about the fears of overtraining, or the lack of physiological knowledge, can be overcome, but only with the cooperation of the athlete themselves.

Some of the major benefits of continuing in-season training are:

1. Allows the participant to maintain the speed, strength, and explosiveness that they worked so hard to develop in the off-season.
2. The retention of these physical traits helps the athlete to also avoid injury during the season's scheduled events.
3. Likelihood of decreases in performance reduced providing more playing time opportunities.
4. Helps the athlete to recover quickly from the actual games and practice sessions.

While it's understandable finding time for in-season training can be very difficult, especially for the student athlete taking a full load of classes and trying to balance schoolwork, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Discipline is a key element of performing well in sports. Making the time to continue to perform the 1-2 maintenance sessions for 45-60 minutes each that are needed per week to stay at peak form, can make the difference between a successful season and a disappointing one for an athlete.

Many studies support the fact that by not performing in-season conditioning, one is at higher risk of seeing deterioration in overall performance. The truth be told, coaches and athletes that know this see their full potential obtained where others will not.

Not every sport is alike when it comes to setting up in-season training regimens, so the goals of an athlete's in-season training should be designed specifically in accordance with the physical demands of their sport.


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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 details at her website: http://www.athelticbasedtraining.com