12/01/2025
IN SEASON GYM:
Power Focus
- During the season, the focus of training is to promote on field performance, and to perform well you must be able to move fast and be powerful. Developing power during the season is great for performance as reduced muscle soreness, reduced fatigue and an increase in recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres all promote sport performance
- Full body power movements are great for developing functional power output and transfers to your sport because you are always using your full body to generate power in any way possible. Full body exercises also improve coordination and how well you can move
- Improving agility, bounciness, and out right how fast you can move, all play massive roles in performance. In contact sports, being able to have late but fast footwork and body movements easily catch opponents off guard and gives you the advantage
Performance Priority
- As training load throughout the week increases and performance on game day is number one priority, gym training will focus on injury prevention, work ons and power development
- Compared to the off season, the volume in the gym will decrease not only in frequency but also per session, to ensure energy and focus is on team training and game day
- Minutes/load on game day will help determine your training for the following week. If you play a lot of minutes then your body needs time to recover for the next game hence gym training will be reduced, but if you play minimal to zero minutes then you can afford to get an extra gym session done
Train Hard
- Although focus is on game day and team trainings, getting in regular strength training (with reduced volume) will help with injury prevention and continuous progress
- In my opinion, there is no such thing as āmaintainingā during the season, you either progress or regress and your quality of gym training will determine what occurs and by how much
- Including necessary accessory and injury prevention lifts that are specific for your sport will help massively in continuous progress but more importantly keep you fit and healthy and playing the best you can