In-Season Strength Training

When beginning the first competitive season of the academic year, in sports like football, volleyball, and soccer, it’s easy to stay motivated in the weight room to push your gains further. As the season continues, athletes sometimes put strength training on the back burner, but should really do the opposite, and here’s why.

Momentum

The purpose of strength training in the off season is to build, and in-season, it’s to maintain. When the fall sport season is going well, prioritizing the weight room can help to keep up endurance and strength to continue the same trajectory. This doesn’t mean maxing out every week. It means maintaining your muscle mass to uphold power and mobility on the field. For example, strength training has a direct impact on how hard you tackle, how high you jump, and how powerfully you kick a ball, so you can’t forget about it mid-season!

If the fall season isn’t going exactly as hoped, improving personal performance via strength training can help your team’s overall success while giving you an opportunity to improve in a setting where you have total control. Prioritizing strength training gives athletes the space to recognize the small successes when the season can feel very big and overwhelming. If your team isn’t winning on the court or the field, you can always win in the weight room.

Looking forward

In-season strength training is especially important for multi-sport athletes who go from one competitive season right into the next. Forgoing weight training during the fall season can lead to a lower level of performance in your winter and spring competition. The summer is a great time to make gains in the weight room to prepare for fall sports, however, when athletes transition from fall to winter sports, there is no true off-season for gains to be made. This is why it’s crucial to keep up with a strength training program throughout the season.

Injury Prevention

As an athlete, there are few worse things than getting injured and missing out on participating in your competitive season, not to mention the rest of your athletic career. Research shows how strength training can reduce the risk of injury while increasing mobility. Strengthening the muscles around your knees, ankles, shoulders, and other commonly injured areas can reduce the likelihood of your season ending abruptly. The small muscles surrounding major joints are often forgotten about; strength training helps to ensure those muscles continue to work for you to avoid injury.

Mental Health

Competition is stressful. Utilizing calming methods such as breathwork, meditation and visualization can be helpful to alleviate stress; but strength training is another productive mental outlet. It’s well-known that strength training can improve mental health in the ways of self-esteem and body image, and it can also serve as an outlet for stress during your competitive season. In-season strength training has been proven to reduce anxiety and boost your mood. These benefits can directly impact your on-field performance.

In Summary

No matter the sport, strength training during your competitive season can benefit your performance in numerous ways. It will help to keep the momentum of a season going, improve personal performance or prepare for your next sport. It will also help to keep you healthier both physically and mentally. Follow a strength training plan to maximize your in-season success and stay ready for what lies ahead.