|
|
|
|
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Strength and Conditioning – Always in Season
Greater Louisville, KY
By: Justin Abnee, BS, MA, CSCS
|
Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
|
Year-round strength and conditioning will minimize injury and provide the best performance gains.
|
If only off-season training occurs, the strength and conditioning gains that are made will be lost during the sport season.
|
|
|
Since high school sports have become so competitive, it is beneficial to have a strength and conditioning (S&C) plan in place. Off-season programs are very important and are gaining popularity; however, alone they are not enough. The optimal choice is a year-round training program. Benefits of a year-round S&C program for athletes are well documented, but a few of the benefits are exceptionally important.
One huge benefit is injury prevention. Stronger, well-conditioned athletes will experience fewer injuries and will recover faster from the injuries that do occur. This reduces the playing time missed due to injury. Another benefit is that all performance gains can be maximized. If only off-season training occurs, the S&C gains that are made will be lost during the sport season. With year-round training, the off-season gains can be maintained or improved during the season. Possibly the greatest benefit occurs, however, with multi-sport athletes. Since these athletes are playing more than one sport, they rarely have an off-season to improve their performance goals. This makes in-season S&C extremely important because this is the only time these athletes have to get stronger. The key is getting the sport coaches who share these athletes to agree to institute an in-season training program for the betterment of the players.
The reasons for having a year-round S&C program are clear, but creating the program may seem daunting. It is, however, as simple as following a few guidelines. This requires splitting the training year into three periods: off-season, in-season and post-season.
The off-season is the period from about two weeks after one season until four to six weeks before the start of the next season. This is the time when the greatest strength, speed and agility gains are made. Therefore, it is the most important segment of the training year. The first half of this period should have a strength focus and the second half should focus on incorporating strength gains into greater speed and explosive power. Strength training sessions should occur three to four days per week and consist of one or two core exercises each day and three to four accessory movements that support the core exercises. The core exercises consist of variations of squats, cleans, bench presses, and deadlifts. The intensity, or resistance, used for core exercises should be periodized throughout the training cycle. This will maximize strength gains and minimize chance of over-training. Speed, agility and conditioning sessions will occur two to three times per week. The importance of these sessions increases as the sport season gets closer.
The in-season starts when sport practice begins and lasts until the season ends. This period focuses on strength, power development and injury prevention. Strength training sessions should occur twice per week and consist of two to three core exercises and one or two accessory exercises. Any conditioning is done during the sport practice. As with the off-season period, the in-season training intensity must be periodized.
Finally, post-season is a one- to two-week period immediately following the competitive season. This is a period of active rest. This means that no weight lifting is done, only cross-training. The purpose of this period is to recover mentally and physically from the previous season and prepare for the upcoming off-season.
Coaches, parents and players, you must have a plan for your year-round S&C. Apply the principles above and see what happens. You will like the results.
BIO>Justin Abnee is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), for which he is currently the Kentucky State Director. Justin is currently the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at North Bullitt High School and he works as a personal trainer and Sports Performance Coordinator at Club Fitness in Mt. Washington. He can be contacted at justin.abnee@bullitt.kyschools.us.
|
|
| No comments added! Click [ add a comment ] to be the first! |
|
|
|
®
™
™
