Tips on how to stay strong and healthy all season long
Many athletes train hard during their off-season in order to prepare their bodies for the in-season schedule. They show up to camp strong, but after the first day of practice, they completely shift gears and focus solely on playing their sport.
As the season progresses, many athletes gradually lose the strength they worked so hard to build during the off-season. It's not uncommon for injuries to start making an appearance and many athletes often find themselves fighting to finish the season strong and healthy.
Here are a few tips on how to remain strong, and help enhance the recovery process during the upcoming season.
STRENGTH
The goal of an in-season strength program is to help athletes maintain their strength all season long. A good in-season strength program consists of 3-5 major exercises each training day. Some good candidates include: squats, deadlifts, bench press and pull-ups.
By keeping the volume of strength training low, you limit any negative effects on practices and games. A good template might include strength training 2-3 days a week, keeping sets and rep volume low.
REST & RECOVERY
Coaches need to make sure they know and understand the signs of overtraining. Sometimes a day off or a practice where you mix it up a bit can refuel your team and have a positive impact on their performance.
It's also important that coaches understand the effects that practices and games have on their athletes' nervous systems. An over-taxed nervous system will often negatively effect strength, speed, reaction-time, decision making, and even attitude.
Sleep is vital in helping athletes' bodies recover from the daily grinds on the court or field. Time management for student athletes is also a very important skill that will not only pay off on the report card, but also the stat sheet.
NUTRITION
A poor in-season diet, lacking all the essential nutrients that fuel muscle contractions and neural function will have a dramatic {negative} impact on strength and power production.
I recommend athletes consume protein with every meal, and make sure to get in some healthy carbohydrates, especially after hard practices and games.
Hydrate! A simple gauge that can be used is to drink a minimum of 4 blender bottles full of water each day (or 12 cups).
TISSUE HEALTH
A "trigger point" occurs in the muscle when a section of muscle fibers become stuck in a contracted state. Athletes develop these trigger points throughout the season when muscles become over-used.
Trigger points can decrease an athlete's ability to perform by causing surrounding muscles to become over tense. Trigger points can also cause referred pain in other parts of the body.
Athletes can release trigger points by using various massaging techniques to allow the muscles to function optimally again. A few good tools for working on trigger points include foam rollers, tennis balls and lacrosse balls. Restoring tissue health can help limit some overtraining injuries.
Steve Sheppard is the head strength and conditioning coach at Skill of Strength. He specializes in working with athletes of all levels of competition and has a passion for using his knowledge to help his athletes reach their full athletic potential.
