The Focus of Each Season – Guest Blog from TrueFitness

As an athlete preparing for the season, we must remember that to be the best athlete possible we train year round.  Since we train year round it means that during the times that we are not in-season we need to have a different training focus compared to in-season. Knowing what to focus on in the other seasons of the year will help to prepare you as an athlete for in-season.

Last week we began the discussion about What Should Be The Focus of the individual athlete.  There are many differences among athletes from sport, to position, to goals, to current conditioning level and all of these needs should be reviewed to create the most appropriate training program.  After the individual needs have been evaluated then we need to take into account the time of year and how long until the season starts.

Next address what time of the year is it, and when will the in-season period begin.  Essentially, a year is broken into 4 time periods with potentially varying lengths of time.  These time periods are also known as seasons as break down into the following categories: in-season, post-season, off-season, and pre-season.  Each one has a distinctive purpose and must be programmed accordingly.  We will address each season individually below.

In-season- This is our most important season for an athlete for the simple fact that as an athlete we are judged by our on field performance.  The in-season is generally referred to as the season so we will do so in this discussion.  Although the preparation for the “season” may have begun long ago, it is during the season that all the hard work pays off and we find out whether or not all the hard work was appropriate.  The other seasons are where the hard work lies in preparation for the season, in-season, as far as training goes, is about maintenance.  Now is not the time for killer workouts or super intense workout sessions.  The “season” is about maintaining the gains we achieved during the other seasons and to keep our body as fresh and injury-free as possible.  Our intensity level should be about 60-70% of our 1 rep max.  This is enough to maintain our current strength levels without taxing our body too much.  The “season” is all about maintenance.

Post-season- The post-season is all about recovery.  No one makes it through a “season” completely injury free so the post-season is about allowing the body to heal.  By post-season we are not referring to the playoffs.  Playoffs are still part of the “season.”  We mean the time right after the last game of the year.  This is the time the body needs to recover and is used for rest.  This is the time period that is the most variable in length since different bodies require different lengths of time to recover.  Once the body is fresh and healed it is time to begin working out and getting ready for the next “season.”

Off-season- This is the time period where we establish our foundation.  This is where will build our base of power and strength.  This might be the time where we add muscle, size and weight if appropriate.  However the main focus during this time period will be becoming more explosive and stronger.  Muscles growth is generally accompanied by power and strength training so muscle growth in and of itself should not be the focus.  We need our athletes to be more explosive and powerful so during the off-season is when this is our main focus.

Pre-season- This is the time period where we focus more on sport specific requirements: agility, lateral quickness, ball handling, coordination, balance, conditioning, etc.  Although these may have been trained during the off-season, it is during the pre-season where these traits become the focus.  This is the period of time where we focus the most on game readiness.  So our focus is on the sport and the specific sport requirements that are athlete needs to improve.

So that is a brief look into the four seasons that make up a year.  Each one has a different training goal but is related to the other seasons in that its main goal is the improvement of the athlete.  Game readiness and sports performance is always our main focus and with appropriate variations through the seasons we can ensure that our athlete is in prime condition to dominate the in-season.

Anyone in the San Diego area is welcome to drop in at our studio at 2949 Garnet Ave. 3rd floor, Pacific Beach, CA.  We would love to put you through our workout.   Please feel free to call or email Annalise Evans of TrueFitness with any questions:    (760) 809 1848 annalise@truefitness.biz  and join her fan page on Facebook: TrueFitness Annalise Evans

Article written by Spencer Aiken, CSCS, CEO, TrueFitness