In-Season Training: What to Consider
When programming in-season for athletes, there are several key factors to consider. The type of sport, the duration of the season, the frequency of games and practices, and the level of the athlete all play significant roles. At Hardbody Athlete, our approach focuses on maximizing efficiency and effectiveness during this crucial time in the yearly training plan.
Why Full-Body Training is Essential
During the season, full-body training sessions are highly effective. These sessions allow athletes to hit multi-joint compound lifts that work the entire body. Whether the goal is maintaining strength, hypertrophy, or power, full-body sessions enable athletes to achieve these outcomes in one concentrated effort. This approach minimizes the stress placed on the body, allowing more recovery time for sport-specific practices and games, which must always take precedence.
Strength training during the season is part of General Physical Preparation (GPP), which supports overall sports performance. However, the primary focus remains on sport-specific training and competitions.
Goals of In-Season Training
The main goals of in-season training include maintaining hypertrophy, strength, and power output. While some athletes may be able to gain strength during the season, the primary objective is to prevent losses in these areas. Since power output depends heavily on maintaining strength and hypertrophy, it’s crucial to keep all these elements interconnected and balanced.
Optimal Training Frequency and Volume
For most athletes, two training sessions per week are ideal during the season. This frequency provides enough volume to maintain key physical qualities without compromising performance. If an athlete prefers to train more frequently, it’s crucial to ensure that additional sessions don’t impede their performance on the field, court, or ice.
The Importance of Training Economy
Training economy becomes even more important during the season. Sessions should be short, focused, and efficient, typically lasting between 20 to 40 minutes. Most workouts should average around 30-35 minutes, focusing on compound movements that deliver the most benefit in the least amount of time.
Effective Periodization for In-Season Training
At Hardbody Athlete, we often use a daily undulating periodization model during the season. Early in the week, the focus is on hypertrophy or strength, while later sessions target power and strength. This approach ensures that we maintain critical qualities without overloading the athlete or causing excessive fatigue.
Minimizing Soreness and Maximizing Recovery
To prevent soreness and ensure athletes are always ready for their next game or practice, it’s important to avoid slow eccentric contractions or supermaximal eccentric work during in-season training. Instead, we recommend tempos such as 2-0-X-0 for primary exercises and 3-0-1-0 for assistance exercises. This helps maintain performance without inducing unnecessary muscle soreness.
Consistency Over Novelty
In-season training is not the time to introduce a lot of new exercises. Consistency with the exercises used in training sessions helps reduce the risk of soreness and fatigue. Athletes will appreciate the stability and predictability of their workouts, especially as the season progresses and they face the demands of frequent competition.
Final Thoughts on In-Season Training at Hardbody Athlete
Research has shown that even just two 30-minute sessions per week are sufficient to maintain strength during the season. For sports like hockey, basketball, and baseball, where the season is long and grueling, this approach is realistic and effective. The key is to keep athletes engaged, motivated, and excited about their in-season training so that they continue to perform at their best, even as the season wears on.
At Hardbody Athlete, our in-season training programs are designed to keep athletes strong, powerful, and injury-free throughout their competitive seasons. By focusing on efficiency, consistency, and recovery, we help our athletes stay at the top of their game.