It might have only seemed like yesterday when you took that last hit of the year, but with a new season
just around the corner you should start thinking about how to get yourself back into shape to come
back faster and stronger in September. Pre-season training often puts the fear of dread into many
players coming back from several weeks of rest, a beach holiday or two and maybe the occasional night
of too much ale, but this is the ideal time to condition your body to ensure you come back fitter and
stronger to maximize your performance on the pitch.
The common and costly mistake that many people make in pre-season is to start to train too early and too hard. Many people will neglect to fully rest and recover at the end of a long season and will wonder why ¾ of the way through the year they start to ‘hit the wall’ and feel over-trained. Many studies with elite players have discovered a higher incidence of injuries at the back end of the season in comparison with the beginning, and enjoying a longer off-season will help.
Many training programmes don’t seem to take into account strategies and exercises for injury prevention which is highly important. At Body Lab NI we always ask players – what is your goal? Is it to be able to deadlift 250kg and bench press 150kg or is it to be on the pitch for a full 80 and to last a whole season without injury? Most players will choose the latter.
Yet when pre-season does start, it is a time when the majority of gains in strength, mass, power and conditioning will be made. It is very difficult for athletes to make gains during a long and busy season in the gym (especially in mass). This is primarily due to the fact that players are getting lots of metabolic work on the field within training sessions for their clubs. For the amateur player especially, it is difficult to sometimes fit in training commitments around work and therefore many training programs are often unrealistic and over ambitious in terms of training volume and time.
Here at Body Lab NI we are here to help you. We want our partner clubs to boast the fittest, fastest and
strongest players on the circuit, and so we’ve put together a detailed pre-season training plan to get
you back into the best shape of your life!
Make sure you always warm up and cool down from a training session.
To book us 02890 859698 or info@bodylabni.com
