Why is pre-season training important?

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Why is pre-season training important?

A 2 or 3-day workout week is a perfect way to assess your current fitness and to re-set your training goals.

What are the benefits?

• Fitness focus.
  This is easily the biggest benefit. Testing to see where your fitness is at with sport related fitness tests such as the 1 mile challenge is a great way to asses first hand your fitness levels. From there it makes life easy to build your cardiovascular base for your sport starting with volume and longer distances. Focus on heart rates specific to your sporting event and keep track of your progress throughout the season.

• Building a base of Strength.
  With all else being equal, 3-4 workouts per week is going to be ideal for producing the best results possible. However, if you’re not able to make that happen, a 2-day split is still capable of getting the job done and allowing for decent muscle and strength gains to be made. This should include more mobility + flexibility work. Like your cardio, begin with volume, skill based lifts with lighter load, a little hypertrophy goes a long way, followed by a transition week and re-set your strength goals.

• Injury free.
  You are probably past the beginner stage so keeping yourself strong should allow you to keep yourself injury free. Or, at least keeping injuries at bay. Starting your pre-season fitness and strength means you should have been working on any injury prevention exercises during the off season. This will stack the odds in your favor in preventing a new injury or aggravating an old injury. Consistency is key with this.

• Seasons goals.
  For example, if you’ve reached your goals in the previous season and you want to set new goals your training should reflect this. If your fitness was not where you wanted it to be, its essential that your pre-season training includes volume and distance. Then as the season begins you can get more specific about your cardio training.

• Timing is everything.
  For example, if you’re temporarily extra busy with work, school, family, traveling/on vacation, moving, or whatever else, and want to do the bare minimum needed to maintain for a bit rather than push yourself hard to make additional progress. 2 workouts can be absolutely perfect for this scenario. If you have the additional time begin your pre-season work 8 weeks out from season training. In-season training should last a minimum of 8 weeks before competition begins.

  
  You now should have a 16 week base built ahead of in season training. Its important not to compare yourself to previous seasons as you are a different person from one year to the next.

  Now that we know the benefits, try to figure out the best options that suit your lifestyle starting with 1 sessions per week and build from there.