3 Things Athletes Must NOT Do During the Off-Season
I’ve coached athletes for years. Some of them have achieved amazing things. Some have not. The key difference? Those who are truly great are great all the time, even during the off-season. These are the athletes who retain their focus even when the goal is a long way off. The rest often fall victim to one or more of these three common off-season errors.
1. Losing Vision
The season is over. You may be happy or sad, but it’s time to focus on the future. There’s no better time than today to start preparing for future success. Get a chalkboard and hang it up where you’ll see it every day, like over your bedroom light switch. Every time you leave your room or go to bed, you’ll be reminded of what you want to achieve.
Write down one to three goals—e.g., 225 Bench Press, 315 Squat, 4.7 40. Include a few motivational photos and a quote. One of my favorite quotes is from the character Rocky Balboa: “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take. And keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
2. Becoming Lazy
Gaining weight is a good thing, but gaining fat is not. This off-season, try to limit distractions. There’s nothing wrong with having a social life and relaxing but you need to set time aside for weekly workouts, analyzing videos, and learning more about your sport. You can still enjoy your high school days and stay focused on finishing strong.
3. Overtraining
The early off-season is a great time for rest and recovery. But after you take a week or two off, focus on adding size. A month before the season begins, implement more strength and conditioning training. I see a lot of athletes who push too hard during the off-season, get hurt, and compromise their performance for the next season.
Four or five resistance training workouts a week are plenty. If you find yourself constantly sore, sleeping poorly, losing strength, and/or consistently getting injured, take a step back and rest.
Off-Season Workout
During the off-season, you need to train the right way. This workout plan will help you avoid injuries and maximize your sports performance.
Aim for three exercises for each muscle. Leave isolation exercises for the end of the workout. Do 4 sets of 8-12 reps, resting between 1-2 minutes between sets. Performing single-arm/single-leg exercises at the end will emphasize core development.
Monday: Chest, Back, Shoulders
- Bench Press into Pull-Downs
- Shoulder Press into Bent-Over Rows
- Incline Dumbbell into Farmer’s Walks
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows into Push-Ups with 1 foot elevated into Single-Arm Upright Rows
Tuesday: Legs and Arms
- Hip Thrusts into Chin-Ups
- Squats into Close Grip Push-Ups
- Deadlifts into Preacher Curls
- Pistol Squats into Tricep Extentions
Wednesday: Beach or Track workout. Sprints, Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Lunges
- Dynamic Warm-up
- Sprint 8 40’s: Rest 2 minutes
- Sprint 4 100’s Rest 3 minutes
- Sprint 2 200’s Rest 3 minutes
- Sprint 1 400
End with 3 sets of max Push-Ups, Pull-Ups and 10 Lunges per leg.
Thursday: Off
Friday: Full Body for 4 sets of 15 reps rest 30 seconds
- Squats
- Bench Press
- Single-Arm Cable Rows
- Standing Single-Arm Military Press
Saturday & Sunday: Off
Make sure you are getting the proper nutrition, and sleep during your off-season.
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3 Things Athletes Must NOT Do During the Off-Season
I’ve coached athletes for years. Some of them have achieved amazing things. Some have not. The key difference? Those who are truly great are great all the time, even during the off-season. These are the athletes who retain their focus even when the goal is a long way off. The rest often fall victim to one or more of these three common off-season errors.
1. Losing Vision
The season is over. You may be happy or sad, but it’s time to focus on the future. There’s no better time than today to start preparing for future success. Get a chalkboard and hang it up where you’ll see it every day, like over your bedroom light switch. Every time you leave your room or go to bed, you’ll be reminded of what you want to achieve.
Write down one to three goals—e.g., 225 Bench Press, 315 Squat, 4.7 40. Include a few motivational photos and a quote. One of my favorite quotes is from the character Rocky Balboa: “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take. And keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
2. Becoming Lazy
Gaining weight is a good thing, but gaining fat is not. This off-season, try to limit distractions. There’s nothing wrong with having a social life and relaxing but you need to set time aside for weekly workouts, analyzing videos, and learning more about your sport. You can still enjoy your high school days and stay focused on finishing strong.
3. Overtraining
The early off-season is a great time for rest and recovery. But after you take a week or two off, focus on adding size. A month before the season begins, implement more strength and conditioning training. I see a lot of athletes who push too hard during the off-season, get hurt, and compromise their performance for the next season.
Four or five resistance training workouts a week are plenty. If you find yourself constantly sore, sleeping poorly, losing strength, and/or consistently getting injured, take a step back and rest.
Off-Season Workout
During the off-season, you need to train the right way. This workout plan will help you avoid injuries and maximize your sports performance.
Aim for three exercises for each muscle. Leave isolation exercises for the end of the workout. Do 4 sets of 8-12 reps, resting between 1-2 minutes between sets. Performing single-arm/single-leg exercises at the end will emphasize core development.
Monday: Chest, Back, Shoulders
- Bench Press into Pull-Downs
- Shoulder Press into Bent-Over Rows
- Incline Dumbbell into Farmer’s Walks
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows into Push-Ups with 1 foot elevated into Single-Arm Upright Rows
Tuesday: Legs and Arms
- Hip Thrusts into Chin-Ups
- Squats into Close Grip Push-Ups
- Deadlifts into Preacher Curls
- Pistol Squats into Tricep Extentions
Wednesday: Beach or Track workout. Sprints, Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Lunges
- Dynamic Warm-up
- Sprint 8 40’s: Rest 2 minutes
- Sprint 4 100’s Rest 3 minutes
- Sprint 2 200’s Rest 3 minutes
- Sprint 1 400
End with 3 sets of max Push-Ups, Pull-Ups and 10 Lunges per leg.
Thursday: Off
Friday: Full Body for 4 sets of 15 reps rest 30 seconds
- Squats
- Bench Press
- Single-Arm Cable Rows
- Standing Single-Arm Military Press
Saturday & Sunday: Off
Make sure you are getting the proper nutrition, and sleep during your off-season.