I can’t lie, I really love the off-season. Nothing beats having the university and professional athlete crew back for another summer in the trenches. Sharing stories from the year, catching up on their lives and (of course) just putting in some real hard hours under the bar getting after it. It’s hard not to love the room.
Don’t get me wrong, we get excited for playoffs and all the good stuff that comes with it. Watching our kids crush it on the court, field or rink never gets old. Seeing them bring back rings, medals and money only makes us even more proud of them. Having them transfer their physicality to their sport skills is what matters most.
But, when the dust settles, my mind instantly goes to next season. What we could do to improve, what went well and just visualizing that journey in the moment fires us up. I’m sure I speak on behalf of a fair amount of strength & conditioning coaches when I say off-season is OUR TIME!
In preparation for what we suspect will be one heck of a summer, here are a few tips I have for athletes looking to maximize their time in the off-season to make sure they dominate the coming year:
1) Plan Your Workouts Ahead
Might seem obvious, but treat your off-season training calendar like school, work or practice. Plan your workout times in advance and mark them on your calendar so as to better ensure you stick to your program. For our elite athletes, understand that you’ll likely be in the weight room 4-6 days each week putting in some serious work. It’s best to have a schedule so as to get into a routine.
We get it, things will naturally come up (vacations, illness, last minute rock concerts, etc.) BUT the better prepared you are, the better you can rework your schedule to ensure you make up for missed time and still stay on track. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just structured enough to ensure consistency. Aim for 80% structure and 20% flexibility, that’s a pretty good ratio of success for an off-season.
2) Implement A QUALITY Structured Training Program
While working out on your own is all fine and good, it’s not the same as training. If you’re an athlete looking to elevate your physical preparation (and build up for a more dominant season), you need to have a QUALITY structured training program. Hitting the typical chest/tris, back/bis and leg workout at your local FitForLess isn’t gonna cut it; your training plan needs to have purpose and intent.
Have a qualified strength & conditioning coach make your program to ensure you are doing what’s best for you based on your goals, limitations and abilities. They can better assess your current position and look to plan your training properly to ensure you’re getting the optimal prescription. This includes relevant conditioning.
No two athletes are the same, so we can’t expect a cookie-cutter whiteboard workout to be the magic pill for performance. Having your friend’s dad who used to be into bodybuilding draw up your program won’t cut it if you’re really looking to excel. This isn’t working out, it’s training; get someone qualified in strength & conditioning to help you.
PS: If you need help with this, get in touch with us. We’re big on building better athletes!
3) Get A Training Partner(s)
Let’s face it, we’re competitive by nature. Nothing pushes us to be our best than those we choose to surround ourselves with also chasing similar objectives. By having a good group of training partners, you’re only elevating your own performance potential. Great training partners keep you accountable; they recognize when to push you and when to hold you back. They have an obligation to you and you to them; a rising tide raises all ships.
Find a gym with intense training partners, people that are no-nonsense work horses. Our athletes at Iron Performance Center are phenomenal at raising the energy and holding everyone to a high standard of excellence; they know that each of us have a responsibility for making us all better. A high energy room full of people pushing themselves is a superpower for success.
A good starting point is looking at your team. If you have some awesome teammates, encourage everyone to train together! Executing your program as a group is great for team culture and accountability; a collective effort where everybody wins!
That being said, don’t be afraid to be a bit picky when choosing your training partners; you want people who are actively trying to improve themselves. Having someone who shows up late, cuts corners or just avoids doing the things they need to do isn’t going to help you. If they aren’t go getters themselves, go get yourself someone else.
4) Build In Your Skill Work
Now that you aren’t practicing 4-6 days per week anymore, it’s definitely refreshing to take a breath and let the body rest a bit. But, we should still aim to get some planned skill work in to ensure we don’t get “rusty” over the summer. Whether you reach out to a local club, college/university program or individual coaches, find somewhere to hone your skills.
Aim to get one or two skill sessions each week over your off-season. This “lightened” skill schedule will allow more time for recovery but also keep you excited to go back. Within these “skill practices”, aim to implement some of your exit meeting feedback. Use the time to work on areas you may not have had time for during the season. Look to expose your weak points so as to better improve them. Give yourself the freedom to make mistakes, that’s the whole point!
5) Train Hard, Recover Harder
Summer time is the time to unwind and enjoy the moments. However, even those moments that keep you up until 2AM have consequences. I encourage you to enjoy your time BUT understand that you still need good recovery hygiene.
Do your best to get 8 or more quality hours of sleep each night. For the nights you don’t plan on sleeping, well, just make sure you update your calendar. Aim to eat relatively whole foods with sufficient nutrient intakes, but allow yourself the flexibility to indulge from time to time. You planned the work, so work the plan. Remember, it’s not what you do, it’s what you can recover from; make sure you’re giving your body its best chance to grow and develop.
6) Enjoy It. Seriously.
Yes, some days will be grueling. Some days you’ll be so uncomfortable, you wonder how you ever played a season in the first place. Through all that, I encourage you to take a second and be in the moment. You only have so many off-seasons before you’re done for good.
As hard as training can be, it’s also an incredible opportunity. Enjoy being in your weight room with friends, overcoming challenges together. Enjoy creating training memories, the good and the tough. Give yourself the freedom to fail, to adapt and to overcome. Finally, don’t take yourself too seriously. Training CAN be fun after all.
Happy off-season!
Matrixx
