Do your kids participate in fall sports at school? Are you getting ready for a race in September or October? Do you have a competition coming up (e.g., the Scottish Highland Games in Pleasanton Labor Day weekend)? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, now is the time to start preparing in order to facilitate overall improvement in long-term training and performance.

Planning your workout regimen is going to be key as you progress through the different cycles or periods ahead. Specifically, shifting your training priorities from non-sport-specific activities of high volume/low intensity to more sport-specific activities of low volume/high intensity will prevent overtraining and optimize performance. These periods typically occur over many weeks and months, so if you start now, you’ll be primed for your fall sport, race, or competition with ample training that can prevent injury and get and keep you in top condition.

Typically, your preseason strength and conditioning program can last anywhere from 6 weeks to about 3 months, and spans three specific phases (i.e., endurance; basic strength; strength and power) that collectively gradually and safely take you both up to your first practice or preparatory race and then continues on to your first game or race day.

The first phase of the preseason is focused on muscle building (hypertrophy) and endurance. This phase involves exercises that are non-specific to a given sport (squats, deadlifts, etc.) and it focuses on low to moderate-intensity exercises with high volume, or many sets and repetitions of the exercise. The second phase of the preseason centers on acquiring basic strength, which consists of high intensity (80-90% of your 1-repetition maximum (RM)) with moderate volume (3-5 sets of 4-8 reps) using exercises that target the muscles specific to the sport. So, for example, a football lineman’s program will consist of glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, general core, and pectorals for pushing movements, but if you’re a cross country runner you’ll work on similar exercises, but you might swap out the pectoral work for calf work. By the end of the preseason, you’ll want to work on the strength and power phase which means keeping the intensity high but the volume low (3-5 sets of 2-5 reps) using power exercises that are specific to the sport.

The strength and power focus in this last phase of the preseason means that more attention is given to the drills and skills of the sport you’re preparing for. Training should be performed 3 days per week where intensity is high, performing strength training exercises between 75-95% of your 1-repetition maximum, and performing plyometric exercises, speed work, and agility drills. Volume is low, meaning low sets and repetitions; however, for plyometric movements, speed, and agility drills repetitions will be higher.

Things that often go missing within strength and conditioning programs are proper warmups and cooldowns, which are essential for getting the most out of your body, and your workouts, and for helping to prevent injuries. Stretching, mobility drills, and making sure to warm up and cool down before and after every workout, practice, and game is something that should be done at every age and skill level.

Developing strength and conditioning programs can be quite challenging, given decisions about which specific exercises to use, and when, as well as how many sets and repetitions you should perform, and during which phase. Your best bet is to seek out an experienced strength and conditioning coach – and we at Beacon PT have exactly what you need! Our staff has extensive expertise in strength and conditioning programming, and we’re ready to help no matter where you are starting in this journey.

If you or your child are serious about fall sports or an upcoming competition or race, we advise that you get an assessment from a physical therapist to ensure there aren’t any dysfunctional movement patterns, muscle imbalances, and/or weaknesses or limitations in the body that could lead to injury down the road. As physical therapists, we can help “pre-habilitate” the athlete, prevent injury in the future, and help them perform better in their sport right now.

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our patients in leading a healthy life and establishing a healthy lifestyle. And remember, if you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.