Consistency in training for athletes

Are you consistent?

You trained so hard over the summer, didn't miss a workout and yet, when season comes you just stop?  Studies show that training effects start to fade after two weeks of the cessation of training; so, how long do you want to go without training?  Hopefully not any longer than two weeks or your performance will start to suffer.  It is not by accident that in college, athletes are required to train year round... yes, even during in-season.  This is required because it is what is needed to get the most out of the athletes.  I realize that in high school and middle school there are a lot of other demands besides training, but that is true of college and life in general.  The bottom line is that you have time for what you make time for.  We train several athletes that not only play 3 sports but train with us year round.  It is by no accident that the athletes we see year round will all be going to play for college teams eventually.  They have made training a priority and no matter the season, they get their training in.  The training during season will not be as hard as off-season to adjust for the increased demand of competition, but the intensity of the workouts are still high.  Most of our off-season programs are 3-4 days and the in-season programs are usually 2 days per week.  This change in programming allows for the athletes to perform at their best all season long because they are maintaining their strength the entire season.  Without this training, we have seen girls that have lost 5 inches off their approach touch height by not training for 4 months during their high school season.

The issue of consistency is very close to home for me, because when I was in high school I never trained in-season.   This was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made in training and wish I could go back and change it.  When I look back I remember being really strong going into football season, but then I wouldn't train during football or wrestling season and I would come out of wrestling season much weaker than when I entered football season.  Then, I would start to train hard again for the next 6 months and start the cycle all over again.  Please don't make the same  mistake that I made.  I was a good DII football player but I believe that if I had only trained year round then I could have been a good DI player.  I am proud of my playing experience at Ferris State & Wayne State but I still think that if I had only trained in-season I might have been able to play at one of the big schools.  Don't make the same mistake I did and you won't have to speculate on how good you could have been "if you only".  Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to find the time, but the rewards far outweigh the time and commitment you have to put in to be at your best.