Summer Strength and Conditioning Programs
This blog was contributed by Curt Truhe, CSCS.
As the temperature warms up and the end of school is in the near future, it is now time to start thinking about how you will use the summer months to meet your strength and conditioning goals.
Background Information
Having a basic understanding of how a strength and conditioning program should look will help you understand what exactly you should be doing this summer. You do not need to get caught up in all of the terminology, but understanding the basic cycles will help you avoid overuse injuries and maximize performance. All athletes should be following a year-round exercise program. This is called your macrocycle. Within your macrocycle will be four main mesocycles. To keep it simple, the four mesocycles for athletes are going to be pre-season, in-season, post-season, and off-season. Within each of these mesocycles there will be microcycles. These microcycles are going to be the individual strength and conditioning programs you use.
Strength and conditioning programs should be individualized and specialized to your body, your goals, and your mesocycle. There is no one size fits all program. All of us are different heights, weights, speeds and strengths, and we need different programs to maximize our individual strengths and attack our weaknesses.
What you need to know
When is your sports season? Knowing what time of year your sport takes place in will play a huge role is what your summer strength and conditioning program will look like.
If you play a summer sport, you are an in-season athlete. Your strength program should look to help you maintain your pre-season strength and help you avoid injury with corrective exercises. Use mobility movements and exercises that help release stiffness from competition and prepare you for upcoming contest.
Fall athletes will be in your pre-season program. This will be your max strength and power microcylces. Your goal will be to reach max strength, power, and speed by the time the summer is finished. Your body should be in peak condition as the season is ready to begin. This also includes proper rest for the body in the week leading up to fall season.
Winter athletes will be just finishing up your post-season training and looking to head right into your off-season workouts. The first microcycle of the off-season program should aim toward building the size, stability, and movement patterns needed for your strength and power phases in the pre-season.
If your sport is in the spring, then you are in your post season. This is a good time to use your summer strength and conditioning program to help your body recover and heal from any injuries or problems your body underwent in season to prepare for off-season.
If you have any questions about a strength and conditioning program for yourself or your child, contact your local Bon Secours Sports Performance Coordinator and find out how we can individualize your program to maximize your athletic potential this summer.
We offer Summer Strength and Conditioning camps for high school athletes at the following locations in Hampton Roads:
In Motion at Healthy Way
828 Healthy Way, Suite 130
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
In Motion at Chilled Ponds
1416 Stephanie Way, Suite A
Chesapeake, VA 23320
In Motion at Boo Williams
5 Armistead Point Parkway, Suite B
Hampton, VA 23666
To learn more about the camps or register for the camps, please call 757-IM-SPORT.