Health & Safety Resources

IDEAS IN DESIGNING AN OFF-SEASON CONDITIONING PROGRAM

When should off season programs begin?
Off season programs should start about 1-2 weeks after completion of the athletes’ season.  This is the time to take stock in your athletes and determine where their competition weaknesses were, position or skill needs and where there can be meaningful improvements. The coach needs to keep in mind if the athlete is training for another sport, ongoing injuries or school restrictions. 

What do I need to keep in mind when designing a program that would most benefit my athletes?
There are a lot of resources available to you describing classic periodization programs.  They do work, however the best resource is your imagination.  Many coaches get in the rut saying, “I need to get my athletes Bigger, Faster, Stronger.”  These attributes are important to improve but you need to put the term FUNCTIONAL in front of each of those words to make gains meaningful.  You can have the largest athlete or strongest athlete but if they cannot hold a block to the out side their size or strength is effectively useless.  Functional workouts need to include flexibility, strength, speed, agility and power. 

How can I measure improvements in my athletes?
Measuring improvement needs to be more that just 1RM and a 40 yd dash.  You need to incorporate explosive movements, direction change and reaction time.  It is best to measure prior to beginning off season, about midway through (to see if your program needs to be tweaked), and at the completion of the program.  Explosive movements need to look at vertical, horizontal, lateral and rotational components (are vertical jumps, long jumps for distance, rotational box jumps for number of jumps for a specific time).  Direction change and reaction time tests such as shuttle runs, 5yd box drill (forward, side, back, side) it is also important to include a diagonal motion due to the fact that most athletic competitions have strong rotational needs.

What areas would be best for my athletes to work on in the off season?
In both the clinical and educational setting I find that most athletes need flexibility, core stability and hip strength.  I have found that many of my athletes benefit more from a dynamic flexibility program than a static stretch.  Core stability can be targeted with exercises such as: planks, Swiss ball activities and even agility drills.  Hip strength can be improved by single and double leg hops that incorporate balance.

How do I keep my athletes interested in the program?
If your athletes are not enthusiastic about the off season program they will not get the maximum benefit.  If you just do lifting and running they will get bored and they will not take the exercises serious and can get hurt in to process.  I have found that the athletes thrive on variety and competition so you may want to take the last 5-10 minutes and perform something such as a tug of war or separate the team into two groups and choosing a champion and have the loosing team performs an extra lap, pushups or other activity.  This builds teamwork, fosters pride and competition.

GOOD LUCK AND MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR ATHLETE’S OFF-SEASON!

For further information on this article or for priority appointments for sports injuries please contact Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine at 313-972-4216.

Written By: John Brady ATC, NASM-PES, Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine

Henry Ford Health System’s Center for Athletic Medicine offers a comprehensive approach to sports medicine, including surgical and non-surgical care, sports rehabilitation, injury prevention, and performance enhancement programs.  The HFHS treatment team includes sports medicine fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine fellowship trained primary care physicians, as well as certified athletic trainers and physical therapists.  These health care professionals are supported by the HFHS nationally recognized bone and joint research facility, including the prestigious Herrick Davis Motion Analysis Lab.  HFHS is proud to be health care providers to the Detroit area’s premier sports programs including professional, collegiate, and high school athletes.