Hit your pre-season checkpoints

Are you where you need to be for the start of the season?

FOR most of you we’re down to the final month of pre-season. The challenge games are coming thick and fast, the work on the pitch has taken over from the work in the gym and you’re spending more time with the ball in your hands than a barbell. Deadly.

With the transition of emphasis from building fitness to finding that game-time sharpness, here are a few fitness-based landmarks you can look at to make sure you’re on course for performing at your best this season.

5k time – I’d get a lot of my athletes to periodically run a 5k to make sure their aerobic output isn’t dropping below our expected standards throughout the season. That expected standard? Under 22 minutes. That puts you in and around the seven-minute mile marker which is something the guys with aspirations of winning things with their club should not have much trouble doing.

Bench/squat/deadlift – If you’ve put in a solid pre-season of well programmed training then the following goals are VERY achievable. If you’ve wasted your time doing exercises that don’t cross over into improving the athleticism needed to perform at your best on the field then these numbers might be out of reach. I want my athletes to be able to perform three reps of their bodyweight in a bench press. 80kg man presses an easy 80kg for three. One and a quarter bodyweight squat – with proper technique meaning a full depth squat – for three. 80kg man squats 100kg comfortably for three. And finally a one and a half bodyweight deadlift for three, again flawless technique is non-negotiable. My 80kg man pulls 120kg off the floor with his shoulder blades back and down and his hamstrings loaded for three reps without trouble.

Injury free – You’re on the road to nowhere if you’re coming into the season injured. The strength and conditioning goals above are secondary to your ability to tog out and contribute to your team’s success. At a month out if you have an injury concern which you aren’t working along side a physio to get on top of then you’ve a serious problem. Don’t ignore red flags.

The move from gym based to pitch based sessions is a hotbed for injury as what you’re asking of your body changes dramatically. The work you’ve put in to date should mean you’re well fit for it but if there’s a strain here and a pull there then appreciate that is isn’t just going to disappear without being treated – you’ve a month to get it sorted so get it done!

Your start point is going to have a big part to play in where you are physically right now so take that into consideration when evaluating where you’re at. Time is still on your side, so train smart, eat well and work hard and you’ll still see plenty of positive change from now to til when that first whistle blows.

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