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Should your youth athlete train with a trainer while in-season?

Should your youth athlete train with a trainer while in-season?

This is a question I have been asked by clients and parents.  It is a tricky questions because as a business owner it would be really smart for me to say YES, but as a realist I know that most trainers don't have a clue on how to train athletes while they are in season. The honest truth is that almost ALL athletes need some sort of maintenance fitness program while they are playing their sport. The other gods honest truth is that 90% of fitness professionals have no idea of what this should consist of.  The following list is just the tip of the iceberg as to what a maintenance program should entail. If your child's fitness person is NOT addressing these issue, it is time to go elsewhere. 

  1. Address muscle adhesions for common overused muscles from the child's sport. If you have worked with sports long enough you will understand that many sports have common overuse patterns. For example, soccer players will have tight adductors on their dominate kicking leg, swimmers will have tight lats, basketball players will have tight calfs, etc. These are areas that will need special attention for the athlete. This is something that should be worked on early in the session, so that the athlete will be able to move better during the training. 
  2. Don't Beat a Dead Horse. If your child jumps all day in their sport, there is no reason to jump during their in-season training. It is NOT smart to abuse an overused muscle. For example, there is no reason to make a football player sprint with a sled attached to his back while training with you. Chances are he is doing that type of training with his team already. 
  3. KISS. The training in-season should follow the Kiss principle (Keep it simple stupid) The training should be very simple programing. There is no need to introduce some crazy program you saw on YOUTUBE. Remember, you are in a "MAINTENANCE" phase of training not a "BUILDING" phase.  You should just be keeping the strength that your athletes have built during the off-season and pre-season. This is not the time to max out everyday and get jacked. That window has passed once they are in-season
  4. Flexibility is KING.  Many of the injuries I see could have been avoided if the athletes had better mobility. If the joints are all locked up it will make it harder for the athlete to move. This lack of mobility will lead to compensations that can lead to injuries.  Doing yoga while in-season is a good idea but it should not be an intense form of yoga. Just something to keep the muscle loose. Not a time to show crazy poses.

These are just a few of many tips. As other situations and ideas pop in our mind, we will add them to our list. If you have any questions on your child doing in-season training be sure to email us flofitness@gmail.com 

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