Skip to main content

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 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taking the NEXT STEP

Taking the NEXT STEP!! Im sure we have all reached a  point in our lives where we know its time to take that next step, next level, begin the next chapter in our life. It is by far  one of the scariest times for all of us. The point where we realize everything we have ever done has led us to THIS! This is our moment to shine and like Eminem says, " You only get one shot, do not miss your chance blow. Opportunity comes once in a life.".  The one scary thing is, you know after THIS moment, nothing will ever be the same.  Once you cross THIS line, you can not go back.  THIS is it and the pressure is on. They say, "Pressure bust pipes, but It can also make diamonds.", only you can decide what it does to you.  We all get to THIS moment, but few rise to the occasion. Few feel the fear and keep walking forward.  You can either step into greatness or step back into comfort.  Many will choose to step down and let THIS moment pass them by. Once they do that, the rest of t...
6 comments
Read more

Quad & Hip Flexor Mobility & Flexibility

Why is it important to include mobility work for the quads and hip flexors? Tight muscles in the anterior compartment of the leg can cause a number of problems, two of which I will discuss in this blog. 1.     Tight quadriceps and hip flexors can put you at an increased risk for a hamstring injury. When people say that a muscle is “tight,” they are essentially saying that the muscle is chronically shortened. Without getting too much into the anatomical specifics, when the hip flexors are “tight,” or shortened, they pull on the lumbar spine. This pull on the lumbar spine increases the curve of the lumbar spine (excessive lordosis) and in turn causes an anterior pelvic tilt.  When the pelvis tilts anteriorly, the hamstrings (attached to the ischial tuberosity) can become excessively stretched/lengthened, which can lead to a strain. Therefore, by keeping the hip flexors and quadriceps at proper length, we can keep our ...
3 comments
Read more

TOP 2 Mistakes most young fitness pros make with their programming

TOP 2 Mistakes most young fitness pros make with their programming                   After 3 years of running a mentor program for fitness pros, 6 years of being an adjunct professor at a college for Athletic Training majors, 6 years of being a preceptor for 3 colleges Athletic Training programs, and 16 years in the fitness industry; I have seen my fair share of programming.   There are many mistakes that beginner fitness pros make, as they should because they are new, and with this blog I would like to talk about the top 2 that I see all the time. 1)       Planes of Motion.   I cannot stress enough how important it is the train your athletes/clients in ALL three planes of motion. When I give my college students an assignment to write a program for an athlete, I always get the same exercises ; squat, bench press, leg press, shoulder press, clean, sit ups. ...
3 comments
Read more