Pre-season fitness training will vary depending on your sport and may need to be adapted to suit individuals. Some hate it, some love it – but all can agree that it is necessary! With many sports having just finished a lengthy pre-season such as cricket and some due to commence over the next few months leading into the winter sports, it is worth a talk about what you can do to maximise your performance.
It’s no secret that pre-season training is where a lot of injuries develop and end up plaguing the avid sports goer well into the season of their chosen sport. This can range from a simple sprained ankle to a multitude of frustrating overuse injuries….and those general niggles that seem to change from one week to the next.
Why are pre-season fitness injuries so prevalent?
There are many reasons why injury during the pre-season is so prevalent and each person will be different to the next, however, some common trends that we see at the clinic often include;
- Inadequate recovery from an injury sustained during the previous season
- Change in sporting codes
- Returning to sport after a season off
- Poor fitness going into pre-season
- Extended rest post-season (ie – doing nothing!)
- Changes in a training environment, such as hard court to sand.
- Poorly designed or nonspecific programs.
What can you do to reduce your chance of injury and improve your performance during the season?
If you are someone that struggles to keep up pre-season fitness or find that you are plagued by injury 4 weeks in, then the following 5 tips may just help you make it through unscathed.
1. Address new and existing injuries
Use your newfound time free of training to seek help for appropriate management of those in-season niggles, so you can start pre-season injury free. Your physiotherapist will be able to assist you in the best way to manage this and direct you to incorporate a treatment program with your sport in mind.
The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is one tool that can be used to identify risk factors thereby assisting in injury prevention. Give your local physiotherapist a call to see if they offer something like this and talk to them about your pre-season fitness goals.
2. Get a professional screening
Treat yourself to a professional screening session! Even if you are not currently carrying an injury, this is a fabulous way that will enable your health practitioner to identify areas that are not only putting you at risk of injury but also likely limiting your sporting performance. Prevention is always better than cure and this can be time and money very well spent.
3. Try and keep your fitness levels up
Maintain some level of fitness in the off-season. The age-old saying, if you don’t use it, you lose it. The phenomenon of ‘detraining’ can occur very quickly once the season is over resulting in a loss at a physiological level which translates to performance and the body needs to work harder to regain fitness. Certain tissues in the body, such as tendons, don’t respond well to change. Going from full in-season duties to no training, and then straight into pre-season fitness is a recipe perfect for the development of overuse injuries such as tendinopathies. If 5-6 sessions a week is normal during the season, 2-3 sessions will usually see the athlete maintain reasonable fitness in the off-season
4. Change up your training!
This is your chance to do something different or incorporate things you have wanted to work on…or maybe should have been working on in-season. You can still keep things specific to your sport, but change it up slightly and keep it fun. For example, if netball is usually your thing, enter into a basketball comp for the off-season, with similar on-court requirements but a refreshing change mentally. Or on the other hand, ask your health professional for a new and challenging gym or home program to work on areas that need improvement.
5. Avoid the harder, better and stronger work
Don’t be frightened of looking ‘soft’! In other words, if you know you are not up to speed or have not maintained any level of fitness in the off-season, talk to your coaching staff – preferably before you do those 10 hill sprints on the beach and strain your calf! Overloading the body can happen very quickly and the body needs to adapt and prepare itself for big spikes in exercise, particularly when these are multiple times a week. Gradual and incremental increases in activity, relating to frequency, intensity and duration are the keys and any little niggles should be taken care of straight away.
Hamstring, knee, calf or Achilles problem? This sandy hill run could be enough to stir you up!
If you haven’t picked it already – it’s beneficial to keep active during the off-season! Keeping on top of niggly or unresolved injuries and ensuring that you have some level of fitness going into pre-season is very important regarding injury prevention and can have a big impact on the performance of your upcoming season. So, if you want help in establishing a good pre-season routine for your pre-season, contact us at the clinic for more information.
How do you keep yourself fit and healthy in the off-season? Pre-season fitness is a great opportunity to address some reoccurring issues in your body, so be sure to keep up to date with our fitness articles, as well as our health articles.
