As the summer comes to an end, student-athletes are getting ready to head back to school. The beginning of the school year also typically marks the beginning of sports seasons. There is a common misconception among younger athletes that you do not need to strength train while you are in-season. However, not continuing a strength regimen while in-season is doing a huge disservice to your sport performance for a variety of reasons. Whether you are a single or multi-sport athlete, you should be lifting in-season. Here are 3 reasons why:

#1 Maintain (or build upon) Gains Made in Off-Season

Many athletes spend the entire summer working hard and making gains in their strength, speed, and endurance. Unfortunately, when we stop intentionally training these areas, we lose it. Below are the general time frames for how fast each component of performance diminishes when an athlete is not exposed to the proper stimulus.

Max speed: 5 days

Strength endurance: 15 days

Glycolytic endurance: 18 days

Maximal strength: 30 days

Aerobic endurance: 30 days

Don’t get too caught up in the difference between “glycolytic” and “aerobic” endurance. The important takeaway here is that consistency matters! You must continue to show up in off season, pre-season, and in-season to maintain and progress each area of your sport performance.

#2 Stay Healthy and Injury-Free

Aside from the traditional lifting and conditioning we do in the weight room with trap bar deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and sleds, at AP we also work on mobility and pre-hab exercises to help our athletes stay healthy and injury free throughout their seasons. We take special consideration to an athlete’s competition schedule to make sure they are progressing without getting burnt out or overworked.

#3 An Edge Over Your Competition

To be better than most, you must do things that others are not willing to do. While lots of athletes will opt out of strength training when the school year starts or their seasons begin, make a commitment to yourself to keep showing up. This will allow you to gain an edge over your competition and to reach your potential as an athlete.

The Pros Do It, So Why Not You?

It can take years and years of consistent hard work to see the fruits of our labor as athletes. This is very evident as we watch some of the best athletes in the world competing at the Olympic games. Many of these athletes, such as Olympic 100m gold medalist, Noah Lyles, are on year round strength training programs tailored to each part of the year. The same can be said for athletes in the NFL, NBA/WNBA, MLB, USWNT, and more. Also, nearly all collegiate sports teams are on year round lifting programs. Getting the experience now as a younger athlete, will allow your body to transition smoothly as you move to higher levels of your sport.

Whether you are continuing the progress you made this summer or just getting started, we are excited to help you reach your goals here at AP! See you in the weight room this fall!

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