5 Steps to Nailing Your Off-Season

The off-season is a great time to mentally and physically recharge the batteries. It’s also a great time to put in some work and take your game to the next level.

We detail our top 5 tips for making the most of your time off.

1. Periodise your program

The off-season period needs to be appropriately structured to ensure you make the most of it and set yourself up for a solid pre season.  Obviously everyone is different, but below is an example or how you could do this:

1st Block: (2 Weeks of rest and recovery)

Have 2 weeks of complete rest. This will allow you to mentally ‘switch off’ and recovery from a physically challenging season. If you’re not the sort of person who can just sit around, off feet cardio options are suitable here.

2nd Block: (1-2 Weeks of active rest (alternate exercises))

Use this time to do some activities you may not normaly do eg. boxing, swimming, crossfit, yoga or group exercise classes (eg. F45 or BFT).

3rd Block: (2-3 Weeks intro run)

This is where you being to load again. You may only run twice a week bit the aim is to prepare the body for what’s about to come.

4th Block: (2-3 Preseason prep)

This is where you’ll look to develop your ‘capacity’. Session volume and frequency will increase in this block. Start with non-specific training and progress to something that resembles your first week of pre season. If you have a time trial when you return, make sure your training addresses this in some capacity.

2. Focus on your areas for improvement

The off -season is generally the best time to work on your deficiencies. Try and utilise this block to work on an area that you feel will help improve your game, This may include speed and agility, extra conditioning or may even just be some skill development.

3. Eat well

As the off season is a great time to switch off it’s equally important to pay attention to what you put in you mouth. Training loads are significantly lower during the off season so you need to adjust your diet accordingly. Playing catch up at the end of the off season period just doesn’t work.

4. Listen to your body

There’s nothing worse than pushing through a niggle or some tightness only to find out that it’s something more significant. Injury during the off season can have a huge bearing on what sort of pre season you have. Make sure you consult a qulified medical practitioner should something pop up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

5. Maintain injury prevention

It’s important to maintain the injury prevention components of your program during this period. It only needs to consist of a few exercises completed a couple of times a week. The most common injuries in field based sports are to the hamstrings, groins, calves and quads, so if you can hit those areas regularly you’ll be on the right track.

Some suggested exercises are listed below:

Hamstring: Nordics

Calf: Sled Drag/ Seated Calf Raise

Quad: Reverse Nordic

Groin: Copenhagens

TRAINGING PROGRAMS:

Dual Performance have a full range of practical training programs designed to improve your game: www.dualperformance.com.au/programs

We also offer specialised AFL programs utilsing our elite service providers in the areas of sports science, nutrition, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning. If you’d like a copy of our services guide please get in touch at info@dualperformance.com.au