Are injuries keeping you from reaching your potential? Find out how pre-season training can be your game-changer
Pre-season: an enigma. What’s the point, you might wonder? The initial excitement always fades after about 3 weeks. You’re hurting, thinking, ‘I can’t do any more running; I just want to play.’ Why do you need to be there, slugging your guts out, when that other guy hasn’t been to any pre-season at all but suddenly turns up with just a week to go, expecting to come straight in?
So, what’s the point? Why should you make the effort? Well, my question to you is: Do you enjoy being injured, missing out on playing with the guys, competing, and being part of something? Pre-season training should be seen as a time to get in shape. Many factors can predict in-season injuries, and these can be improved upon during the pre-season.
Firstly, let’s start with aerobic fitness. The fitter you are, the less likely you are to get injured. You can recover quicker, handle the intensity of a demanding season, and repeatedly perform at high intensity. It should also be noted that being fit is key to dominating your sport. Having an engine that just keeps going is crucial
Table below shows that better change in fitness (V02) leads to less risk of injury.
Secondly, there is a change in body composition. You go from looking soft around the edges to maybe seeing abs. Those trousers from Christmas fit much better, and your partner suddenly seems happier to see you. Decreasing fat mass and increasing muscle mass has many benefits. Firstly, fat doesn’t fly, so being leaner means you have less weight you can’t use. You also increase your strength, and increased muscle mass significantly helps in reducing injury risk
My third point is that now is the chance to hit the gym. You aren’t sore all week from the weekend, and you naturally have more time because you’re not playing on the weekends. General strength improvement has been shown to increase your availability to play the sport you love. You should also target key areas of injury such as the hamstrings and calves for all running-based field sports, and the shoulder if you participate in contact sports. Targeting these areas will decrease your risk of injury, transforming you from the sidelined player into the reliable player the coach can count on
Finally, just completing the pre-season builds a buffer of fitness. The higher the percentage of pre-season you complete, the less likely you are to sustain an injury. Your body is adapted to higher training loads, making it less fragile. Remember that player who only does one week of training? Well, I bet he plays fewer games than those who invest more time in their pre-season training.
In Summery
Improve your aerobic fitness to build that base for recovery and training load tolerance
Get Leaner, remember fat does not fly
Get in the gym improving general strength and your specific weakness
Compete in as much of pre-season as you can, this will make you less fragile
