Field Strength
2009
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Field Strength
Offseason Strength Training Tips for Maximum Performance
The best athletes, whether professional, collegiate, or at any other level, don't use the offseason to sit around and relax. Instead, this period of time between games that count is all about offseason strength training, to improve on their bodies, and come back better than ever next year.
There are a few ways that you can approach this, and the ultimate goal is big changes, and real gains, as opposed to the maintenance and prevention style of lifting and training that you do during the season. Take a look at the following concepts and tips for muscular strength training in the offseason that will really propel you to an entirely new and improved level.
Compound Exercises
One of the main components for any effective offseason strength training program has to be compound exercises. Compound exercises require the usage of more than one of your joints; for example, on the bench press you utilize your elbows and your shoulders. By incorporating more joints, you target the biggest muscle groups, and you bring more muscles into the picture as well. Compound moves for muscular strength training should be a priority in the offseason so you can add as much effective muscle mass as possible, instead of worrying about isolating on your muscles, or doing moves that just keep your strength where it is instead of expanding on it.
Heavy Lifting
You should also be using heavy lifting for offseason strength training. When you have to play your sport, you avoid heavy lifts because you don't want muscle soreness that slows you down, and you aren't trying to change your body. Instead, you're trying to stay healthy, prevent injuries, and keep on pushing forward.
When you don't have to actually get out there and play though, muscular strength training is best done with heavy lifts, combined with the compound moves mentioned above. Load up on exercises like squats, dead-lifts, power cleans, and more, and watch as your muscles grow in size and strength rapidly.
Interval Training
Interval training is a great way to boost your muscle strength, while also getting you leaner and in better all around shape. Interval training is a new approach to cardio, where instead of jogging steadily for 45 minutes, for example, you alternate between 30 seconds of sprinting at full speed and 60 seconds of jogging, completing around 10 cycles. You finish your workout in much less time, but you also work on your fast twitch muscles instead of just your cardio and stamina, so it's great not only for leaning out but also for offseason strength training.
Ultimately, the goal of any offseason strength training program should be to improve your performance on the field, on the court, or wherever it is that you play. During the season you'll be worrying about maintenance and staying healthy and fit, but in the offseason is when you can really load up and transform your body greatly. To learn more about how to get this done, check out the information below to dive in.
About the Author
I'm Aaron McCloud and I run Complete Strength Training, a site devoted to providing high quality information about strength training. Go there to get more info about building strength, or you can sign up for my e-zine Starting Strong to save time by getting monthly updates with top-notch strength training information. I've been lifting heavy things and practicing Japanese martial arts for quite a while, so there's a lot of info about how to get stronger, more powerful, and more ripped. - Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, active links, and this copyright notice remain intact.
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