Monday, October 18, 2021

How to Create a Yearly Training Plan : What can I work on in my training?

How to Create a Yearly Training Plan : What can I work on in my training?
What can I work on in my training? :

There are many fundamental physical skills you can develop through training. The following is a list of the main areas that athletes should focus on.

Gaining Muscle - The number one goal of almost every male athlete in this world is to have more muscle mass. Although gaining muscle usually makes you somewhat stronger as well, for our purposes we will consider them to be separate goals.

Training to get bigger is a major stress on the body, and any time this is a priority it will limit the amount of work you can safely do on other goals.

Getting Leaner/Losing Bodyfat
- This is the number one goal of most female athletes, and goal #1A for males. Athletes who are actively looking to get leaner need to be careful that they do not take this goal to the extreme and lose muscle gains they have built up in previous phases of their training.

Increasing Strength - Strength is the foundation of creating powerful sport movements, and is simply how much weight you can lift with proper technique. Strength can vary from one region of the body to another. For example, you may have strong legs but a weak core or upper body.


Improving Speed - Speed specifically refers to your ability to sprint in a straight line from Point A to Point B with no changes in direction.

Improving Agility & Quickness - Technically, this is different from speed. Agility refers to your ability to stop and change direction. Quickness mostly refers to how fast you can react to a situation, specifically within the first couple of steps.

Building Explosive Power - Power is simply strength displayed at fast speeds, and sports revolve around powerful movements. From baseball pitchers throwing fastballs, to slap shots in hockey, to driving the ball off the tee in golf, and countless other skills, power is critical to improving your game.

Improving Balance & Athleticism - Balance and coordination have no place in a bodybuilding workout, but they are critical skills for any athlete. Balance is usually displayed on one leg in progressively more challenging environments. Athleticism can be thought of as efficient, coordinated movement in a sport skill, and requires practice and repetition. These two goals go very well together in a training program.

Increasing Flexibility - Flexibility, as many people are already aware, refers to a muscle's ability to be lengthened. Most athletes simply need to be flexible enough to properly perform skills in their sport, and to keep from getting hurt.

Often times there are only a handful of muscles that are tight on any individual, and targeting those muscle groups can make a major impact. Identifying which areas are too tight, and applying an aggressive stretching program to loosen them up can further improve athletic ability.

Conditioning/Building Speed Endurance - Getting in shape allows you to play your sport longer without fatigue. This skill comes and goes pretty quickly, and is often best trained right before a season begins (the pre-season phase).


No comments: