Off–season training (continued) by Mathieu Roy

Last week, I talked about the planning from October to late December. This week, I will provide the ideal planning from January to late February. 

The period of January to the end of February is a good time to develop maximal strength and power. If you have a good experience in training, it is best to work in series of 1 to 5 repetitions to improve maximal strength. In addition, the maximal strength trainings improve the ATP-CP system, the energy system most commonly used in ball sports. It is very important to note that the maximal strength trainings should be used only if you have an experience of 2 years or more in weight lifting and if you have a very good technique of movements you use in your workouts. If you are a beginner, you can work in sets of 6 to 8 repetitions and get significant gains in maximal strength while limiting the risk of injuries. 

This period is also ideal to increase power. Power is equal to force multiplied by speed, P = F x S. Therefore, it is important to incorporate strength and speed exercises in your workouts to improve power while keeping in mind that speed should be prioritized. Indeed, speed is the most important physical quality in ball sports. The contrast, a training technique which consists of a strength exercise followed by an exercise of speed or vice versa, is an excellent training technique to increase power. Examples: A deadlift followed by broad jumps or a DB press followed by chest passes with a medicine ball. The weightlifting exercises are also a great way to increase your power in addition to develop motor coordination of the entire body. I’m thinking of exercises such as power clean, power snatch and press (push press, push jerk and split jerk) in sets of 1 to 5 reps. I strongly suggest including a session of accelerations on a distance of 20 or 30m, the distance between bases in softball and baseball. Start with a session of 10 accelerations taking 45-60 sec of rest between them. Over the weeks, you can increase up to 15 accelerations per training. 

In summary: January to late February: speed, power, strength, flexibility. 6-8 repetitions for beginners, 1-5 repetitions for advanced. Exercises and techniques that can be used: contrast, weightlifting and accelerations sessions.