Get Better This Summer

Posted By: Todd Durkin

School is winding down and summer is in the air. As spring sports come to a close here soon, we go into a "dead" period here where not a lot of organized activity takes place. Hopefully you have your high school lifting program or are part of another organized group's program to enhance your strength, speed, & conditioning. Here are a couple tips to remind you of the importance of your off-season training program: • 95/5 Principle. This states that 95% of the time you spend your time preparing for the 5 % of the time that you will actually compete. What you do in May, June, July will undoubtedly help you when you compete next season. • Make your "gains" now. Maybe your goal is to put on 10 lbs of muscle this summer. Maybe it's to get .2 seconds faster in the 40 yard dash. Maybe it's to improve your vertical jump by 4 inches. Now is the time to do that! Spend time focusing on your training now. 3-4 times a week; 60-90 minute sessions per day. At least 1/3 of this time should be devoted to running, movement drills, & conditioning drills. Whether that means that you spend 20-30 minutes every session on movement training or whether you have 2 days geared to predominately speed training & field work, be sure to get on the field and move! • Recover well. This predominately means improve your sleep and improve your nutrition. Depending on what part of the country you live in, school ends soon. Spend extra time getting rest as that is when your body grows. The sooner you go to bed before midnight, the more you allow your body to grow. A great night sleep might meaning going to bed at 9 pm and rising at 7:00 am. • Eat better. I would like to see a 90 day commitment here to really eating well. 5 meals a day, eat breakfast, focus on fruits & vegetables, reduce the amount of junk food & empty calories you consume. Focus on lean protein like chicken & fish at lunch & dinner and consume complex carbohydrates like whole-grain pastas for energy. If you are trying to gain weight, you need to be increasing your calorie consumption but do it with good calories. Junk food only robs you of your energy and you want sustained, consistent energy. You may not understand this now but I really want you to know that you have one opportunity to maximize your opportunities that you have right now. Why not give yourself the best chance to succeed. I know it takes a Herculean effort sometimes to be so committed to a workout routine, to eat right, to eliminate distractions, and to do "what is right." But when game time comes next Fall, you are going to enjoy the fruits of your labor right now. Get 1% better every day and it will be scary how good YOU will be come pre-season time and game time.