CCA Podcast 028: 5 components that must be in your offseason progam

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It's that time of year again! Fall ball is done and players are getting ready for a little rest before either hitting the hardwood, or the weight room.

As a travel or high school coach, you are starting to get ready for your offseason conditioning program to get your athletes bigger, stronger, and faster.  But you also have to be sure that what they're doing will maximize their time in the weight room and give them the greatest benefit on the playing field.

Check out the Complete Offseason Conditioning Program

5 components that MUST be in your offseason conditioning program

1.) Periodization - Changing sets, reps, intensity, and exercises to maximize gains and convert strength into power as the season approaches

http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/2624/periodized-training-and-why-it-is/

2.) Core - We aren't talking about the kind of core where you lay on your back and do 300 crunches.  We are talking about generating as much power from the ground as possible... just like they'll do on the baseball field.

Check out the Complete Offseason Conditioning Program

3.) Explosive lower body movements - Again, baseball (and most sports for that matter) is all about generating as much power as possible from the ground.  Explosive lower body plyometric exercises such as box jumps, lateral bounds, lateral hurdle jumps, and depth jumps will help teach your athletes to be explosive.

4.) Variety - Many of the initial changes and improvements untrained athletes see in the weight room are simply them learning the movements.  Changing up workouts, exercises and movements over the course of a training cycle will help avoid this familiarity and will increase your results.

5.) Rotator cuff and shoulder decelerators - We use the Crossover Symmetry system to train our throwing decelerator muscles, but there are several other great products out there that can train these muscles, including using basic surgical tubing and bands (very, very inexpensive).

6.) Inseason conditioning program - Maintaining strength and explosiveness though a long grinding schedule is a must since the most important part of your season often comes up to 3 months after athletes leave the weight room.

Check out the Complete Offseason Conditioning Program