In-season strength training for power athletes

Incorporating the 4 main phases (hypertrophy, strength, power, and peaking) of periodization during the in-season may result in regaining losses in muscle mass and increase strength and power as the season continues. Trappe et al. (7) reported that it required less time to maintain an achieved strength level than it took to initially achieve it (7). In consideration of this, overall volume may be reduced by maintaining volume for core exercises and reducing, or eliminating, the volume for assist exercises. Primary reasons overall volume is decreased is because available training time is greatly reduced, as well as the physical stress of practices and games. Microcycles for core exercises may progress from high volume/low intensity to low volume/very high intensity. This is in contrast to a program that utilizes low-volume/high-intensity exercise throughout the in-season.