In Season Lifting

[B_Stax]

Since I'm still relatively new to this I need info from the vets... What do you guys find works best as far as in season weight training? Last year I was so much weaker at the end of the season than I was at the start and I'm thinking this is a big reason a lot of my PR's have come in the first few games of the year. I want to keep lifting during the season enough to at least maintain strength but I don't want to burn myself out so I'm weak for comps...

Basically what I'm asking is best lifts to stay strong without negatively affecting performance, and how long do you normally lay off lifting before competitions to be fresh and rested?

[bhuntley]

Interesting question.. this will be my first season competing after hitting it hard in the off season. Rich McClain and I discussed the same thing briefly and the advice he gave was 50 - 60% of your max on lifts 4-6 reps mostly concentrating on explosive power and speed. I have started doing this myself, but I am interested in what everyone else is doing as well. I plan on going heavy if I have quite a bit of time between games. I don't want to lose strength during the year either.

there my .02

[bjketchem]

I think the thing to really look at when considering training, you have to find what works best for you.

Some guys lift maximal, some sub-maximal, some higher reps, some lower reps, you get my point.

...The thing I would consider is assess at what you did the year before, which you did, and if you're satisfied with you progress, fine tune it and give it a go again. If you werent satisfied, you may have already answered your question (because you have assessed last season)...lift more in season than you did the year before, because you felt weaker as the season went on. As athletes, I think sometimes we make things to difficult by overthinking(I am a master at that, but not as bad as Dickens ).

The only way to find what best for you is to look at what you did in the past, assess it and apply what you think is best for improvements.

[TheHammer]

Not that I'm a throwing vet, but i am a competing vet and generally what i have found is this:
During season throttle the volume down but not the intensity.
Stick with lifts that provide strength specific to your sport.
I only really need a few days of complete rest before a comp.

Specifically for throwing :
Weeks i have comps i usually hit the Gym Monday and Wednesday, Throwing on tuesday, Rest on thursday and friday .
On a week i'm not competing i will hit the Gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and throw on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Also on the non-comp weeks i will tend to go a little harder at everything (100 percent effort at everything), while on comp weeks i tend to take it a little easier everywhere (maybe 75 to 80 percent effort.

In addition i am very careful to listen to my body, if something is hurting i give it a rest, If i'm tired (like after 3 comps in a row) i might take a day or two off from the gym.

Hope this helps.

[FrankH]

I have noticed that I tend to get weaker as the season goes on too. I think the problem is simple-- I start substituting practice days for lifting days, and I'm just lifting less. If you go, for example, from lifting 3 times a week to practicing 3 times and lifting once, it makes a difference-- especially in us older guys. So this year, I'm dropping a practice day and adding a lifting day to see if that helps.

[FrankH]

One more thing. I generally rest after Wednesday before a Saturday comp, so back-to-back comps hurt me since I lose a lot of practice and lifting days. Once I did comps on 5 consecutive weekends and just got weaker and weaker. Not recommended. The pros do it, but they're a whole lot younger and stronger. Must be nice to still have testosterone. I miss mine...

[bhuntley]

I agree with Frank and Dave... on weeks with comps on Saturday I don't workout past wed either.. And the workouts that I do that week I try to do lower body at the beginning of the week so you have all week to let the lower body recoup..

[TheHammer]

yeah i would say that my third comp in a row was the weakest i have been... and my lack of pr's is proof of that.

[bhuntley]

Dave don't be too hard on yourself... you can't PR EVERTIME you compete... I have done it on a few events this year... but trust me I am not going to get used to it

[TheHammer]

I did last year lol, I know, but some of my throws were no where near where they should have been, and i knew it was from being worn out.

[TheHammer]

lol just realized i did get a pr in kentucky by 6.5 inches in open stone.

[bhuntley]

Well there you go!!

[TheHammer]

my record remains intact! lol

[Rich McClain]

As BJ said, you do kind of have to figure things out for yourself. You can also factor into the mix the type of thrower you are. If you are a technical thrower, you will get better by throwing more. A strength thrower will require more lifting. I am more a technical thrower yet I train and lift moderately during the season. My marks prove it.

I do focus more on rear chain lifts during the season including: squats, snatch, snatch hi-pulls, jump shrugs, upright rows, deadlift lockouts (oly bar knees to thighs shooting the hips up and forward), good mornings and various core stuff.

[chirolifter]

Great thread... Im not technically proficient enough to NOT lift...
Currently I lift once week heavy, snatch, pulls, rear squats, press.
throw 2x per week with a lift (light) after one of the throws session- pulls, bh jerks.

Thats it.. Days vary with how I feel. Could be one off one on or one on two off...
Before game
I do my last heavy squat day on a (2)tues. out which gives me 10 good days to get them fresh... fri throw, sun. throw/lift, tues throw... DONE..
It worked well for this past game- Rocky mount. Felt really springy and strong...
And of course this is coming from a 47 yr old.....

Remember throwing is lifting....

You have to find what works... Keep a journal and write everything in it...
Good Luck
Gene