Navigating the murky darkness that is conditioning programming can be scary...
And I think this is why conditioning is broadly overlooked or at the very least poorly applied in the physical preparation space.
However, I also think more coaches than not are actively looking for solutions to make conditioning better, more engaging, and more efficient for their athletes.
I know this because of the really thoughtful questions I get asked via DM, email, and at clinics.
One of the most common questions I get is: How do you program conditioning for in-season vs off-season for (X) sport?
I wanted to take this newsletter to provide a deeper dive on this topic to hopefully provide some actionable insights you can apply after trick-or-treating.
The in-season / off-season question was posed specifically about conditioning for American football, a sport I have a long history with. Football is polarizing in many ways: culturally, tactically, the ways in which coaches prepare for the sport... And this is actually how I would approach conditioning for football.
American football is categorized as an "alactic-aerobic" sport meaning that the outputs (or each play) are theoretically maximal intensity but only last 4-6 seconds. Play is reset every 20-30 seconds and this cycle repeats itself for 120+ plays in an average game.
As with any maximal effort in sport, speed, power and strength are at a premium in football as these qualities are all primarily "alactic" in nature, meaning they don't produce lactate as a "waste product."
However, what often gets overlooked in football is the 20-30 seconds BETWEEN plays... and this is where the most opportunity for performance gains lives.
Why? Because the aerobic pathway supports ATP production after high intensity and / or maximal outputs, a concept we call "repeat sprint ability."
Think of it like this: imagine that every time you pushed the gas pedal in your car, you accelerated forward really quickly before getting to the next red light 1/4 mile down the street.
Stay with me...now imagine your gas tank almost empties completely but has the ability to pretty much refill itself during the :30 you spend at the stop light. This is essentially what happens to ATP in our muscle cells.
And our aerobic system is what refills the tank and thus deserves way more attention than it's been traditionally been given...because ultimately the lack of aerobic development will catch up to you!
Some of you are going to read this and say "I can't believe he's telling us not to train speed or power!"
But I literally didn't say anything of the sort.
All I said was, "hey, maybe let's consider aerobic system development in preparation for a sport where it's active for more than 80% of the game..."
If that's not polarizing enough...the idea I have for distributing training volume will be. No, really!
I think 70% of conditioning volume for football should be lower intensity (cardiac output circuits, extensive tempo running, low risk technical drills) in HIGH VOLUMES.
The other 30% of conditioning volume should be higher intensity and focused on the anaerobic contributions to energy production (intensive tempo running, 130% maximal aerobic speed, repeat sprint protocols) in LOW VOLUMES.
The overarching principle at work here is polarization: or distributing a large volume of training well below game intensity and a small volume of training at or above game intensity.
The primary volume variable will be distance and the secondary volume variable will be time and the interplay between the two, or the DENSITY, is where the most performance potential lives.
What about prescriptions?
Glad you asked! Because on December 1, 2024, I will be launching my all new COACHES' CONDITIONING COURSE - LEVEL 1!
In this course, you'll learn everything you'll ever need to know to design high level conditioning programs to maximize the speed, power, and strength gains your athletes already get because they have YOU as a coach.
Principles, methods, prescriptions, protocols, adaptive strategies.
Keep an eye on your inbox for a special offer...
In the meantime...
If you want to get involved in my community, you can join here free for 7 days!
There are still spots available for the first-of-its-kind Team Sport Conditioning Summit on Saturday, January 11, 2025 in New Orleans, LA as soon as the NSCA Coaches Conference ends.
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Catch you guys in 2 weeks...
Tim
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