Strength training has been in use for many years in order to positively improve speed, strength, muscle mass, agility, etcetera.1 With moving through a wide range of motion, especially with moving under a superimposed load, one can improve their overall strength and joint stability for improved performance. Therefore, all athletes looking to improve to their sport performance, a strength training regimen should be in place for both the in-season and off-season play.3

During the sport season, the in-seasoning conditioning program should be utilized more for sport specific drills as well as maintaining the strength gains of the off season program. Whereas, the off season strength based program is important to normalize any imbalances as well as improve strength as a whole in preparation for the upcoming season.

Muscle imbalances are typically witnessed with athletes in which demonstrate a certain hand or leg dominance with whatever their sport entails. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have a much more developed upper body on the side that is the dominant throwing arm. Muscle imbalances are one of the most common causes of injury.1 By normalizing the imbalances as much as possible as well as increasing the strength of the muscles, especially those that are found to be weak, aids in preventing a breakdown of the tissues put under constant or repeated stress during the sports season. In fact, it has been found that children can improve strength by 30% to 50% after just 8 to 12 weeks of a well-designed strength training program.2

Furthermore, if an athlete is not maintaining at least some baseline conditioning prior to the next season, then they are susceptible to injury risk as the tissues have not been stressed in a sport specific way for some time and then quickly stressed repeatedly during play. Training with a balanced program will aid in determining where the weaknesses and imbalances are and normalizing them appropriately. The program will also assist in maintaining at least a minimum amount of strength as it works to improve overall strength for the next season for improved performance.

References:

  1. Walker B. Stretch Coach. Accessed: 11/27/2016. http://stretchcoach.com/articles/strength-training/
  2. Dahab KS, Metcalf T. Strength Training in Children and Adolescents Raising the Bar for Young Athletes? Sports Health. 2009;1(3):223-226.
  3. Meisenheimer K. Sports Scientists say weight lifting is key in preventing severe injuries. Science Daily. 1997.