How long before a season should I start training?
Eight to twelve weeks before round one is the usual window, and twelve is better than eight if you have it. That is long enough for two or three four-week training blocks, which is what it takes to build an aerobic base and a strength base and then sharpen both.
Starting later is not wasted — it just changes what is realistic. Four weeks out, the job is to arrive able to complete a match, not to arrive in the best shape of your life.
Why
The length matters less than the order. A pre-season built backwards — sprint work and heavy lifting in week one, base work never — produces an athlete who peaks in January and breaks down in April.
Volume before intensity. The early weeks build the capacity that lets the later weeks be hard. Reversing that is the single most common pre-season mistake.
Leave room to taper. The last week before competition should take load off, not add it. Training hard up to the day before round one guarantees you start the season tired.
Because Train Smart knows your sport's Australian season, the phase changes on its own: AFL pre-season runs November to February, so the program is already building volume in November whether or not you were thinking about it.
Related
Should I lift weights during the season?
Yes — strength trained over a pre-season fades within weeks without it. The change in-season is volume, not wh…
OpenWhat should I do in the off-season?
Rest properly, then rebuild the general strength and the niggles the season did not let you fix. It is the onl…
OpenPre-season training: what to do, in what order
OpenYour first season, week by week
OpenA program that already answers this for you
Train Smart builds your week around your sport, your season and the days you actually train — with the weight to put on the bar on every set, and the reason each movement is there.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.