AUTUMN. If you don’t have a training partner or personal trainer, get one for the autumn and help each other to develop perfect technique in a wide variety of gym exercises. Keep the reps low, e.g. 3 sets of 4-6 reps with 60-90 second rest periods, so that you are forced to be very aware of what muscles are creating the movements. Your core should be strong enough to withstand that level of loading after the balance training you put it through in the late summer. Also, at the end of the workout, make sure you work on some static gym ball and core exercises to condition postural muscles for joint stability.
WINTER. Now you want to make sure you can maintain the technique you developed in autumn under harder conditions, as technique tends to be the first thing to slip as the body and nervous system start to fatigue, and this is what allows injuries to creep in. Lower the loads for each exercise and perform 2-3 sets of 20+ repetitions, resting only 10-20 seconds between sets. Keep an eye on your form throughout. At the first sign of a loss of form you have to make an extra effort to regain optimal form, or stop the set. You can include more dynamic core exercises at the end of the workout now, like gym ball jack knifes and hip extension bridges.
SPRING. Coming out of winter, stretching should be short and dynamic before exercise. Hold a stretch for 2 breaths, then gently tighten the stretched muscle for 2 breaths, and relax and stretch it again. Repeat this ‘contract/relax’ method until you feel each cycle is not producing any further length in the muscle. Take the dynamic stability you developed on the ball in the winter and apply it to a selection of free-standing exercises, performing 8-12 slow reps of each with 30-60 second rests between sets. This season is about developing a foundation, making sure that your posture and movement are strong and stable in all directions. Step ups concentrating on one leg at a time are fantastic for focussing your attention on stabilising that leg, and how to stabilise the spine with one leg unsupported.
SUMMER. As you transition from spring to summer, work on speeding up the movements in the gym, accelerating the weight at the beginning of the movement to recruit a bigger cross section of the muscles involved. This translates into ‘intra-muscular coordination’ which helps to improve power development. In the summer now, as nature’s energy is at its peak, you want to introduce power exercises, throwing medicine balls and doing jump-squats, jump-lunges and boxing drills. Stretching in preparation for these workouts should be dynamic, e.g. stepping forwards, backwards or sideways and twisting the upper body to the side, or touching the floor, to warm the body up in all directions.
LATE SUMMER. The coordination you developed at high speed in the summer will help you to lift heavy weights in the late summer. By choosing to lift 3 sets of 6-8 reps per exercise, resting around a minute between sets, you will get a response from the body that increases the production of fat-burning hormones. Your metabolic rate will increase and stay elevated all day. Select exercises that challenge your balance and core stability, such as kettlebell swings, cable exercises, any exercise standing on one leg, so that you have to work to maintain your centre of gravity.