AUTUMN. In early snow season, you can spend time further building on the balance aspect of the training, as the increased load from your sport will necessitate a reduction in high impact gym training. If you’re suitably prepared, you can enhance your balance training by adding external forces like medicine balls. Keep a weekly plyometric session to optimise reaction force. Keep at least a weekly yoga session to ensure optimal agility and core stability in all three planes of movement. Since you’re limited in the amount of gym training you can do, get the most out of it by doing 3 sets of 2-4 reps with long rests (~90 seconds) between sets to maximise muscular coordination and strength.
WINTER. In late January and early February go back to a circuit format of high reps and low loads, concentrating on maintaining the perfect technique you developed in autumn for a long duration. Rests need to be minimal, so that you’re building muscular endurance but keeping the overall impact low as snow season is at its peak. Optimal balance and agility remain your goal, without losing the muscles’ resistance to injury. In late February and early March you’ll need to spend time ensuring the core pelvic and spinal muscles are durable and strong enough to resist the load of late season performance. Static gym ball exercises challenging the body in all three planes of movement are essential to get you through to the end of the season and set you up for further development in the off season.
SPRING. Pick a new, multi-directional sport to play for the next three seasons so that you can maintain your movement patterns in a stimulating environment. Get a base of cardiovascular endurance with anything that raises your heart rate over a long period. Choose a selection of general exercises in a continuous circuit layout so that you develop muscular endurance in preparation for late April to May, when you will take longer rests and perform 3 sets of 8-12 slow reps per exercise. Yoga stretches will restore a balance of mobility and stability to the joints, and you’ll regain any agility lost over the season.
SUMMER. The heat of summer is the perfect time to devote more time to a regular, intense yoga practice. Not only will this engage core muscles in all patterns of movement but you’ll develop great flexibility and consequently more joint mobility and a lower potential for injury. In late June and early July, stick with 8-12 reps but increase the speed of movement (2-3 seconds per rep). In late July and early August, slow down the movement to 4-6 seconds per rep, but increase the weight and switch to 3 sets of 4-6 reps, resting 60-90 seconds between sets. This will develop strength through better neural control of the muscles rather than an increase in size. Cardio sessions should work on shortening reps and raising the intensity to be more specific to your sport.
LATE SUMMER. In late August and early September static stability needs to be developed with sustained holding of postures in yoga, and with gym ball and other balance equipment exercises to stabilise joints. Short, sharp cardio sessions will match the profile of the sport. Introduce one or two weekly plyometric sessions to establish elastic power in the muscle/tendon system. Early sessions can concentrate simply on power generation in a straight line but as the season nears, gradually add in mid-movement direction changes and a variety of floor surfaces/objects to improve reactions. In late September and early October, more dynamic gym ball exercises such as kneeling balances will prepare the nervous system for the spatial awareness challenges of the spo