10 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ATHLETICISM FOR FIELD SPORT - 4 Strength Train on field session nights

4. Strength train on field training nights
This one has small physiological negatives (adaptations may be slightly interfered with) but not enough to ignore the Psycho-Social benefits, as in - more nights off.
As well as that you are assured of all players at least doing some strength training and at a base level that will keep players on the field, the 1st priority for any preparation.

If at all logistically possible do your in-season strength training before and after field sessions. With many clubs having those facilities for me this is a no brainer. Having an extra night or two free for a social life and to recover will automatically make the modern sports player fitter and fresher as so many are simply over burdened by nightly commitments and lose interest or burn out far quicker.
It would also be unwise to ignore the impact this can have on personal relationships. Spending time with loved ones or at home with family will balance life, keep players interested for longer and relieve some of the stresses that come with modern commitment to sport.

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There is an expectancy in modern sport to look after yourself pretty much all the time. Gym work is definitely part of this. While big heavy strength sessions are not always what is needed, some training of strength is. While i promote a broader general athleticism development approach to stand alone gym sessions, when we add strength work to training sessions we automatically give ourselves more recovery time and thus freshness and a higher state of athleticism. 

The system also feeds into the commonly used High-Low training model. Train hard and high on one day, train low the next. Low can be not at all or can be some easy short recovery work, which sometimes can be as simple as a 30 minute walk. Where as if you train on the field tues-thurs and then are expected or need to do 2 gym sessions Mon-wed you get 4 potentially high days in a row. That will not promote freshness.

While preseason and offseason I would consider separation of gym and field but when you are playing games freshness underpins performance. Days off are critical.

Everyone’s schedule is different, but coaches should use their head. The culture in each team will vary slightly. Maybe Monday evening gym sessions in the club are the norm and have created a good culture, well then don’t touch. Maybe add some pre and post strength work on thursday and have wed-fri free.

Depending on time of the year and equipment available, some strength work can take place within the sessions if necessary on the field. We deal with it further down the list, but for periods of time Med Ball work, bodyweight training and Plyometrics can virtually replace the gym anyway, or can be just before or just after.

There are many things to consider. There may be reasons where supervised group strength training on individual days is a better idea. Maybe with young or inexperienced groups the overall benefit may be to segregate it for blocks at a time. But really we are thinking about pretty well trained individuals and particularly when the games start. Freshness underpins everything.

I generally have players in “Strength Groups”. That will be based on assessments and a general feel for them over time and what their needs really are. Typically the groups would be titled something like

• “Aerobic Group” - where aerobic development and work capacity is primary target
• “Movement Group” - usually tends to be younger players where stability, mobility and getting better at fundamental movements is priority
• “Strength Group” - usually are on top of the top  2 groupings above and just need to get stronger and more powerful

And there can be other groups along those lines sometimes. Basically each group will have a program or a circuit and they will work through that either 1) all before hand, 2) before and after training in a split or 3) all afterwards

My ideal scenario is 10 mins before, 10-15 mins after

Here are some examples of what has worked for me in the past;

Before & After Gym Sample Gaelic Football Session
Gym
5 Mins: Personal Movement Exercises - Mobility/stability or identified neuromuscular primer exercises. This is individualized
5 Mins: Special Speed Exercises - Particular exercises related to the muscles in particular involved in acceleration and/or max velocity sprinting (*Note - we will have a series on these special speed exercises coming soon***)
Pitch
5-10 Mins: Movement Game - Olympic Handball/Bib Tag, Aussie Rules Possession or similar
3 Mins: Sprint Mechanics - A+B Skips or similar (depends on level)
6 Mins: 30M Linear Sprints x3 w/90 secs rest - easy technical work for active rest
6 Mins: Plyo Circuit - Lower Leg Conditioning Circuit
20 Mins: Full Game
15 Mins: Competitive Skills Flow 3 blocks w/3 groups rotating through 5 mins each - 3 skills (example: 2v1 competitive kicking, tackling & shooting) emphasized come from feedback on game - what to work on presently!! There is a specific large conditioning element to this
10-15 Mins: Conditioned Game based on tactical philosophy of team, possibly also based on feedback of recent game or sessions full game
Gym
10-15 Mins: Prescribed Strength Circuit - Usually 3-4 compound exercises in the players normal 75-85% range

Time 1 Hr 30-40 mins - Longer than normally needed for 60 minute sports like Gaelic Football (Rugby and soccer may adjust as necessary) but the reward is a day off the following day, or very light <30 Min session/45 minute walk

Sample Gym Before only Soccer Session
Gym
5 Mins: Personal Movement Exercises - Mobility/stability or identified neuromuscular primer exercises. This is individualized
5 Mins: 1 Lower/1 Upper Body Contrast Circuit (alternate exercises through a 2-3 day cycle)
5 Mins: Special Speed Exercises
Pitch
5-10 Mins: Movement Game - Olympic Handball/Bib Tag, Aussie Rules Possession or similar
3 Mins: Sprint Mechanics - A+B Skips or similar (depends on level)
6 Mins: 30M Linear Sprints x3 w/90 secs rest - easy technical work for active rest
6 Mins: Plyo Circuit - Lower Leg Conditioning Circuit
30 Mins: Full Game
8 Mins: Intensive Tempos Block
8 Mins: Set Plays work
8 Mins: Intensive Tempos Block
8 Mins: Set Plays work
10 Mins: Conditioned Games - emphasizing identified issues arising from session or recent game
Optional (player driven): 100M Tempos

Time : 1Hr40 - 2 Hr

Sample after training Gym Camogie Session

Pitch
5 Mins: Strength-Stability Bodyweight Circuit - The bridge between the real modern sedentary world and training
3 Mins: Sprint Mechanics - A+B Skips or similar (depends on level)
6 Mins: 30M Linear Sprints x3 w/90 secs rest - easy technical work for active rest
6 Mins: Movement Game - Olympic Handball/Bib Tag, Aussie Rules Possession or similar
20 Mins: Competitive Skills Flow 3 blocks w/3 groups rotating through 5 mins each - 3 skills (example: 2v1 competitive ruck ball , tackling & shooting) emphasized come from feedback on game - what to work on presently!! There is a specific large conditioning element to this
20 Mins: 3 Block circuit of conditioned game, Agility running & Repeated runs all w/aerobic conditioning element. 3 groups cycle through 6 minutes each w/2 minute breaks
15 Mins: Full Game

Gym
10-15 mins: Prescribed 3-6 exercise circuit just done within allotted time

These are just samples of what we have used in recent past, every Coach has to cut his or her cloth based on teams ability and facilities available. There are times even when facilities are available and stand alone gym sessions are a better options. Sometimes we do have to go all in and leave other parts of our lives behind a little. But only for short blocks i would suggest.