Fitness Training Plans for Sports

Sports fitness training plans point the way to how athletes and teams will achieve peak performance. Well beyond fitness only, strategically-designed, sport-specific training programs build upon sound principles and coaching wisdom to develop athletes both mentally and physically.

There are 6 main steps for designing the plan that brings the dreams of championship performances into reality.

1. Set clear goals. Break long-term goals (e.g., annual goals) into short-term goals (e.g., every 6 weeks). Write them in terms of outcomes that you will be able to accomplish.

2. Assess where you are. Before you can set a path toward your goals, you need to test where you are. For sports, you also have to consider what skills and fitness demands of your specific sport. (See The Specificity Principle) Your own personal fitness and skill-related test results on items related to your sport tell you where you are. Then you can revise your goals, if necessary, and set up your realistic plan for achieving them.

3. Design your training plan. Your training plan is designed to build fitness and skills that will best transfer to the physical and mental demands your own sport performance. Start with the date of your most important competitions when you should peak, and work your way back. Organize a long-term plan that includes training phases (e.g., conditioning, intensive work, in-season), and get specific with the types of training activities you'll perform in each phase. See The Variation Principle

4. Start training. This is where you carry out the first phase of your plan. Perform all your well-coordinated training activities on a daily and weekly basis.

5. Evaluate your progress. After your first phase of training, check where you are on your fitness and skill tests. These are mile markers of your progress.

6. Revise your plan. Based on your test results after the first phase, make informed decisions about how you will revise your fitness training plan to keep you on track toward your goals. From here, go back to Step 4 and include those revisions.

More comprehensive, effective total training programs yield better results. While this is the organization of the overall planning and evaluation process, there's lots more to developing and carrying out your program. If you'd like assistance building your training plan, feel free to contact us with questions or for a free consultation.

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