The Truth About Lifting In-Season

Happy Monday Footyfam!

Another great week is upon us and we’re stoked to share this moment with you.

Some big news:

Our Youtube is back on track and we’ll be uploading once a week.

Let’s get into it—lots to cover today!

Footytutor Upload of the Week

Harry Kane sets Bundesliga Record

We were all curious to see how Kane’s departure from England was going to go.

But he’s proved himself without a doubt.

It’s only taken him 22 games to score 25 goals in the Bundesliga this season.

That’s three games quicker than Haaland was able to.

Brighton knows how to recruit, and Chelsea knows how to poach

The youth in Brighton are having a pretty stunning year so far.

They’ve had 12 goals scored by teenagers so far this season, coming only second to West Brom in 2012.

That’s definitely nothing to sneeze at and is a sign of a promising future.

We’re not the only ones to realize this—Chelsea did too.

They’ve made an offer to Brighton’s head of recruitment this past week.

That might not sound too interesting…

However, just a little more than a year ago, they stole Brighton’s last head of recruitment.

Who knows if even that will be enough for Chealsea.

The Truth About Lifting In-Season

To go along with our newsletter from a couple weeks ago (The Speed Blueprint), we thought we would answer another commonly asked question.

That question:

Should I be lifting in season?

The common assumption is, no, you shouldn’t be lifting in season.

You want to save your energy for games, and you definitely don’t want to be sore.

Well…

True.

But also incorrect.

As a footballer, you need to be lifting during your season.

And before you say anything, if you think someone like Ronaldo or Adama Traoré isn’t hitting workouts in-season,

Try again.

For athletes, these sessions require a different approach.

You’re not going to the gym with the mentality of a bodybuilder.

Or to hit a new one rep max.

Instead, it’s more about maintaining the strength that you have so your body can keep up with the demands of a long season.

You’ve already built up strength during the off-season.

It would be a shame to start over weaker than you left off.

Not to mention the increased risk of injury that comes with losing that strength.

Maintaining strength is one of the most important steps to staying healthy and being consistent throughout a season.

How to lift in-season

How many workouts a week?

Ideally, you should be hitting 1-2 gym sessions per week.

This obviously depends on a couple of things (when your games are, your life schedule, etc.).

It takes about 48–72 hours for muscles to fully recover from high-intensity work, so working on legs the day before a game isn’t the best idea.

Even if you have two games during a week, there’s still usually time to get some kind of lift in.

Yes, you can even go straight from a lift to training—you shouldn’t feel too heavy from it.

However, we would not recommend going from training straight to a lift because of fatigue does not combine well with the technical movements.

Sets and reps?

Like we mentioned earlier, you’re not going to the gym to put on a ton of mass or to double your bench press.

Along with this, we want to keep soreness to a minimum (no one likes to train while sore).

That’s why lifting in season demands a lower amount of volume (sets and reps).

Depending on the movement, we typically prescribe

2-3 sets

of

4-6 reps

Yes, that does mean that the working sets are going to be heavier.

But even then, soreness doesn’t accumulate the same way it would be doing 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps at lighter weight.

What exercises?

Typically, we want these sessions to be nice and efficient.

That’s why compound movements—lifts that target multiple joints and muscle groups—are frequently used.

You’re able to work multiple muscle groups at one time, and therefore, gets you out of the gym a little quicker.

Less fatigue as well.

Squats, bench presses, and rows are all examples of compound movements that should be prioritized.

Sample session

Rear-leg elevated split squat - 3x6 each leg

Dumbbell bench - 3x6

Single leg RDL - 3x6 each leg

Bent-over DB row - 3x8

DB shoulder press - 3x8

Deadbugs - 2x10 each side

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Until next time,

Footytutor