Once the season starts, many athletes go from training in the weight room to doing almost nothing except practices and games. The reason is understandable. Parents and coaches do not want the athlete sore, tired or flat on game day.

The mistake is assuming the only two choices are a hard off-season lifting program or no strength training at all.

In-season strength training should change. The volume usually comes down. Exercise selection may change. Timing becomes more important. But keeping some form of strength work in the week can help an athlete maintain qualities that practices and games do not always preserve on their own.

The goal changes once the season begins

During the off-season, we have more freedom to build. We can increase training volume, develop new movements and push strength more aggressively because the athlete is not also dealing with several practices and competitions every week.

During the season, the job often becomes maintenance with small opportunities for progress.

That means the question changes from “How much can we add?” to “What is the smallest useful dose that keeps this athlete strong and prepared?”

A systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance-training frequency in trained populations found no clear advantage for higher versus lower training frequencies when strength-training volume was accounted for. The authors specifically discussed the practical value of distributing smaller doses of strength work around congested competition schedules.

That is a useful coaching principle for youth sports. We can adjust the dose instead of abandoning the stimulus.

One or two sessions can be enough to maintain the habit and stimulus

An in-season week might include one or two strength sessions depending on age, sport, playing time and the game schedule. The sessions do not need to be long.

A typical session may emphasize:

• A few high-quality strength exercises
• Lower set counts than the off-season
• Explosive movements performed while the athlete is fresh
• Single-leg strength and trunk control
• Exercises that address individual needs or previous injury history

The point is not to create soreness. We are trying to expose the athlete to enough resistance that strength does not become something we only rebuild every off-season.

This also means the same athlete may need different training from one week to the next. A soccer player who played nearly every minute in two games may need a smaller lower-body dose than a teammate who played ten minutes. A baseball player may need the weight room organized around pitching volume. A young athlete in the middle of a growth spurt may need more attention to coordination and recovery.

Strength training should fit around competition

Timing matters.

Hard, unfamiliar or high-volume training can produce soreness and temporary performance reductions. That does not make strength training bad for athletes. It means the coach should understand where to place the work.

Early in the week may be a good place for the more demanding session when the athlete has several days before competition. Closer to game day, the session may be shorter with less volume and more emphasis on quality movement.

The calendar should drive the plan.

This is also why copying an off-season workout from the internet and performing it on Thursday before a Saturday tournament is not a great strategy. The exercise may be perfectly good. The dose and timing may be completely wrong.

Young athletes still benefit from strength training

The larger youth-training literature is clear that properly designed resistance training can improve strength and physical performance in young athletes. A systematic review and meta-analysis by Lesinski and colleagues found meaningful improvements in strength and jumping, along with smaller improvements in sprint, agility and sport-specific performance.

The question in-season is not whether strength is useful. It is how we preserve and develop it without interfering with the sport.

That requires communication. Coaches should know the athlete's practice schedule, game schedule, position, current soreness and any previous injuries. Parents should tell the strength coach when tournament schedules change or when the athlete suddenly has extra practices.

Training should be responsive without becoming random.

More fatigue is not the goal

One of the easiest mistakes in youth performance training is using exhaustion as proof that the session worked.

An athlete can leave sweating, sore and tired without getting meaningfully faster or stronger. During the season, unnecessary fatigue is especially expensive because the athlete has to practice and compete again soon.

Good in-season training often looks less dramatic. A handful of quality sets. Plenty of rest between speed efforts. Exercises the athlete knows how to perform. Enough load to provide a strength stimulus without turning Friday into a recovery day from Wednesday's workout.

At BFP, our youth sessions are built around the athlete rather than a one-size-fits-all circuit. The Tuesday and Thursday 6:15 PM sessions give athletes another option during the school year, but the goal is not to force every athlete into both sessions every week. We look at the sport schedule and determine what makes sense.

An athlete who is already busy does not need more chaos. They need the right amount of training at the right time.

Keep the foundation while the sport is demanding it

The competitive season is when athletes use their strength, speed and power the most. It does not make much sense to completely stop training those qualities for months at a time if they can be maintained with a manageable dose.

Train less than the off-season when necessary. Adjust the exercises. Move the harder work away from important games. Reduce volume during tournament weeks.

But do not assume that “in season” has to mean “no strength training.”

The best in-season plan is usually the one that helps the athlete keep the physical foundation they built without stealing from the performance they are trying to deliver on game day.

Works Cited

• Cuthbert, Matthew, et al. “Effects of Variations in Resistance Training Frequency on Strength Development in Well-Trained Populations and Implications for In-Season Athlete Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 9, 2021, pp. 1967–1982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01460-7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33886099/.
• Lesinski, Melanie, Olaf Prieske, and Urs Granacher. “Effects and Dose-Response Relationships of Resistance Training on Physical Performance in Youth Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 50, no. 13, 2016, pp. 781–795. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095497. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26851290/.
• McMaster, Daniel T., et al. “The Development, Retention and Decay Rates of Strength and Power in Elite Rugby Union, Rugby League and American Football: A Systematic Review.” Sports Medicine, vol. 43, 2013, pp. 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0031-3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23529287/.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should a youth athlete strength train during the season?

For many youth athletes, one or two well-planned strength sessions per week can help maintain important physical qualities during the season. The exact amount should depend on game frequency, practice load, training age, recovery, and the athlete's current needs.

Should athletes lift weights the day before a game?

Heavy or unfamiliar training that creates a lot of soreness is usually a poor choice immediately before competition. Some athletes can handle a short, low-volume session the day before a game, but the content should be selected carefully and should not create unnecessary fatigue.

Will in-season strength training make a young athlete too sore to play?

It should not when the program is managed well. Excessive volume, new exercises, or poorly timed hard sessions can create soreness, which is why in-season training should use a smaller and more precise dose than many off-season programs.

Should youth athletes stop lifting when their sport season starts?

Not automatically. The season usually changes the goal from building as much as possible to maintaining strength, addressing individual needs, and supporting performance. Removing strength training completely may allow qualities developed in the off-season to decline.

Does BFP offer in-season strength training for youth athletes in Hampstead?

Yes. Breakaway Fitness & Performance offers coached youth training, including Tuesday and Thursday 6:15 PM sessions. Training can be adjusted around practices, games, soreness, and the athlete's experience level.