Basketball season has just ended and a new football season is starting up. I thought it would be appropriate to talk about 4 ways to maintain bodyweight and strength throughout the season. Especially, since I’ve recently gotten a lot of questions about this topic. Athletic seasons involve a lot more practice, running, and playing than the offseason. That makes it difficult to keep up your bodyweight and strength.
Usually the offseason is the time to get your body in the best shape possible. When your body is at its peak condition, it’s important to do everything possible to keep it that way. Over the last 5 years I was blessed with the opportunity to play college basketball, so I’m more than familiar with this struggle. By doing these 4 things I was able to keep myself within 5 pounds of my ideal bodyweight (260 lbs) for the entire season:
1 – Resistance Training
Normally when an athletic season starts, the number of days that you do weight training drops off to only about half as much. Most athletes train 4 or 5 days a week in the offseason, and then between 1 and 3 times per week during the season.
To maintain bodyweight, its absolutely crucial that you weight train as much as possible during your active season. The goal of these training sessions should not necessarily be to gain strength. You’re really just trying to maintain what you already have.
2 – ZZZZZZzzzzzzz
Getting adequate sleep is one of the simplest things that you can do to keep your body fresh and recovered. To keep up an intense weight training regiment during a busy athletic season you have to get enough sleep to allow your muscles to recover. If you want to maintain bodyweight and strength you have to take good care of your lean muscle tissue.
3 – Eat High Calorie Foods
To compensate for all that running, competition, and practice, you need calories to keep the weight on. That doesn’t include a dozen warm donuts from Krispy Kreme, or a Big Mac meal from Ronald Mcdonald’s house.
The best foods to eat during a season are the high calorie foods that are filled with protein, good fats, and vitamins. Some good choices are:
- eggs
- peanut butter
- avocados
- olive oil
- steak
- fish
- potatoes
- oatmeal
- greek yogurt
- whole wheat pasta
- fruit
- whole milk, etc.
4 – Take Advantage Of Rest Days
When the season comes around, days off from practice, games, or lifting can be few and far between. Use those days to do as little as possible.
This is one of the few times that I’ll recommend anyone to be a lazy couch potato. In this case, doing nothing will allow you to hold on to as many calories as possible. It also gives your muscles the opportunity to recover and rebuild themselves.
Doing these 4 things will give you the best chance to maintain bodyweight and strength throughout your season. Hard work in the offseason pays off, as long as you maintain it in the long run. I hope you enjoyed this article and it helps your performance. You can use these tips for literally any sport at any level. Please, take a few seconds to share this on your facebook. You might also be interested in Finding The Perfect Personal Trainer. If you have any questions don’t be afraid to contact me. I’ll get back to you personally.
About Adam Pegg
