Hey!
So we’re almost exactly 10days after the Britbowl Final between London Warriors and the 2025 BAFA Champion Bristol Aztecs, which means for the vast majority of the Britball community the season ended even longer ago.
Yes this email is aimed at American Football but the decision making process is the same for any sport or training regime.
You’ve rested, you’ve recovered and you’re ready to hit the gym again… But what to do now?
Plenty of people set out with good intentions but make simple mistakes in their off-season that they pay the price for the following year.
I’m going to try and keep this as simple as possible but there are so many potential influencing factors that will affect your training
First things first, you need to look at your timeline. For most Britballers (not involved in BUCS uniball) your annual timeline will look something like this
Oct - Dec | Offseason | 12 weeks |
Jan - Mar | Preseason | 12 weeks |
Apr - July | Regular Season | 16-18 weeks |
Late July - Early Sept | Playoff Football | 10 weeks |
So that gives us 12 weeks to prep for PreSeason
Your training should start by setting some baseline scores
10m sprint speed
Max Broad Jump
3RM on unilateral Leg Ext and Leg Curl
1RM Squat, Deadlift, Bench
Pull Up AMRAP
This gives you the data to be able to compare your progress and make sure you’re on the right track and you can retest every 6-8weeks to see how you’re improving.
This data will also give you the information needed to structure your programming,
Do you have a significant difference (>10%) in unilateral strength left to right?
This is a key precursor for injury, and usually the root cause is a previous in-season injury or niggle that wasn’t rehabbed properly and you continued to play on. Correcting those imbalances are important to stop the injury reoccuring again the following season.
What are your aims and goals?
Strength
Speed
Power
All of these will all inform exercise selection
Time is also a big factor - its amateur sport after all
Start earlier than you think - if you want to make a significant difference you’re going to need time for those adaptations to take place. Don’t wait until December to get in preseason shape.
Your schedule is going to be a decisive factor. If you’re struggling to get into the gym more than twice a week because of work, family commitments or both; focus on the BIG lifts - Squat, Deadlift, Bench with some variation of accessories and plyometrics where you can.
Full Body workouts will also allow you to maximise your time in the gym. If you limit yourself to body part splits or Push Pull Legs, and you miss a session you’re a week away from hitting that target group again.
Don’t let your conditioning drop off
Sprinting once every 7-10days will help you maintain your conditioning ahead of the upcoming preseason. No one wants to step back into team training knowing that your last max sprint was back in August! You’re just asking for a hamstring to pop.
Consistency is KEY!
It’s no good setting yourself a programme you’re never going to be able to complete. Set yourself up for success by looking for the least amount of work that will give you the outcomes you want and biggest bang for your buck. Small accessory exercises look good on paper but when you’re at a packed January gym after a 10hr work day those extra exercises are just junk volume.
So key take aways?
Set yourself enough time to make a significant difference before you head back for Preseason.
Maximise the time you have - BIG lifts are going to be your biggest tool
Sprint at least once a week to keep your conditioning up
Minimise any imbalances in strength between left and right limbs
Still struggling to work out the best way to set yourself up for success in 2026?
Reply back to this email and we’ll book in a call and see how we can help, or msg me directly here
Enjoy your weekend, and look out for our next email “Getting ahead of the Curve” next week
Coach Clark