why do you get hurt every season
Serious Athletes Train In-Season
At Eastbound Strength & Performance, we see it every year: athletes work hard all summer, put on strength, speed, and size. Once the season starts, they step out of the weight room. The problem? Within weeks, that hard-earned progress starts to fade. The truth is, serious athletes train year-round, including during their competitive season. And if you want to stay healthy, perform at your best, and dominate late in the season, in-season training isn’t optional…it’s essential. Offseason training is easy when there’s no school, practice, or games filling up the calendar. In-season training is different, it takes accountability. It’s about showing up on the days you’re tired, busy, or sore, and putting in the work anyway. That kind of consistency separates good athletes from great ones. It’s not about going all-out every day, it’s about stacking small wins week after week.
Why In-Season Training Matters
If you stop training once the season begins, your body starts to lose strength and power. Research shows that athletes can lose up to 20–30% of their maximal strength in 8–10 weeks without resistance training. That drop directly impacts speed, explosiveness, and overall performance. Worse yet, strength loss increases injury risk. Fatigue breaks athletes down, and when muscles can’t do their job, joints and tendons take the load — leading to late-season injuries like ACL tears, pulled hamstrings, and shoulder problems.
By continuing to lift in-season, athletes:
Maintain their strength and speed.
Reduce injury risk.
Stay fresh and explosive late into playoffs.
Even the Best Train During the Season
At the highest levels like Division I, the NFL, the NBA athletes don’t just lift in the offseason. They lift during the season, often the day before competition. Why? Because the nervous system needs to stay sharp. Strength work keeps them primed, not run down. If the pros are training before game day, youth, high school, and college athletes should too.
We train athletes using the Westside Barbell Conjugate Method, tailored for in-season demands. That means:
Lower volume, smart intensity. Heavy lifts to maintain strength, but fewer sets and reps to avoid fatigue.
Speed and explosive work. Dynamic effort training keeps bar speed and nervous system sharp.
Accessory work. Target weak points, mobility, and recovery so athletes stay healthy.
A typical in-season week for our athletes may include three days:
Max Effort Lower (light volume) – Maintain absolute strength.
Dynamic Effort Upper – Bar speed, force production.
Restoration/GPP Work – Conditioning, mobility, weak-point training.
This structure allows athletes to practice, compete, and recover, while still progressing physically. Great athletes don’t stop training once the season begins. They stay accountable, they stay dedicated, and they train smart, so their performance doesn’t dip when it matters most. If you want to dominate at the end of your season, stay healthy, and separate yourself from the competition, the weight room has to stay part of your routine. At Eastbound, we don’t just prepare you for the season. We prepare you to thrive in it.
