[chief]

I'm trying to plan out a sort of progression from Off-Season to Pre-Season to In-Season strength and conditioning plan for Gaelic football.

I want to include strength training (Rippetoe's SS), SPARQ training and conditioning training.

Just wondering what people think a weekly program should look like?

I don't need to have peak conditioning fitness until mid February or March. So I was thinking of sepending from August to November just doing the Starting Strength program, then from November on add in 2-3 conditioning sessions a week and from January on add in 2-3 SPARQ sessions a week. Or should I be having conditioning and SPARQ sessions from August on?

As well as that, with those three components of training in the one week, is that placing too much demands on my body and its recovery system?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm confused about all this and really, really want to get this right and be in awesome condition for next year!

[Franz29]

In the off-season from American Football I tend to do two speed/agility sessions per week in conjunction with CrossFit and Martial arts. My main SPARQ work is on Thursday evening with the second on Sunday's (basically my normal football training times so my routine is consistent year round.

I think SPARQ and conditioning should be something I work on year round, and during the off-season is even more intense - during the season my SPARQ work is combined with sport specific work so I don't need to concentrate on it so much and it tapers down. I use the off season to cover any weak points and build conditioning - it's easier to maintain than to build it later in the year in a time crunch.

My schedule is split Morning and evening

Monday: CF WOD if there is one / Misc skill work (might work on basketball free-throw/football passes through a tyre for accuracy or work on a gymnastics progression)
Tuesday: CF WOD if there is one / Krav Maga
Wednesday:CF WOD if there is one / Kickboxing
Thursday: CF WOD if there is one / Sprint/SPARQ
Friday: CF WOD if there is one / Oly lifting
Saturday: CF WOD if there is one
Sunday: CF WOD if there is one / Sprint/SPARQ

Sometimes I may have to take a day off from the WODs to ensure I get sufficient rest with all the other work.

My SPARQ sessions are fairly short, no more than 45 minutes total and include
Acceleration Sprints: 5x20 yards 4x40 yards (with running chute)
Overspeed sprinting: 3x60 Yards 2x80 Yards (running chute for accel phase then overspeed as the chute is removed)
All over sprinting: 1 (or 2) x 100 yards with 10 yard hill run at the start.

I then move over to the agility ladders and cones and work on foot-speed and agility drills, with some plyometric and tabata work thrown in for good measure.

I find the main thing is to resist the temptation to go on too long. Many of the CrossFit WODs have a good power phase in them and really help the speed and acceleration training.

May not be perfect but it worked for me throughout my football career.

[chief]

Thanks for the response You sound like you know your stuff!

I can see what you mean about including conditioning year round, but I was thinking that because when it comes to pre-season time, i'll be working on conditioning anyway in training, that I should concentrate on building strength and muscle mass now. (I'm only 10.5 stone and would love to get up to 11.5 or 12 stone)

Do you think adding conditioning work and SPARQ in would affect my gains much on the Starting Strength program? And is it alright to have a joint session of conditioning and SPARQ, like work on fitness and them do SPARQ drills at the end? Or split it up into morning and afternoon?

Thanks for your input

[Franz29]

It might slow down your progress from SS due to fatigue and over-training (or under-resting), but monitor how you feel and don't be afraid to take some time off if you think you need it. On the positive side, if you are just starting SS at the beginner level you will see good gains from lifting and the conditioning work shouldn't have too big an effect. If you find yourself plateauing, dial back the conditioning and SPARQ to see if you start to make gains. If so, adjust the routine accordingly so you get enough rest.

I find once the muscle memory is there for your chosen sport, it's just a case of maintenance so you may be fine with just one SPARQ session per week, it depends on your goals. I have players that just train with me on Thursday and their gameplay does not seem to suffer any. Then again, I drilled them mercilessly when they were beginners to get them to a level I thought appropriate so the groundwork is there.

I don't see a problem with conditioning then SPARQ in the same session, but bear in mind if the conditioning work was particularly strenuous then your coordination may suffer so some of the form in the drills will not be as good as it could be. Try throwing them together and see how they go, then maybe try a split routine for a while to see what you prefer. Everyone is different so do what works for you while you can so you are in optimal shape by the time you go back to organised team training sessions.

Out of interest, what were you thinking of for your SPARQ work? Do you have any drills/progressions in mind already? If you are looking for drills and skills, Nike actually has a pretty good website (NIKE SPARQ training -WFS) that has some good stuff on it. It is aimed at more mainstream US sports but you should be able to tailor something relevant to you.

[chief]

Yeah, it was the Nike SPARQ website that got me interested in it. I just stumbled upon it and thought it was impressive. Did you see the "my better is better" advert? Awesome stuff.

I think I might have one conditioning session and one SPARQ session at the start and then gradually ramp it up. I don't want to introduce all three disciplines at once as feel it could be too much too soon and I've got six or seven months too get in shape so plenty of time.

On another note, I haven't thought about it this way before but do you think that maybe the SS way of training isn't for me then? Maybe I should use a more forgiving routine like an upper/lower split so my legs get more of a rest. But my plan was to do SS now to build a good base of strength before moving on to a split when the season starts and there will be more pressure on time.

[Franz29]

No, SS is a good start. It will build up the total body strength baseline you will need to do the drills correctly. Plyometrics are a very hard from of exercise, most people underestimate it and pay later. Without strong legs and (more importantly and often overlooked) a strong core, you won't get as much benefit from the SAQ work.

Definitely do SS in the off-season then maybe taper it to more sports specific/in-season conditioning work to maintain levels. I am sure you will see great results.

And talking of Nike videos, I love this one. Puts everything in perspective: - No Excuses (Video WFS)