5 Ways to Make Your 2nd Half of the Season Better Than Your 1st

The Queens Birthday weekend is here signalling the half way mark of the season I suppose and backing off from last week's post "Mid Season Grading and Goal Setting".

I'm heading back to Warrnambool in a minute so this will be a quick one so here we go.

#1 - Start Heart Rate Variability Testing

I've written about this extensively in the last year or so and I couldn't think of any reason why you wouldn't be doing it but for those that aren't then follow these instructions:

- download the HRV4Training on your iPhone (it's not android as yet) where it will cost you maybe $10
- test for 60secs every morning as soon as you wake up in  fully rested state
- look at the correlations between how you actually feel and the training advice it's giving you to see how you respond to different stressors which will help you plan your week

You're only going to get more fatigued as the season goes on so this becomes very important as you want to be playing your best football in August / September.

#2 - Personal Weakness Training Block

If your team's ladder position allows then set up a training block aimed at improving a quality that you know you NEED (not want) to improve to help your team.

It may takeaway a little from your on-field performance so I'd let your coach know what you're doing beforehand in case it does. He'll be more then happy to accommodate you if you're doing outside training for the betterment of the team and if he doesn't then send him my way!

#3 - Get Stronger

As the season drags through winter and fatigue builds up then you need to continue to build resiliency throughout the body to avoid soft tissue injuries. You can't do too much about contact injuries but you should continue to lift relatively heavy throughout the entire season as it feed endurance and speed as well.

#4 - Get Faster

Speed NEEDS to be trained every 5 - 8 days. A game doesn't train maximal speed as it has been shown that you'll only reach about 90 - 95% of maximal speed during a game. To increase actual maximal speed (the holy grail of sport by the way) you need to train it specifically.

Ideally you'd do this on your own before Tuesday training after 3 days of rest from Saturday or during team training. If you can't do it pre-training or your team doesn't really train speed (good luck!) then do it Monday pm

#5 - Recover like an Elite Athlete

As mentioned above fatigue will build up as the season goes on so it becomes increasingly more important to ensure that your are partaking in some form of recovery post game, and training if need be.

Eat meat protein instead of pies and chips.

Drink protein and water instead of beer.

Cool down properly.

Introduce recovery training days above doing nothing at all.

OK I'm out but if you need more information on any of these points then hit me at the Facebook page.