IN-SEASON TRAINING DO'S #5 - THE HIGH-LOW SYSTEM

The high-low system is something that ha been around for years but is used most in athletics circles, and was popularised by Ben Johnson sprint coach, Charlie Francis.

Now besides Ben being stripped of Gold in 1988 for steroid use and Charlie's terrible fashion sense, the high-low system stands as my go-to programming type personally.

The high-low system refers to training days consisting of high nervous system activity and training days of low central nervous system activity, of which you would alternate throughout the week.

By placing all your high nervous system activity on the same day/s, you can achieve the following:

- Greater Overall Training Volume of High and Low Activity

- A Consolidation of Stressors (future post alert #3) which matches up perfectly with the competing demands principle of in-season training

- More Recovery and Regeneration Days Per Week

As mentioned above high days include exercises that require a high neural output such as:

- Maximal Sprints

- Max Effort Gym Work @ 85+%

- Dynamic Effort Gym Work

- Jumps

- Throws

Even though the intensity might be low with various jumps and throws, they still require great power in the output side of things and thus belong on high days.

Low days include exercises that require low neural output such as:

- Aerobic Capacity Work

- Sub Maximal Gym Work @ 80% or less

- Hypertrophy Gym Work

- Stretching/Mobility/Flexibility Activity

Simply alternate these days throughout the week or whatever but do not do 2 high days...EVER.

This system works perfectly during the off-season but for the in-season I'd class your footy game and training days as your high days simply because of the use of your legs.

Iv you're gonna train legs in the gym then do so on a Tuesday or a Thursday and keep it low volume and high intensity for the most part.

Max Effort on a Tuesday and Dynamic Effort on a Thursday is what you're looking at.

So your week might look like this:

Monday - Recovery/Aerobic Circuit + Upper Body Gym

Tuesday - Leg Gym AM + Sprints/Footy Training PM

Wednesday - Off Legs Recovery/Aerobic Circuit

Thursday - Leg Gym AM + Jumps or Sprints/Footy Training PM

Friday - Upper Body Gym + Neural Charge PM

Saturday - Game

Sunday - Couch