Transition to off-season training

    Earlier in the week, I talked about the effects(both positive and negative) of the post-season training, and for how long you should do it.  In reality, you should give your body 3-4 weeks of active-rest, or time for your body to recover from the rigorous season in which you have just encountered.  Now, once your joints have healed, and your body feels rested and rejuvenated, it's time to transition back into training mode to prepare for the next season...after all, September is just around the corner!
    The biggest problem that athlete's  make when they begin training again is to jump into it too fast.  Remember, it doesn't talk long for our body to lose the VO2 levels and muscle gains that we had while training and performing during the season.  During this first phase back, make sure to build up your base.  Building a base is critical, as it allows your body to make steady, safe growths as it begins to get back into shape.  My mentor, Arik Weist(who has an excellent Blog that you can read here), used to hammer home the importance of building a base with your training.  There's a reason that your training should begin so early in the year, and that's because you want to draw out the base process as long as possible.  In training, the term "slow and steady wins the race" could not be more accurate.  Start slow, especially in resistance training...lots of reps, lower weight.  Let your muscles hypertrophy(grow) at a pace that will allow you to be active, without putting yourself out of commission due in part to muscle-fiber breakdown.  Be sure to hit your entire body, making sure not to ignore a certain area.  This will cause imbalances in your body, potentially leading to injury.  Be safe, start slow, and have fun with it!