Feb 17, 2025Strength & conditioning considerations for the multisport athlete
Designing training programs for athletes who compete in multiple sports throughout the year is a little more complicated than the individual athlete who may only play a single sport. The ability to train the multisport athlete is met with additional circumstances in which the strength coach needs to focus on reducing burnout and maximizing performance.
Playing multiple sports is better for the overall development of the athlete as each sport utilizes different movements no matter what they are. Therefore, the multisport athlete will become well-versed or have a better ability to exhibit feats of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning through examples of speed, power, strength, and muscular endurance through various movements.
Additionally, from a growth standpoint, the multisport athlete will be less likely to suffer or encounter tendonitis or overuse injuries as their bodies are more able to move freely in multiple planes of movement as they are more functionally fit.
Program Design in Strength Training the Single Versus the Multisport Athlete
When a strength and conditioning coach encounters both athletes, how do they differ? With the above example, the baseball-only athlete can be on a typical strength training program with the pre-season to include general preparatory work, in-season, and post-season or off-season. This is their program design. Each season builds upon one another and prepares linearly for the single-sport athlete to be at their best. Pre-season will be the general prep work in which the athlete can work on a cardiovascular base, improve their muscular endurance or muscularity (hypertrophy), and then gradually go into a strength and power block for the in-season. Once in season, they remain in the strength and power block in which volume is light and intensity remains moderate to high. The postseason is the time to recover physically and mentally and the actual sport should be avoided and involve themselves in a hobby or non-sport specific.
They are essentially in-season with one sport and they must focus on strength and power for their respective sports in which volume is light and intensity remains moderate to high. To prevent fatigue and overuse, the coach should avoid over-prescribing movements that mimic the sport in season. Therefore, if playing basketball, pogo hops or a lot of jumping should be avoided as those motions are repeated several times during practices and games. Furthermore, in the weight room, the athlete should avoid any type of high volume as four sets and higher per exercise. This volume will lead to physical and or mental fatigue. Sets should be no more than 1-3 and the intensities can be anywhere between 50-85% of their one repetition maximum, which roughly translates to the 3-5 repetition range, no more. The intensity here should be consistent with a powerful or fast bar speed with high velocity which mimics the athletes’ power output during game time.
How to Proceed with the Multisport Athlete and In-Season Program Design?
Once you have the multisport athlete the first thing you need to do is an assessment. With this assessment, the coach will speak with the athlete verbally to gauge their strengths and weaknesses, what works for them, what they like, and what they dislike. Resistance exercises should cover basic movements such as squatting, hinge, pushing, pulling, lunging, and rotating. You can use dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, and resistance bands to build up strength before loading an athlete with a barbell. The coach then can see how comfortable the athlete is with basic compound movements such as bench press, deadlift, and the front squat. In many instances, the front squat is a preferred movement for the athlete as the anterior chain or front of the body is loaded which is more relevant for the athlete as the majority if not all athletic movements load the front of the body through their respective athletic stance.
Also, has the athlete ever performed Olympic-style lifts such as the clean, the hang clean, power clean, and snatch to name a few? Other things to work with the athlete are speed and agility drills. Then, you can make a physical assessment and this is done through having the individual perform a series of dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches will identify any movement deficiencies through a musculoskeletal analysis and also warm up the core temperature of the body for the exercise the athlete is about to perform. Please read this previous story I wrote for Tactical Training & Conditioning for more on dynamic stretches.
Designing training programs for the multisport athlete can be achieved through the use of a strength and conditioning coach who can prescribe the appropriate workload or program design and dosing. It is this proper approach to the athlete that their performance will be improved for optimal performance through the reduction of fatigue, injuries, and burnout which will inevitably lead to their long-term health and success.
Daniel J. Borowick, MS, CSCS, and founder of DOMEX Strength & Fitness. You reach him through their website of www.Domexstrengthandfitness.com, via Instagram and Facebook @Domexstrengthandfitness, or [email protected].
