Recovery, Strength, and Conditioning

For a variety of cultural and systemic reasons, athletes at all levels are encouraged to over train. It’s especially unfortunate given that the information and research needed to achieve better outcomes are readily available.

We provide training regimes based on these first principles:

• Strength and conditioning work always follows skill work, never precedes it—preceding skill work with S&C degrades skill acquisition.

• Strength work and skill work are never performed concurrently. There is no such thing as sport-specific training inside the weight room, apart from the choice of which body regions to train. Violating this sequencing causes injury and blunts absolute strength gains.

• Athletes’ training is to enhance performance, not looks, i.e. hypertrophy.

• Every action and exercise is done for a purpose with an objectively measurable, scientifically tested basis; cultural norms are not a guide.

• Recovery is an essential feature of a successful strength and conditioning regime.

While our regimes will be tailored for athletes in different sports and tweaked to address specific areas of weakness for specific athletes, the following is a generic routine to illustrate what your athlete might expect to perform during and after pubescence, per Al Coleman of AUTOMATED MUSCLE:

Full Body Repeating Routine

Machine-stable variation • Double progression on strength work

Weekly Training Framework

• Frequency: 2x/week in-season, 3x/week off-season. Sessions fall on non-consecutive days in both phases.
• Reps in Reserve: 2-3 RIR in-season, 1-2 RIR off-season on all strength exercises.
• Aerobic base training: Performed on off days or immediately following the main strength session. One aerobic session per week is HIIT, targeted at VO2 max.
• Stretching: Static stretching for range-of-motion improvement goes at the end of the strength session. Maintenance stretching and general mobility work goes on off days.
• Sequencing: Strength and conditioning work always follows skill work, never precedes it. There is no such thing as sport-specific training inside the weight room. Violating this sequencing causes injury and blunts absolute strength gains.

Warm-Up

Exercise	Sets x Reps	Rest
Elliptical Machine	1 x 15:00	—

Jump / Reactive Block

Exercise	Sets x Reps	Rest
Band Assisted Vertical Jump (Overhead band anchor, or Vertimax if available)	3-5 x 1	1:00
Max Effort Vertical Jump (Bodyweight countermovement jump)	3-5 x 1	1:00
Med Ball Chest Pass Into Wall (Concentric-only, seated or standing)	3-5 x 1	1:00

Note: The Vertical Jump and Chest Pass are reactive/elastic by design — instability is the training stimulus, not a stability fault to remove. Land on turf or mats where available.

Strength Block — Double Progression

Exercise	Sets x Reps	RIR (In / Off)	Rest
Single Leg Knee Extension Isometric (Leg extension machine, single leg, held)	3 x 1 @ 3	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Hip Thrust Machine (Alt: barbell hip thrust w/ bench for back support)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Safety Bar Squat (Alt: leg press, or hack squat machine)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Seated Leg Curl (Machine-based, already stable)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Chest Press Machine (Incline) (Flat setting if incline unavailable)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Lat Pulldown Machine (Wide grip)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Dip Machine (Alt: chest press machine, closer grip)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00
Bent Over Torso Rotation With Cable (Cable provides fixed resistance path already)	2 x 5-7	2-3 / 1-2	3:00

RIR column reads in-season / off-season. Stop sets at the listed reserve regardless of where that falls in the 5-7 rep window.

Calf Hops

Exercise	Sets x Reps	Rest
Calf Pogo Hop (Bodyweight — reactive drill, no equipment substitution applies)	3-5 x 1	1:00

Double progression: Add a rep each session within the range (5→7); once both sets hit the top of the range, increase load and reset to the bottom of the range.

**The above template is derived from strength coach Rob Mauceri**