BFS In-Season Program: All Sports
By Dr. Greg Shepard One of our Upper Limit Training Guidelines is consistency. It is an absolute necessity to train In-Season in All Sports. No matter what sport, all athletes will do two workouts per week, illustrated to the right. Day #1 is the most physically demanding and therefore should be done farthest away from the contest as possible. Day #2 lifts can be done all-out with extremely fast recouperation. Therefore, an athlete can do these lifts the day before the contest, if necessary! Football could be as follows: Monday, Day #1; Thursday, Day #2; Friday Game; or Saturday, Day #1; Mon. Wed. or Thurs., Day #2; Friday Game.
Basketball could be as follows: Monday, Day #2; Tuesday Game; Wednesday, Day #1; Friday Game; or Tuesday Game; Wednesday, Day #2; Friday Game; Saturday, Day #1. Each core lift takes only 10 minutes. Each day takes only 30 minutes. We're only asking one hour per week to have the spectacular results ofJoe III year after year. Limited auxiliaries can be done as time and energy permits. The best time of day to do an In-Season workout is before lunch not before or after practice.
PROGRAM: ALL SPORTS DAY #1 SQUAT BENCH CLEAN DAY #2 BOX SQUAT TOWEL BENCH STRAIGHT LEG DEAD LIFT $' «,,~G'f. .;;:0 ~<Z, Joe l's football coach said, "We've got to practice, have meetings and watch game films. We just don't have time to get in a workout." So as a result Joe I lost most of his strength that he built up over the summer. When it came to basketball, Joe's coach said, "Well, we have two games per week plus practices. If football can't lift in-season, we certainly can't." Joe I's baseball coach said, "Weights will screw you up, so we ain't doin' nothin'." Poor Joe I. At the end of his freshman year he was about the same level of strength as his 8th grade year.
This same scenario was repeated all four years. At graduation ceremonies, Joe I's coaches looked at Joe I and said "He was a good athlete. It's too bad he wasn't bigger, faster and stronger. Why don't we ever get some mature looking athletes?" InSeason, Baby, In-Season!
Joe II's football coach went to hear a major coJlege strength coach talk about In-Season. "What we want to do is MAINTAIN!" So that's what they did during Joe II's football, basketball, and baseball seasons all four years. Poor Joe II. He spent all his life maintaining. The high school coaches didn't stop to think that the major college situation was different. At that level you only play one sport and the more mature college athlete is satisfied with maintaining his 500 sguat, 400 bench and 300 clean over one sport season. However, at the high school level, the big majority of athletes play two or more sports. High School sophomores may have a 250 sguat, 175 bench, and a 160 clean.
We don't want to maintain these lifts. To set up a maintenance program in high school is to set up a program of failure. You will NEVER reach your potential.
Joe III's football coach does the BFS In-Season program and follows the Set-Rep system. Gains were not as much as in the off-season but clearly significant gains were made throughout each sport season. Since the In-Season program is the same for all sports, a smooth transition was easily made from one sport season to the next. Our Utah Jazz Center, Mark Eaton, who played less than one minute a game in college and was drafted practically last, did the BFS program while playing 3 to 4 games per week. Mark broke 275 personal records during his first in-season and eventually became the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and set a record for blocked shots during a season.
Joe III stuck to his program faithfully all four years. Joe III broke on average of 400 personal records each year and reached his potential. His lifts went off the chart' 83
From BFS Magazine — November/December 1986. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
