In-Season Strength Without Losing Your Legs

Athletes lose more in-season to bad lifting decisions than to bad luck. Chasing max numbers in October buys you sore legs on Friday and a coach who stops trusting you.

Maintain intensity, cut volume

Strength is kept with heavy-enough loads at low volume. Two sessions a week, three to five sets total per main movement, stopping two reps short of failure, is enough for most competitive seasons.

• Day 1: trap bar deadlift 4 x 3 @ 80%, split squat 3 x 6, low-box jump 4 x 3.
• Day 2: front squat 3 x 4 @ 75%, hip thrust 3 x 8, pogo hops 4 x 10.
• No grinding reps. If the bar slows, the set is over.

Protect the ground contacts you already spend

Practice is a jump program you did not schedule. Count it. Cut plyometric volume on heavy practice weeks, and give your feet a stable, low-profile platform for the hundreds of contacts you never log.