Gym & Misc Best time to train legs during footy season?

[Stoods]

When is the best time to fit in a legs session during footy season, so you obviously have tuesday and thursday night training and a game Saturday, i would say Sunday would be ruled out as the legs are generally sore from the game and it's more of a recovery day anyway. Best time and day, what do you guys think?

 

[JG22]

good question, I'm sure afl clubs would have players train legs on a set day

although they may do training that doesn't allow them to be sore for long

perhaps monday

 

[Siyan]

Generally you train 2 days in a row and you should allow your self to have a day of for recovery, or that can lead to a more fragile body, injured easily. I train full body strengthen on Monday and footy on Tuesday and recover on wendsday with some light kicking drills and handballs and such.


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[Aeglos]

If you train weights in the mornings I would go with Tuesday and Thursday.
If you train weights in the evening Monday and Wednesday.

Really though, you just want to stay away from Friday to be recovered for the game and Sunday to recover for the game.

I train legs Wednesday and Saturday, but the Saturday session before the game is super low volume (work up to some easy singles on a barbell movement then do some plyos and more mobility based exercises).

 

[saj_21]

If you train weights in the mornings I would go with Tuesday and Thursday.
If you train weights in the evening Monday and Wednesday.

Really though, you just want to stay away from Friday to be recovered for the game and Sunday to recover for the game.

I train legs Wednesday and Saturday, but the Saturday session before the game is super low volume (work up to some easy singles on a barbell movement then do some plyos and more mobility based exercises).

I just do Tuesday morning to line up wit Tuesday night training, but if you wanted to do two nights a week my other suggestion would be to do more a hammy focus on Tuesday and a quad focus on Thursday. Personally i find it easier running with sore quads rather than kicking with sore hammy's

 

[Stoods]

If you train weights in the mornings I would go with Tuesday and Thursday.
If you train weights in the evening Monday and Wednesday.

Really though, you just want to stay away from Friday to be recovered for the game and Sunday to recover for the game.

I train legs Wednesday and Saturday, but the Saturday session before the game is super low volume (work up to some easy singles on a barbell movement then do some plyos and more mobility based exercises).

So it isn't an issue training legs at the gym and doing cardio footy training in the same day? (Providing one is early in the day and the other is night)

 

[Aeglos]

So it isn't an issue training legs at the gym and doing cardio footy training in the same day? (Providing one is early in the day and the other is night)

I wouldn’t have thought so.
And that way you get a full day off vs having a physical commitment every day.

 

[Macpotata]

half time

 

[Big Cox 88]

Never?

 

[go you pups]

It's an interesting question, I always felt I could get away with shoulders and arms late in the week, say a Friday night before the game, but chest and legs were early week non-negotiables

If I felt pretty energetic and wasn't getting bogged down by work I'd do chest on Sunday, legs Monday, footy training Tuesday and Thursday and back on Wednesday. Shoulders and arms on Fridays were optional, though if not I'd try and squeeze some stuff in on chest or back day and rest up on Friday.

If I was bogged down by work, I'd try and do a massive 2 hour back and leg session together on Monday, then do chest and arms on Wednesday. Was maintenance really this way.

 

[mcgarnacle]

ideally, you wouldn't have a strength program based on body parts, although I'm told here that many suburban footballers will do it that way.

in season, the pro's will generally do 2 to 3 weight sessions per week, dependent upon days between games. strength will be earlier, power later in the week. hypertrophy/volume training is generally avoided during the season.

the rule is generally no hard sessions 48 hrs either side of a match. AFL clubs will do 30 min weights and field sessions day prior to a game, but will have wrapped up harder sessions two days earlier, i.e., if saturday game, wednesday is the last hard training day, thursday off or light, and friday short/light.

 

[zyzzbruh]

In the AFL they don't weight train legs during the season. They load up the leg weights during pre season with a focus on volume and power, they get in as much as they can before the JLT. During the season its more about maintenance using very light weights, plyometrics, and body weight squats and lunges rather than weight training. If you think you can go heavy on legs during the season you're going to cook yourself up nicely. Not only that, but you're also going to lose flexibility and agility if you continuously go heavy, you won't be performing at your optimum during games and you won't even know it. The key for AFL players not losing their agility is that they try to smash most of the leg weights out during the first half of preseason (before the new year) so that they have a couple of months to get used to and put some agility and refinement into their mass gains. They tend to go light with all muscle groups during the season not just legs, its a more lightweight and dynamic full body routine focusing on strength maintenance and keeping their gains tuned in to staying powerful and agile.

Obviously we're not at that level and your focus might be to look good aswell as footy, which is the hard part. Need to find the balance between the two. I've tried leg training during the season but it personally got to a point where I was sick of waking up sore and struggling to break out in a jog during training and match days. Even if doing it on the sunday or Monday, when footy training days come it compounds it and the soreness just keeps prolonging itself. I find that footy training and match days helps with my leg gains anyway aslong as my calorie consumption is optimal. That along with some plyometrics and leg body weight exercises on Mondays or Tuesdays after training I find is optimal. I go pretty hard on all other areas tho.

 

[saj_21]

If you train weights in the mornings I would go with Tuesday and Thursday.
If you train weights in the evening Monday and Wednesday.

Really though, you just want to stay away from Friday to be recovered for the game and Sunday to recover for the game.

I train legs Wednesday and Saturday, but the Saturday session before the game is super low volume (work up to some easy singles on a barbell movement then do some plyos and more mobility based exercises).

Our reserves game is at 1;55 today seniors are playing a twilight game.

I went to the gym this morning and did a light leg session. Let’s see how it goes.

 

[Aeglos]

Our reserves game is at 1;55 today seniors are playing a twilight game.

I went to the gym this morning and did a light leg session. Let’s see how it goes.

Less effect than the 2 hours of skating I did yesterday I’ll bet haha

 

[estibador]

In the AFL they don't weight train legs during the season. They load up the leg weights during pre season with a focus on volume and power, they get in as much as they can before the JLT. During the season its more about maintenance using very light weights, plyometrics, and body weight squats and lunges rather than weight training.

That's not what I've heard about the WA clubs. They still try maintain some reasonably heavy maintenance work during the season apparently, albeit over a multiple week cycle rather than every week.

 

[Aeglos]

That's not what I've heard about the WA clubs. They still try maintain some reasonably heavy maintenance work during the season apparently, albeit over a multiple week cycle rather than every week.

The original post certainly flies in the face with what I have heard from physios etc employed at AFL clubs as well as interviews/news articles.
It also makes zero sense to be your strongest in January.

David Zaharakis 2016 - train legs on Wednesday
http://www.aflplayers.com.au/article/where-fitness-fits-into-my-week/

Brandon Ellis 2012 - “For legs, we’d do a lot of single-leg squats and single-leg deadlifts. Earlier in the week we’d do leg training with weights but sessions later on in the week would just be bodyweight exercises.”
https://putitonthebar.wordpress.com...ning-in-the-afl-talking-to-brandon-ellis/amp/

Stefan Martin 2016 - “I do the same amount of sessions in the off season and home and away season, which is one every day”
http://m.lions.com.au/news/2016-05-28/stef-martin-qa

Melbourne July 2017


Adelaide June 2012


Adelaide August 2017


Bulldogs August 2013


Port 2013 - “every session we should be looking to develop our strength, including during the season”

 

[Aeglos]

Had our first game for the year on Saturday.
Can safely say (in my N=1) that Monday morning is not a great time to be squatting haha.

 

[saj_21]

Had our first game for the year on Saturday.
Can safely say (in my N=1) that Monday morning is not a great time to be squatting haha.

Did you win Saturday?

 

[Aeglos]

Did you win Saturday?

Yeah had a win. Just played 2s and we got up by 3-4 goals.
Seniors won by 13-14 goals.

 

[Drumroe]

That's not what I've heard about the WA clubs. They still try maintain some reasonably heavy maintenance work during the season apparently, albeit over a multiple week cycle rather than every week.

It's definitely wrong. Most clubs will lift 2-3 times a week in season, usually one heavy day and one power day.

 

[thecuzsays]

Great question I have found Monday mornings the best time to train legs. Even then I wouldn’t ever really work higher than 70% 1RM.

it would be a game by game basis and would manage the volume based off of the recovery stage from previous game.