Pre-Season Training Tips

Preparing for a Long Season

The main goal of my pre-season workouts are to prepare my body for the rigors of what the upcoming season will bring.  I will take thousands of jumps, run miles of sprints, and do hundreds of plyometric exercises throughout the season and if I do not prepare myself during the preseason it would just be asking for an injury. My main focuses during the preseason are on general strength, endurance, and flexibility.

The running workouts consist of nothing faster than 75% and nothing shorter than 400m for the first month while I gradually build my endurance base.  As the season approaches the runs will get shorter and faster.

For weightlifting, the workouts are high reps, low weight, with full or negative range of motion working on general strength. The full/negative range of motion lifts are great for building strength while working full range of motion so you are not losing flexibility. Great lifts for all athletic arenas are squats, dead lifts, power cleans and snatches, lunges, and step ups, always using free weights, not machines. As I get closer to the start of the competition season the lifts gradually get heavier, the reps decrease, and the lifts become more explosive. 

Following every run or lifting session I do a short cool down, some stretching, and a foam rolling session to help with recovery time and flexibility. While the exercises may be different, these principals can be applied to variety of sports and when applied correctly will limit the chance of injuries.

Garrett finished the 2014 Indoor Season ranked in the Top 40 in the World in the High Jump with a best of 7'4.25" and finished 6th at the USA Championships. Continue to follow Garrett's 2014 outdoor season on Instagram @ g_huyler