#165 - AFL Training: What Does a Typical In-Season Week Look Like

How do AFL clubs actually structure a training week in-season, and why does getting the sequence wrong cost you on game day? In this episode, I break down the principles behind a well-designed in-season program, including what the 72-hour recovery window really means, how to structure intensity across the week, and the one monitoring mistake that catches most coaches off guard.

🔑Highlights from the episode:

00:00 - The recovery rule most AFL players swear by
00:36 - The number one recovery method clubs often overlook
01:23 - How to get quality strength work in early in the week
02:07 - A simple mental model for structuring your training week
02:59 - How to tell a real data signal from noise

✨ Most players need around 72 hours to properly recover after a game. That recovery is not just about sore muscles, it also includes the nervous system, hormones, and the overall toll a match takes on the body.

✨ One of the best recovery strategies is still the simplest one: quality sleep. That is why many clubs avoid bringing players in the day after a match, giving them the chance to rest, reset, and recover in a better environment.

✨ Letting players recover closer to home can make a big difference. It reduces the mental drain of travel, breaks up the routine, and gives them more autonomy, which can help both physically and emotionally after a demanding game.

✨ Early in the week, players may still be too fatigued for real speed and power work, even if they can still lift well. That is why strength work around 80% of 1RM can fit early in the week, while explosive work is better saved for when the body is fresher.

✨ A strong in-season week should flow like a funnel. Start with recovery, review, and support work, then build toward peak performance closer to game day. At the same time, coaches need to keep enough conditioning in the program, use monitoring tools wisely, and help players build the resilience to train through normal niggles without pushing them into injury.

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Видео #165 - AFL Training: What Does a Typical In-Season Week Look Like канала High Performance Content for AFL Staff & Athletes