Box Jumps can help increase speed and power

Every time you step into the gym or onto the pitch for a training session you should have a goal in mind.

A box to tick that you’re working toward achieving from the minute you start to the minute you end.

Depending on the time of the year, or even the day of the week that you’re training, the goals will vary and the sessions will change. With that in mind here are a few tips to get the most from a few different types of training sessions.

If it’s a pitch session then your main focus should be intensity. Unless otherwise specified try and bring a Championship mind set to each and every drill you go through. Without overstating the obvious here, pitch sessions are the most translatable training you’re going to do with regards to in-game performance so if you’re serious about bringing yourself onto the next level then be prepared to dig deep every time you step on the grass.

When it comes to a speed and power session then you need to concentrate on force production. Think of a drop box jump – Your aim is to maximise the amount of force your body can produce against the ground to then spring as high as you can. Powerful movements can put a lot of stress on the Central Nervous System, so be sure to take ample breaks to get the most from each exercise.

Maybe not so applicable now but during the Off-Season a lot of guys will want to add muscle mass to their frame, so with this in mind the focus now shifts onto Time Under Tension.

Both duration of each rep and the muscle tension through exertion are contributing factors in muscle growth, so when you concentrate on these two specific variables through each movement you can quickly maximise the quality of your session. So if you want to get bigger then stop trying to bang out each rep as quickly as you can and start thinking about increasing the time your muscle stays under tension! (This will probably mean you’ll have to lift lighter weights than you’re used to, so leave the ego at the door and get ready to grow!)

If improvements in mobility is your primary goal then you need to focus your efforts in control through movement. It’s one thing to be able to touch your toe, it’s a whole other to be able to keep and hold of that toe and stand up straight with it still in your hand. Static stretches will always have their place but being able to flow from one challenging position to the next freely, without pain or impingement of injury is key to seeing progress with your mobility.

Regardless of what your next training session is, try and apply these tips consistently and I have no doubt you’ll reap the rewards over time!

For more information contact me via For more training and nutritional advice you can catch me on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by simply searching PGthePT, or go to www.pgthept.com and sign up to my email club to receive some top notch info every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

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