Athletes Should Lift During the Season

During the season, many athletes and parents believe lifting should stop.

The concerns usually sound like this:

• Lifting will hurt performance
• It will increase injury risk
• The athlete already has too much going on with games and practices

But in reality, stopping strength training during the season often leads to the exact problems people are trying to avoid.

What Happens When Athletes Stop Lifting

When athletes stop lifting during the season, they begin losing the physical qualities they worked hard to build during the offseason.

According to the NSCA Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, trained adaptations begin to diminish when they are not maintained through continued training.

Some general timelines include:

• Strength can begin to decline within about 3–4 weeks without training
• Power and rate of force development can decrease even sooner
• Muscular endurance and work capacity may drop within 2–3 weeks
• Neuromuscular efficiency and coordination also begin to decline when not trained

Over the course of a season, this can lead to noticeable drops in performance.

Athletes who stop lifting are often the ones who begin dragging late in the season.

Maintaining strength helps athletes continue performing at a high level when games and practices begin to accumulate.

What In-Season Lifting Should Look Like

In-season lifting does not need to be complicated.

The goal is maintenance, not trying to build a completely new program during the competitive season.

That usually means:

• Low volume
• High intensity
• Short sessions
• Intentional training

This does not mean lifting light weights.

Athletes should still move challenging loads with speed and intent.

The goal is to maintain the strength and power that were developed in the offseason.

How Often Should Athletes Lift In Season?

Most athletes only need 1–3 lifting sessions per week during the season.

Sessions are typically 30–45 minutes and planned around practices and games.

When programmed correctly, lifting supports performance rather than interfering with it.

Mistakes Athletes Make

The fears about in-season lifting usually come from poor planning.

Common mistakes include:

• Adding too much training volume
• Doing random workouts on their own
• Following workouts they see online
• Not adjusting training to match the demands of the season

In-season training needs to be intentional and programmed with an understanding of the athlete’s sport schedule.

The Ares Approach

At Ares, in-season training focuses on maintaining the physical qualities athletes worked hard to develop during the offseason.

Sessions are:

• Short
• Focused
• Intentional
• Scheduled around the competitive season

The goal is simple: don’t waste what you worked so hard to build.

Athletes should be maintaining their strength and power — and ideally peaking late in the season.

Takeaway Summary 

• Stopping lifting during the season leads to strength loss
• Performance qualities can decline within a few weeks without training
• In-season lifting should be short, low volume, and high intensity
• Most athletes only need 1–3 sessions per week
• Maintaining strength helps athletes perform better late in the season

Want Help Structuring In-Season Training?

At Ares Strength & Performance, every program is built on evidence-based training, real results, and long-term athlete development.

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Resources & References

• NSCA (2016). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.)
• Stone, Stone & Sands (2007). Principles and Practice of Resistance Training