Author - Kalil Sherrod
There is still a widespread misconception among athletes, sports coaches, and parents that not lifting weights during the season is perfectly fine, and, worse still, it is sometimes recommended. This belief can be the reason why you, your child, or the athlete you coach doesn't make the team, gets injured during the season, doesn't get a scholarship, or doesn't get that big contract. This article will dive into the reasons behind this misconception and why it can be so damaging.
For one, there is a belief that lifting will cause too much soreness to perform correctly in practice or games. Now, this can be true if you’re working with an inexperienced coach or someone who isn't qualified, but let's assume you've done your research as an athlete/parent/sport coach and hired a skilled and experienced strength coach; then this should not be a problem. Managing soreness shouldn't be a problem, and if anything, the strength and conditioning sessions, when conducted properly, can enhance recovery and improve performance.
Another reason is that there isn't enough time for the athlete to attend the weight room, school, and practice for their sport during the season. This could not be further from the truth. If the athlete has time to hang out with friends, on their phone for hours on end, then they have time for the weight room. Also, in season, you don't have to, nor should you try to train as hard or as often as you would in off-season to maintain physical capabilities. For instance, during the off-season, the athletes may train with me 3-6 times a week (some days are dedicated to mobility/recovery sessions), but in the season, on average, only twice a week. Even on a twice-a-week regimen, I’ve had athletes improve their vertical, break PRs on compound lifts, and still avoid injury during the season. If they were with me during summer training, working hard and still developing their skills, this would be easy. The only thing is that they probably have to sacrifice some time spent with friends or scrolling on their phones, but to those who are serious about competing at a high level, this doesn't feel like a sacrifice; it simply is what is required.
The last reason, which may be the worst, is that there is a belief that they can maintain their athletic gains from the off-season during the in-season without training at all. This is entirely false, and this is the leading cause of injuries for those who do not lift weights in the offseason. You went from working on your skill anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week and lifting 3 to 4 times a week. Then switched immediately to no lifting but increasing your skill work to 6-7 times a week or even more. Not only have the skill work and practice sessions increased, but the length of those sessions has increased, and even the intensity at which you play has increased. While this is happening, you stop cold turkey the thing that helps prepare the body for the demands of your sport. Then you wonder why, during the season, you start picking up noncontact injuries that, while in the offseason, you never have. Many think the solution is stretching, ice baths, or massage, when really it's that the athlete has become weaker and therefore more susceptible to injuries.
If you refer to the table below from the book "Super Training" by Mel Siff, you can see how quickly an athlete will begin to lose the effects of training. Maximal speed is rapidly affected within 5-7 days, and explosive power, which is your jumps and throws, is also lost in 5-7 days. Most athletes, sports coaches, and parents are unaware that simply playing their sport rarely allows them to reach top speed or perform maximal jumps. If this skill is not trained, they will start to lose it during the in-season. Around the two-week mark, the focus shifts to strength endurance or the muscle mass you've gained. This is especially important for sports that involve a contact component. Losing size can be a determining factor in your ability to box out, make a tackle, or pin an opponent, among other things. Then, around the three-week mark comes anaerobic endurance, which is how most of your team sports are played. Essentially, this is your ability to perform multiple explosive efforts with short rest.
The loss of this ability can quickly lead to you becoming a bench player because you can't last very long going up and down the court or participating in multiple plays in football. More importantly, as your body loses this ability, trying to push through can lead to injuries. Lastly, around a month out, both your aerobic endurance and maximal strength start to diminish. The problem is at the end of games when you're dipping into the last drop in the tank if your “tank” is now smaller because you've lost some of that ability that could be the reason you can't think properly or catch your breath in time to catch that pass or make that free throw. When it comes to maximal strength, the loss of this will start to affect your explosive strength, power, and maximal speed. Now, instead of being able to dunk on a defender with two hands, you may be rim-grazing or can only do a layup, which could get blocked. Perhaps you play defensive tackle line, and before you could push past the larger offensive lineman because you were stronger, but now you can’t push past him to get to the quarterback, and there goes your scholarship.
Why Athletes Shouldn't Stop Lifting In-Season
There is still a widespread misconception among athletes, sports coaches, and parents that not lifting weights during the season is perfectly fine, and, even worse, is sometimes recommended. This belief can be the reason why you, your child, or the athlete you coach doesn't make the team, gets injured during the season, doesn't get a scholarship, or doesn't get that big contract. This article will dive into the reasons behind this misconception and why it can be so damaging.
For one, there is a belief that lifting will cause too much soreness to perform correctly in practice or games. Now, this can be true if you’re working with an inexperienced coach or someone who isn't qualified, but let's assume you've done your research as an athlete/parent/sport coach and hired a skilled and experienced strength coach; then this should not be a problem. Managing soreness shouldn't be a problem, and if anything, the strength and conditioning sessions, when conducted properly, can enhance recovery and improve performance.
Another reason is that there isn't enough time for the athlete to attend the weight room, school, and practice for their sport during the season. This could not be further from the truth. If the athlete has time to hang out with friends, on their phone for hours on end, then they have time for the weight room. Also, in season, you don't have to, nor should you try to train as hard or as often as you would in off-season to maintain physical capabilities. For instance, during the off-season, the athletes may train with me 3-6 times a week (with some days dedicated to mobility/recovery sessions), but during the season, on average, they train only twice a week.
Even on a twice-a-week regimen, I’ve had athletes improve their vertical, break PRs on compound lifts, and still avoid injury during the season. If they were with me during summer training, working hard and still developing their skills, this would be easy. The only thing is that they probably have to sacrifice some time spent with friends or scrolling on their phones, but to those who are serious about competing at a high level, this doesn't feel like a sacrifice; it simply is what is required.
The last reason, which may be the worst, is that there is a belief that they can maintain their athletic gains from the off-season during the in-season without training at all. This is entirely false, and this is the leading cause of injuries for those who do not lift weights in the offseason. You went from working on your skill anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week and lifting 3 to 4 times a week. Then switched immediately to no lifting but increasing your skill work to 6-7 times a week or even more. Not only have the skill work and practice sessions increased, but the length of those sessions has increased, and even the intensity at which you play has increased.
While this is happening, you stop cold turkey the thing that helps prepare the body for the demands of your sport. Then you wonder why, during the season, you start picking up noncontact injuries that, while in the offseason, you never have. Many think the solution is stretching, ice baths, or massage, when really it's that the athlete has become weaker and therefore more susceptible to injuries.
If you refer to the table below from Mel Siff's book, Super Training, you can see how quickly an athlete will start to lose the effects of training. Maximal speed is rapidly affected within 5-7 days, and explosive power, which is your jumps and throws, is also lost in 5-7 days. Most athletes, sports coaches, and parents are unaware that simply playing their sport rarely allows them to reach top speed or perform maximal jumps. If this skill is not trained, they will start to lose it during the in-season. Around the two-week mark, the focus shifts to strength endurance or the muscle mass you've gained.
This is especially important for sports that involve a contact component. Losing size can be a significant factor in your ability to box out, make a tackle, or pin an opponent. Then, around the three-week mark, comes anaerobic endurance, which is how most team sports are played. Essentially, this is your ability to perform multiple explosive efforts with short rest. The loss of this ability can quickly lead to you becoming a bench player because you can't last very long going up and down the court or participating in multiple plays in football. More importantly, as your body loses this ability, trying to push through can lead to injuries. Lastly, around a month out, both your aerobic endurance and maximal strength start to diminish. The problem is at the end of games when you're dipping into the last drop in the tank if your “tank” is now smaller because you've lost some of that ability that could be the reason you can't think properly or catch your breath in time to catch that pass or make that free throw. When it comes to maximal strength, the loss of this will start to affect your explosive strength, power, and maximal speed. Now, instead of being able to dunk on a defender with two hands, you may be rim-grazing or can only do a layup, which could get blocked. Maybe you play defensive tackle line, and before you could push past the larger offensive lineman because you were stronger, but now you can’t push past him to get to the quarterback, and there goes your scholarship.
I strongly advise you to continue lifting weights in season, so that all the hard work you did in the offseason isn't wasted. So you don't pick up injuries and stay available for your team, and so you don't lose an opportunity for a bigger contract, a scholarship, or a starting position. It requires some sacrifice, but by playing sports, you can give yourself the best chance to be the best you can be.
I strongly advise you to continue lifting weights in season, so that all the hard work you did in the offseason isn't wasted. So you don't pick up injuries and stay available for your team, and so you don't lose an opportunity for a bigger contract, a scholarship, or a starting position. It requires some sacrifice, but by playing sports, you can give yourself the best chance to be the best you can be.
Kalil Sherrod is a performance coach with extensive experience developing athletes from youth competitors to professionals. His background spans basketball skill development, strength and conditioning, and long-term athletic preparation across a wide range of sports and competitive environments.
Kalil has coached boys’ and girls’ basketball at both the youth and high school levels, leading player development programs and designing training systems focused on strength, speed, agility, and on-court performance.
His strength and conditioning career includes working with athletes in basketball, football, soccer, baseball, swimming, volleyball, and powerlifting, as well as coaching NCAA Division I athletes and professionals in the NBA and NFL.
Internationally, Kalil serves as the Sports Performance Coach for the Thailand Titans, a professional basketball organization, where he develops and implements high-performance training systems for elite athletes.
Driven by a genuine passion for athlete development, Kalil is known for pushing individuals to discover their true potential and take pride in their progress—whether that means hitting a new PR, earning a roster spot, or transforming their confidence on and off the court.
Outside of coaching, Kalil is the author of The Basketball Player’s Training Guide, host of The Get Clean Podcast, creator of the Annual Conjugate Seminar for Coaches, and a guest author for EliteFTS.
Certifications
• Westside Barbell Personal Training & Athletic Coaching
• Westside Barbell Special Strengths
• Byrd Sports Performance Certified Coach
Education
B.A. Business Administration (in progress)
