Maximizing Your Summer: Recharge, Prepare, Enjoy

Summer approaches and student-athletes have the opportunity to recharge for next Fall. I believe summer is a time to help get away from the stressors that may come with the usual physical and academic stress throughout the academic calendar year. It is also a time to prepare for the next part of their seasons. Regardless of what level (D1, DII, DIII, NAIA) you compete at, the best athletes always put themselves in a position to be successful by emphasizing their preparation and building good habits. With, potentially, more free time than usual, you have the opportunity to set yourself apart.

• Refining your sleep:

  • Sleep is the simplest form of recovery. You should be focusing on getting a consistent 7-9 hours of sleep as much as possible. Go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time consistently to help with your internal body clock. Maybe your sleep during the year wasn’t too great because you spent more time focusing on how busy your schedule was. Now, you have more time and energy to put effort into your recovery which is part of your performance.

• Nutrition discipline:

  • Can you make the right choices as summer time is a time to relax and have fun? Can you avoid alcohol, processed foods, and sugary drinks as much as possible? Stick to the 80/20 rule, 80% of the time you are staying disciplined and making healthy choices, 20% of the time you can indulge in some other foods you enjoy.  You hopefully worked towards creating a solid foundation for your next competitive season, don’t let it go to waste.           

• Training consistency:

  • When transitioning to summer, all we want is for you to train consistently. We provide you with training plans that we expect you to utilize to the best of your ability. You just finished finals, you are traveling back home, you are coming off a long season or had a solid start to your off-season. Take some time to yourself for a week or two and get back to work. Whether you are able to train 5x a week or 3x a week, to make the right adaptations, you need to keep your training high quality: give high effort, be intentional, and be technique-focused.

• Building meaningful moments:

  • Take this time to spend some time with family and friends. Do activities that you enjoy and take advantage of doing the things you can’t do while you are competing and going to school. You miss out on these opportunities all year, but they can help reset you physically, and more importantly, mentally.

Summer provides a unique opportunity for you to recharge and prepare for the upcoming season and school year. By focusing on the factors above, you can set yourself apart by prioritizing your mental and physical performance. So take advantage of this time, and challenge yourself to be better than before.