How to build a preseason training block
Six weeks is enough to arrive at the first game fit, not just keen. Here is how amateur players can build fitness in stages without turning August into an injury list.
Most amateur preseasons go one of two ways. Either the first session back is a punishing run that leaves half the squad hobbling, or nobody trains at all until the opening fixture. Both end the same way: tight hamstrings in week one and a team that fades in the second half.
A better plan builds fitness in layers, roughly six weeks out from your first game. This is general guidance for healthy adults; if you are coming back from an injury, start with whoever is treating it.
Start with an honest baseline
Before week one, note three things: how long you can jog comfortably without stopping, a simple repeat-sprint test such as six shuttles with a set rest, and any niggles you have been ignoring. Write them down. You will repeat the same tests in week six.
Build the block in three stages
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Weeks 1–2: base
Three sessions a week of easy, continuous running or cycling, plus two short strength sessions focused on legs, hips and trunk. You should be able to talk throughout. The aim is to get tissues used to load again, not to get fit in a fortnight.
-
Weeks 3–4: intervals
Swap one easy session for intervals that look like your sport: short efforts with incomplete recovery. Add a little speed work at the start of a session while you are fresh, and keep strength work going.
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Weeks 5–6: sport-specific
Move most conditioning onto the pitch or court with the ball: small-sided games, change-of-direction drills and repeated sprints. Ease off the total volume in the last few days so you arrive at the first game fresh.
| Week | Easy sessions | Hard sessions | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | 1 | 2 (on the pitch) | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 1, then taper | 1 |
Do not skip the strength work
Hamstring and groin strains are among the most common injuries in field sports, and they cluster early in the season. Exercises that strengthen the hamstrings and adductors, such as Nordic curls and Copenhagen planks, are cheap, quick and widely used by clubs for exactly this reason. Start with easy versions and progress slowly; they make you sore at first.
Use the ten per cent rule as a brake
If you are adding running volume, avoid jumping more than about ten per cent a week. It is a rule of thumb, not a law, but it stops the classic mistake of doubling your mileage in week two.
Recovery is part of the plan
Sleep, food and rest days are where the adaptation happens. Schedule at least one full rest day a week, eat enough to fuel the extra work, and treat a sharp or worsening pain as a reason to stop, not a test of character.
I only have three weeks. What should I cut?
Do I need a gym?
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