November is right around the corner, and most football seasons are coming close to an end. If you're anything like me, you live for football. The football season is the best time of the year, but every year, you can't wait for the off-season to get back in the gym to get bigger, leaner, faster & stronger.
Our first article aims to help football players start their off-season correctly. What you do in the first 1 to 4 weeks after the season can dictate the kind of results you will have after the season.
This article will teach you precisely what to do when your season finishes. How many weeks should football players take off after the season? What kind of training or sport should be done early in the off-season? What and how much should you eat after the season? Should I start with a cut or a bulk? And much more...
How many weeks do you take off before going back to the gym?
For many, staying out of the gym is easy; many don't like training; they love football, not training. But other (like me) training is just as fun (if not more) than playing the game. Every time my seasons ended, I wanted to return to the gym as quickly as possible to rehab injuries or regain some size I had lost.
What I did and what guys should do are 2 different things. I wish someone had told me that before. Any football players should take AT LEAST 1 week, and up to 4 weeks off, out of the gym after the season.
1 week would be for guys who redshirted or barely played all year. A week is enough if you haven't played many snaps and aren't banged up. In your case, you need to take a headstart to make sure you are in a better position next season. The other players who could benefit from only a week off (maybe 2) were injured a couple of weeks back and missed the end of the season. Depending on how you recovered and the severity of the injury, you may have already healed and recovered. If so, get back in the gym.
2 to 3 weeks is for starters or guys who have played on most special teams but aren't too banged up, haven't dealt with injuries all season, and feel "fresh. How you feel when you wake up should tell you everything you need to know about taking time off.
Four weeks (or more) is for guys who have played their balls off, those who played through bumps and bruises, those who've had long seasons (made it far in the playoffs), etc. Four weeks sounds long, but this can allow you to recover and get back in full gear when you return to the gym.
What kind of training or sports should you do after the season?
The first thing to me is to NOT follow training plans. If you want to go to the gym and move around, do things that feel good, stretch, get some blood flowing on the stationary bike, etc. But it would help if you weren't lifting any barbells for now.
The best would be the other sports you usually don't do. Here are examples of what I'd suggest:
- Hike mountains
- Take long walks (make it a ruck if you'd like)
- Learn to swim
- Play pickleball
- Play spike ball
- Play pick-up basketball
- Go rock climbing
- Take yoga classes
- Play hockey with friends
You get the point; it's not about doing the best sport for football players or doing something specific or what you shouldn't do. It's all about having fun, staying active, and lowering stress.