Stopping strength training during the competitive season is one of the most destructive things an athlete can do to their performance.

And yet, it happens every year.

An athlete busts their tail getting stronger, faster, and more explosive leading up to their season.

Then the season starts.

Practice.

Games.

Homework.

A social life.

Family commitments.

It all adds up, and strength and conditioning is usually the first thing to fall off the schedule.

Every parent wants to give their child the best opportunity to succeed.

So when they watch elite athletes, it's natural to think:

"If this is what the best in the world are doing, shouldn't Johnny be doing the same?"

That's exactly where youth sports have gone.

And in many ways, it’s exactly where they’ve gone wrong.

There really isn't.

Teenage athletes today are playing on club teams, school teams, and layering private lessons on top of all of it.

Just 15 years ago, summer was the universal offseason.

Athletes with big goals would spend the summer in the gym four days per week, train three days per week during the rest of their offseason, and continue lifting twice per week during the season.

Today?

Most athletes train in the gym twice per week at best during the summer and offseason, and many take the entire sports season off from strength training altogether.

The problem is that there isn't much true "off" time anymore.