During the summer we train numerous college athletes here at FAST Gilbert, and each athlete has their own set of challenges. When they arrive, they usually are holding an off-season training plan given to them by their college strength coach. Some of these are very good, others are not, and some of them are given nothing at all—only a mandate from the coach to be in the best shape possible when they return to campus. At FAST, we get them ready for their upcoming college season by finding a balance between their coach’s program and our own.

Our biggest challenge is that we only have a small window to execute the training plan. When we receive our college athletes in early June, they return to school by late August, which is not a lot of time. If they only just finished their season in the spring, it will be easier for them up to ramp up when compared to athletes who completed their seasons in the previous fall or winter.

When working with these college athletes we make sure to know what conditioning tests they will be given when they return. Even if they don’t compete in the fall, most coaches will run a test on the athlete to see what kind of shape they are in. Common drills a coach might ask for are a 300-yard shuttle, a timed mile, and the beep test. All athletes need to be ready to complete these tests in good time. If they have an off-season program, we will ask which types of lifts and drills they will be doing when they return so we can prepare them for when they work with their team’s strength coach.

Finally, we make sure to educate them on proper nutrition, efficient recovery, and hydration techniques. College sports are far more rigorous than high school; nutrition and recovery control are in greater focus especially when athletes are balancing sports, school work, and college life. We are training some best athletes this summer here at FAST, and can’t wait to see them pull it out for their team in the upcoming year.