You’ve enjoyed a few weeks of good food, socialising, and switching off — and now it’s time to face reality:

Work is back. Preseason training is back.

If you’ve followed our content over the break, you should feel prepared. But this is where many athletes fall into a dangerous trap.

You’re feeling good…
Hips feel loose.
Hamstrings feel supple.
That niggly knee pain from the end of last season has mysteriously disappeared.

So the thought creeps in:

“I feel fine — I can jump straight back into full training.”

Unfortunately, this is exactly how January preseason injuries happen.

 

Feeling Good ≠ Being Ready to Train Hard

After time off, many athletes feel great — but that alone is not a free pass to high-intensity training.

January preseason brings:

• Big spikes in running volume
• Higher running speeds
• Competitive match-style efforts
• A sudden return to maximal intensity

Before you know it, you’re red-lining your body — and tissues that aren’t prepared get exposed.

This is the classic recipe for:

• Hamstring strains
• Calf injuries
• Achilles and patellar tendon pain
• Knee and hip flare-ups

 

Why Injuries Spike in January: The Tissue Problem

Here’s the part most athletes underestimate:

Your tissues lose capacity quickly.

Muscles, tendons, and joints can all weaken in as little as 2–3 weeks without the right stimulus.

A classic example is the hamstring.

For field and track athletes who sprint at high speed, hamstrings are often the weak link. Research shows hamstring architecture can deteriorate rapidly when athletes stop:

• Sprinting at high velocities
• Performing eccentric loading (e.g. Nordic hamstring exercises)

Use it or lose it.

When sprinting suddenly returns in January, the hamstrings are often the first structure to fail.

 

Where Are You Starting From?

Be honest with yourself.

If your most demanding activity over the break was walking to the fridge for leftover Christmas ham, you’re in trouble if you expect to hit the ground running on day one of preseason.

On the other hand, if you:

• Kept up 2–3 runs per week
• Included some direction change or acceleration
• Maintained strength training and injury prevention

You’ll be well ahead of the pack — and far better positioned to focus on performance in February, rather than managing soreness or injury.

 

How to Restart Preseason Training Safely

If you’re starting from a lower base, the goal is simple:

Build consistency before intensity.

Commit to the Basics

On-field training:

• 2 sessions per week
• Track your volume
• Start at 3–4 km, gradually progress
• Cap intensity at 70–80% speed
• Include skills, agility, and controlled change of direction

Strength training

• 2 gym sessions per week
• Focus on fundamentals: lower body strength, trunk, and posterior chain
• Complete strength work after field training or the next morning
  (We don’t want sore hamstrings before sprinting)

This structure supports both injury rehabilitation and athletic performance, especially early in preseason.

 

Ask Yourself These Questions Before Session One

Before you bite off more than you can chew, check in honestly:

• Have I run at all over the break?
• If yes, how much volume did I actually do?
• Have I sprinted at high speed?Have I changed direction at intensity?
• Have I continued strength or injury-prevention work?

If the answer to most of these is “no,” jumping straight into full training is a gamble.

 

Don’t Forget Recovery (Yes, Even in Preseason)

Consistency matters — but so does recovery.

Christmas is one of the best times of year to:

• Deload
• Let tissues recover
• Reset mentally and physically

While we encourage maintaining some training across the break, adequate rest is essential for long-term performance and injury prevention.

The key is planned progression, not all-or-nothing training.

 

Need Help Getting It Right?

If this all sounds overwhelming, or you’re unsure how to balance exercise rehab, injury prevention, and high-performance training, we can help.

Our Bulletproof Program and Athletic Performance services are designed to:

• Identify your physical deficits
• Reduce preseason injury risk
• Build resilient, game-ready bodies
• Set you up for a strong, uninterrupted season