Following on from a promising first term in the gym, our Player Pathway and Sports Career Pathway students gained valuable experience and looked to end the season in the good shape by taking advantage of our resources at Stockport Sports Village.
The Player Pathway students focused on building up strength this term, as they look to reach optimal performance. This is done through hypertrophy, which builds up muscle mass and helps stop fatigue late in the game.
The Sports Career Pathway students learned how to design a gym program this term, which covered the practical element of their qualification. This helped the students to understand how to create a personalised gym plan, including a plan for those returning from injury.
They also delivered a session to an SEN school, where the students created a pitch and gym-based plan for a number of students visiting Stockport Sports Village. This ranged from short sprints on the pitch to bodyweight exercises in the gym.
An update from Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim Holloway:
This is your first year at County, how have you settled into life at SSV?
Really well. I’ve settled in nicely and work really well with the staff, both in the Football Education and Academy.
What have the players covered since returning in January?
Since January, we have focused on strength and hypertrophy, while adding in some power and plyometric work into the day-to-day plans.
What have the SCP group covered since January?
We have been teaching program design. The students have been assigned a client that they have to build a plan for with a specific goal to achieve, for example, improving strength. Practical sessions have focused on mid to late-stage rehabilitation of an ankle injury. All the students have taken part and coached all elements of a ‘return to play’ protocol. Most recently all the students delivered a pitch and gym based strength and conditioning session for an SEN school, which was really fun and great exposure for the students.
The Strength and Conditioning group will earn a Level 2 qualification in Fitness Instructing, how important will this qualification be for the students?
This will be a great initiative for the students. By having their Level 2 qualification, it means they can start to work and coach on any gym floor, so they can start to gain valuable coaching hours while getting paid.
How do our gym facilities set our Football Education apart from the rest?
The gym facilities we have at SSV are brilliant. Staff and students have space and equipment in the HIVE to carry out elite-level workouts and gym sessions, so the facilities are some of the best I have seen. The facilities are way ahead, especially comparing the other educational institutions.
