Goal

Fitness for your sport

Eight weeks of general physical preparation for recreational players: stronger legs, steadier changes of direction, better breathing late in a match, and fewer nagging injuries. It fits around your playing schedule rather than replacing it.

Who it's for

Recreational players of pickleball, badminton, football, tennis, basketball or running, playing one to four times a week.

Example program length: 8 weeks

The path

These phases show how this goal can develop over time.

Phase 1

General base

Double- and single-leg strength, hips, calves and hamstrings — the tissues that complain in stop-start sports.

Phase 2

Change of direction and match endurance

Add controlled decelerations and direction changes plus short intervals that match the sport's rhythm: 10-30 seconds of work, then rest.

Phase 3

In season

Cut training volume, keep intensity, protect playing days. Supplementary work now exists only to hold what you built.

Example activities in the first phase

A starting plan could include:

2 strength sessions: squat, hinge, lunge, calves
1 hip and shoulder mobility session
A proper warm-up before every play session