Summer Training Adjustments: Coaching In-Season & Out-of-Season Athletes Together
#39 - Strength & Speed Coaching - Pursuing Your Best ⚡️
Summer groups don’t come with perfect rosters.
Some athletes are in the middle of their competitive season. Some are gearing up for fall. Others just got back from vacation and are still sore from doing nothing.
So how do you train them all in the same room?
That’s the challenge—and the opportunity—of summer strength & speed.
In this issue, we’ll walk through how we modify for in-season baseball and softball athletes without compromising the training goals of those who are out-of-season and ready to push. You’ll learn:
How we apply our Stoplight Protocol to adjust training volume
Why intensity stays high (even for in-season kids)
How we group, rotate, and communicate so that athletes get what they need—without slowing everyone else down
Let’s make your summer sessions smoother, smarter, and more adaptable—without lowering the standard.
Why You Can’t Water It Down
In-season or not, our weight room isn’t optional.
That doesn’t mean we treat everyone the same—it means we coach everyone with intention.
What we’ve found is that in-season athletes still want to train hard. They want to feel strong. They just need a smarter structure that respects the rhythm of their season.
Out-of-season athletes? They can and need to train harder. But summer can be just as tough on out-of-season athletes because of all the things that kids are a part of: practices, camps, tournaments, showcases, and jobs are all pulling on them.
So the goal isn’t to lower the intensity. It’s to manage the volume—and the expectations.
The Stoplight Protocol: Smarter Volume for In-Season Athletes
We use a Stoplight Protocol (learned from Cody Hughes when he was at Madison Academy in AL) to give athletes (and coaches) a visual, easy-to-follow guide for modifying sets and reps without changing the full plan.
Here’s the structure:
🔴 RED = Competition Day or Championship Season
SETS: Skip the last set of every exercise
REPS: Cut reps in half (minimum of 2 reps per set)
WHY: This is a primer session. We want to stay fresh but strong/powerful.
🟡 YELLOW = One Day Before Competition
SETS: Complete all prescribed sets
REPS: Cut reps in half (minimum of 2)
WHY: Move with intent, but conserve volume to avoid residual soreness or fatigue.
🟢 GREEN = Two or More Days Before Competition
SETS/REPS: Train as written
WHY: We can push as normal—this is where more progress can be made.
Important Note:
We don’t change the prescribed load. Athletes train at the same intensity—they just complete fewer total reps. Intensity isn’t what creates soreness. Volume and new exercise exposure do.
We want our athletes to be strong—especially as we approach postseason play.
As mentioned, this specific model came from Cody Hughes, a fellow HS strength coach, and has worked exceptionally well in our summer setting.
How We Group & Rotate
Our summer groups typically include a mix of:
In-season baseball & softball players
Out-of-season fall sport athletes (football, volleyball, XC, etc.)
Multi-sport kids juggling camps, vacations, and jobs
Here’s how we manage that:
Initial Intake: We know who’s in season and communicate expectations early.
Daily Check-Ins: Athletes let us know if today is RED, YELLOW, or GREEN for them.
Visuals & Whiteboards: Stoplight Modifiers are posted in the room. We reference them often.
Rotations: We keep groups moving, but allow athletes to adjust volume within their block.
Trust: We emphasize effort and movement quality over rep counting. They know the standard.
Why This Works
This model lets us train hard and train smart.
In-season athletes stay strong and avoid post-game soreness.
Out-of-season athletes hit full reps, high output, and clean progressions.
Coaches don’t have to rewrite every card or over-coach every adjustment.
It’s built on clarity, communication, and consistency.
We’re not guessing—we’re guiding.
Final Thoughts
The chaos of summer isn’t something to fear—it’s something to coach.
By using clear systems like the Stoplight Protocol, you can adapt to real-life athlete needs while still pushing the group forward.
Don’t settle for either/or. You can protect in-season athletes and develop out-of-season athletes—at the same time.
Coach the room you have. Adjust the plan. Hold the standard.
What’s Next?
We’ll wrap up the Summer Training series in the next newsletter edition.
In that newsletter, paid subscribers will get last summer’s training documents that we used to train our kids.
Keep Coaching What’s in Front of You
Summer won’t give you the perfect conditions.
But it will give you the opportunity to lead through complexity.
When you train in-season and out-of-season athletes together, you’re not just teaching sets and reps—you’re teaching how to show up, adapt, and stay accountable in the chaos.
Use systems. Coach with clarity. And remember: your best athletes don’t need everything to be perfect. They just need someone who sees the big picture and helps them keep moving forward.
If you want help designing a system that works for your schedule, groups, and goals—I offer consulting for coaches looking to:
Integrate in-season and out-of-season training blocks
Build summer models that support multi-sport athletes
Create simple, effective tools like the Stoplight Protocol
Just reply or reach out and let’s talk through your summer setup.
Until next time—keep pursuing excellence.
— Preston ⚡️