The Rival Off-Season Athlete Blueprint: How to Train Smarter This Winter

Dr. Michael Blanco PT, DPT
Nov 6
3 min read

As the season winds down and the weather cools off, most athletes face the same question “What should I be doing right now?”

The answer: this is your opportunity season.

The off-season isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing smarter. It’s the time to fix weaknesses, rebuild strength, and set the foundation for your best performance yet. That’s why we created the Rival Off-Season Athlete Blueprint, a free guide to help you structure your training, prevent injury, and set yourself up for a breakthrough season next year.

Why the Off-Season Is Where Champions Are Built

Races and events test your limits, but the off-season is where you expand them.

At Rival Physical Therapy, we see too many athletes make one of two mistakes this time of year:

1️⃣ Doing nothing — complete rest for too long, leading to deconditioning.

2️⃣ Doing too much — jumping right into unstructured or random training without addressing underlying weaknesses.

The off-season is the perfect time to reset and rebuild the right way. It’s where we shift the focus from performance output to performance capacity.

Research supports this approach: structured strength training during the off-season improves endurance, power, and reduces injury risk in endurance athletes (Rønnestad & Mujika, 2014; Lauersen et al., 2018, British Journal of Sports Medicine).

What the Rival Off-Season Athlete Blueprint Covers

This free PDF walks you through a 4-week structured plan designed by the team at Rival Physical Therapy. It includes strength, mobility, and recovery strategies built specifically for high school/college athletes, active adults, runners, and triathletes.

Here’s what’s inside

1️⃣ Weekly Off-Season Training Schedule

A balanced layout of:

2–3 strength sessions
1-2 mobility-focused day
2 aerobic sessions (bike, run, or swim)
Optional recovery work

2️⃣ Strength & Power Foundation

Targeted exercises to improve:

Hip and glute strength
Core stability
Hamstring and calf durability
Shoulder control

These movements are backed by science and tailored to prevent the most common injuries we see in endurance and hybrid athletes.

3️⃣ Mobility & Recovery Circuit

A simple 10–15 minute flow to restore range of motion in the hips, shoulders, and spine. Great as a warm-up or cool-down.

4️⃣ Goal Setting & Self-Assessment Section

We’ve included space for reflection and tracking your progress because accountability drives results.

Why Prehab Now = Stronger Spring

If you wait until next season to start addressing pain, stiffness, or imbalances… it’s too late.

Fall and winter are the best time to:

✅ Rebuild your foundation

✅ Fix lingering issues before they become injuries

✅ Improve movement efficiency

✅ Strengthen your base for higher training volume later

By prioritizing prehab now, you’ll be training from a place of strength, not survival once race season rolls around.

The Rival PT Approach: Train. Don’t Just Maintain.

At Rival Physical Therapy, we don’t believe in “taking the winter off.” We believe in using it to recover, rebuild, and rival your best self.

Our team works with high school and college athletes, triathletes, runners, and hybrid athletes to create personalized off-season programs that build strength, mobility, and confidence.

The Rival Off-Season Athlete Blueprint is your starting point.