Cracking the In-Season Training Puzzle with Microdosing for College Athletes
- Liz Falk
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
In-season training has always been one of the toughest puzzles for coaches to solve. The traditional model—one or two heavy lifts per week, awkwardly placed around practices and games—often creates more problems than it solves. Fatigue builds, execution suffers, and by the time postseason arrives, performance has already declined.
But what if we stopped thinking of lifting as a separate event, and instead wove it seamlessly into the rhythm of the week? That’s exactly what microdosing does—and it’s changing how collegiate athletes sustain performance across an entire season.
What is Microdosing?
Microdosing flips the traditional model on its head. Instead of long, draining sessions once or twice a week, athletes complete short, purposeful lifting blocks multiple times per week.
Replace generic warm-ups with 20–30 minutes of targeted lifting before practice.
Focus on three to five high-quality movements instead of marathon sessions.
Prioritize intensity and execution over sheer volume.
The result is frequent, high-quality exposures that accumulate across the season without leaving athletes drained.
Why Distribution Beats Volume
The secret isn’t in doing more—it’s in doing it differently. By spreading strength work across multiple days, athletes can sustain force production and power outputs deeper into the competitive cycle. Instead of tapering off late in the season, athletes maintain their sharpness and often peak when it matters most—playoffs, championships, and high-stakes competition.
Shifting Athlete Culture
Microdosing doesn’t just change performance metrics—it changes culture. Short, efficient sessions lower the psychological barrier for athletes who might shy away from the weight room, especially female athletes concerned about heavy lifting.
Over time, the mindset shifts from:
“Lifting makes me bulky.”
to “Lifting makes me resilient, available, and powerful.”
This cultural shift builds buy-in and embeds strength work into the daily identity of the team.
Built-In Readiness Monitoring
Another advantage of microdosing is that daily lifting doubles as a readiness check. Every session provides coaches and athletic trainers the chance to observe movement quality and track outputs in real time.
Whether it’s watching jump landings, monitoring bar speeds, or analyzing force plate data, micro-dosing transforms the weight room into a monitoring hub. This information feeds directly into practice and competition planning, giving performance staff a constant pulse on athlete readiness.
Practical Challenges to Consider
Like any model, microdosing has challenges. Success requires:
Proximity: A weight room close to the practice facility to allow seamless transitions.
Equipment: Enough trap bars, racks, and tools for small group efficiency.
Staffing: Coaches available to maintain quality and intent in short windows.
Without these pieces, the model can quickly lose effectiveness.
The Role of Sport Science
Microdosing thrives when paired with integrated sport science support. Data collection is only useful if it flows into action:
Collect.
Analyze.
Adjust.
Implement.
From force plates to wellness surveys, the insights must shape training, not just sit in spreadsheets. Visualization tools and simple reporting systems help coaches adapt quickly and manage players more effectively.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
College athletics has changed. Between NIL, the transfer portal, and shifting eligibility rules, coaches may only have athletes for one season. There’s no time for a slow, multi-year development plan.
That makes rapid onboarding and precise, holistic training more important than ever. Modern testing batteries go beyond strength and power to include movement quality, vision, and even psychological readiness. These insights inform not just training, but role assignments, player availability, and long-term health.
A New Philosophy for In-Season Training
At its core, microdosing is more than a lifting strategy—it’s a philosophy of efficiency, adaptability, and integration.
By embedding performance work into the daily flow of sport, you create athletes who don’t just survive the grind of the season—they thrive, peaking when it matters most.
If your goal is to sustain outputs, protect athlete availability, and build a performance-first culture, microdosing offers a blueprint worth adopting.
The medicine is in the movement, and the movement belongs in the rhythm of every day.
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