Gym Training for Sports Performance: Footy, Soccer, Basketball and Netball
Gym Training for Sports Performance: Footy, Soccer, Basketball and Netball
Our Clayton, Burwood, and Scoresby locations offer more than generic fitness programs. With Sports Science-educated trainers programming your training, rehabilitation specialists preventing injuries, and specialised amenities like Scoresby's outdoor basketball court with NBA-spec line markings, we provide the complete performance package that serious athletes need.
Why Sport-Specific Training Matters
The days of just "getting fit" for sport are done. Modern athletes need targeted strength, explosive power, injury resilience, and sport-specific conditioning that generic gym programs simply don't deliver. A footy player needs to absorb tackles that would floor most people. A soccer midfielder has to sprint repeatedly while maintaining technical precision. A basketball player requires vertical explosiveness combined with court agility that makes defenders look flat-footed.
Generic gym programs miss these crucial elements. Sport-specific training at Training Day addresses the exact physical demands your body faces during competition. Our team—including Sports Science graduates—understands biomechanics, energy systems, and movement patterns specific to each sport. We design programs that actually transfer to game-day performance, not just mirror selfies.
AFL and Footy Training: Built For Contact
Australian Rules Football demands explosive power that few sports can match.
Strength for Collision Sports
Footy is fundamentally a collision sport. Our strength programs focus on building resilient muscles, tendons, and connective tissues that absorb impact without breaking down. Key exercises include compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press for total-body strength. Trap bar deadlifts develop explosive hip power for marking contests. Single-leg work addresses the imbalances common in footy players.
At our Scoresby, Clayton, and Burwood locations, you'll find competition-grade equipment including Swedish-made Eleiko barbells and Rogue powerlifting gear. With over 15 squatting stations at Clayton alone and multiple lifting platforms across all locations, there's no waiting for equipment and no compromised form due to crowded spaces—just proper strength development.
Power and Conditioning for Four Quarters
Olympic lifting variations like hang cleans teach your body to generate force rapidly. Plyometric exercises including box jumps and medicine ball throws translate directly to marking contests. Our sled work on Scoresby's turf track builds sprint-specific power that shows up when you're chasing down opponents in the final quarter.
Training Day's conditioning programs use interval training that mirrors game intensity, high-effort bursts followed by active recovery, exactly like footy match play. Our Strength & Conditioning classes complement gym work by teaching athletes to sustain performance under fatigue.
Soccer Training: Endurance Meets Precision
Soccer demands a unique fitness profile: aerobic endurance combined with repeated sprint ability, technical skill under fatigue, and the core stability required for ball control and shooting power.
Building Your Aerobic Engine
Soccer requires sustained effort with intermittent high-intensity sprints. Our conditioning programs develop these dual demands through strategically programmed cardio and interval training. Long-duration work on our curved treadmills, rowers, and Airdyne bikes builds your aerobic base, while repeated sprint intervals teach your body to recover quickly between efforts.
Core Strength and Lower Body Power
Every soccer action—passing, shooting, heading, shielding the ball—originates from your core. Training Day's core development goes beyond basic planks and crunches. Anti-rotation exercises using cable machines teach your core to resist twisting forces during challenges. Pallof presses, landmine rotations, and medicine ball throws develop the rotational power needed for powerful shooting.
Soccer's constant direction changes, acceleration bursts, and jumping for headers require exceptional lower body power. Squats and deadlifts build baseline strength. We then express this strength through box jumps, lateral bounds, and agility work that mimics soccer's movement demands. Your first touch doesn't mean much if you can't win the physical battle to receive the ball.
Basketball Training: Vertical Power Meets Court Speed
Basketball combines vertical explosiveness, multi-directional speed, and the endurance to maintain both throughout the game. Training Day's basketball-specific programs, highlighted by Scoresby's actual outdoor basketball court, provide everything serious basketball players need.
Developing Your Vertical Jump
Rebounding, shot-blocking, and finishing at the rim all require exceptional vertical jump ability. The foundation starts with posterior chain strength through squats, deadlifts, and Romanian deadlifts. We then progress to Olympic lifting variations like hang cleans that teach explosive hip extension, the primary driver of vertical jump height. Plyometric progressions follow, carefully monitored to maximise adaptation whilst preventing overuse injuries.
The Scoresby Basketball Court Advantage
Training Day Scoresby offers something special: an actual outdoor basketball half-court with NBA-spec line markings, commercial shock-absorbing flooring, and a spring-loaded basketball ring system anchored into the ground and bolted onto a full-sized glass backboard.
After your gym session, developing strength and power, you can immediately apply these qualities on the court. Practise your vertical jump in game-realistic conditions. Work on explosive first-step acceleration. The court provides 24-hour access to members, meaning you can get shots up before dawn or perfect your game late at night. As a second function, this court can also be used for pickleball.
Many basketball players train in gyms and then practise separately on courts. Training Day Scoresby eliminates this separation, allowing seamless integration between your strength work and basketball-specific training in one location.
Netball Training: Explosive Power and Landing Control
Netball players benefit significantly from targeted strength training that addresses the sport's unique demands—repeated maximal jumps, precise landing mechanics, and explosive changes of direction. Eccentric strength work and landing control exercises help prevent common knee and ankle injuries. Single-leg exercises including Bulgarian split squats and single-leg Romanian deadlifts develop the unilateral strength essential for netball's pivoting and landing patterns. Our trainers can tailor programming during your consultation to address position-specific needs.
The Training Day Sports Performance Advantage
What separates Training Day's sports performance training from generic gym programs? It's the combination of expert programming, complete facilities, and a genuine understanding of athlete development.
Sports Science-Educated Programming
Anyone can make you tired. Our team, including Sports Science graduates, makes you better. They understand periodisation, how to structure your training year so you peak for competition season rather than burning out halfway through. They programme progressive overload that builds strength and power systematically. They know which exercises transfer to your sport and which waste your time.
Injury Prevention Specialists
Injuries end more athletic careers than lack of talent ever does. Our rehabilitation specialists and strength coaches identify movement deficiencies and physical imbalances before they become injuries. They assess your mobility, strength imbalances, and movement patterns, then design prehabilitation programs that keep you healthy throughout your season.
Complimentary Trainer Consultations
Every athlete is different. Training Day offers complimentary trainer consultations where our Sports Science-educated team assesses your needs and designs programs specific to your sport and circumstances. During this consultation, we discuss your athletic background, identify physical limiters, and create a roadmap for your development.
Location-Specific Amenities
Each Training Day location offers unique advantages. Scoresby's basketball court and turf track provide sport-specific training environments. All locations feature private recovery rooms with infrared saunas that accelerate post-training recovery, amenities that professional athletes use daily, now available to you as part of your membership.
Ready to Elevate Your Game?
The physical work you do off the field determines your on-field performance. Book your complimentary trainer consultation at Training Day's Clayton, Burwood, or Scoresby location. Our Sports Science-educated team will assess your athletic needs and design programming that takes your performance to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many gym sessions weekly should athletes complete?
Training frequency depends on your season phase. Off-season typically involves 3-4 gym sessions weekly. In-season usually reduces to 1-2 maintenance sessions. Our qualified personal trainers programme is appropriate frequency during your complimentary trainer consultation.
Will strength training make me slower?
This myth persists despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Properly programmed strength training improves power, speed, and movement quality whilst reducing injury risk. Research consistently shows that strength-trained athletes outperform untrained athletes across all measures, including speed and agility.
Can beginners benefit from sports performance training?
Absolutely. Beginning athletes often experience the most dramatic improvements. Our trainers modify exercises for your current ability whilst progressing you systematically.
What if I have previous injuries?
Our rehabilitation specialists and strength coaches work with injury histories. During your consultation, we discuss previous injuries and current limitations, then design programs that work around restrictions whilst addressing underlying deficits.
Can I try Training Day before committing?
Yes. We offer a 7-day free trial pass that includes gym access, group fitness classes, and our recovery facilities. Visit any location during staffed hours to activate your trial pass.