The Top 5 Mistakes Athletes Make During Pre-Season (And How to Avoid Them)

Every year it happens.
Gyms fill up, teams hit the track again, and everyone’s fired up for a “big season ahead.”

And every year… someone breaks down before Round 1.

As the Head Physiotherapist for the Southport Sharks VFL Men’s team for the past two seasons, I’ve watched countless athletes crush their goals and others crash and burn before the season even starts. The difference often isn’t talent or effort. It’s the small things they get wrong in pre-season that snowball into injuries and frustration later.

Pre-season is where you build your foundation or bury yourself before the season begins. Here are the top five mistakes I see athletes and committed gym-goers make every single pre-season, and how you can avoid them.

1. Going from Zero to Hero Overnight

You can’t out-train a couch and a few too many weekend drinks in one week.

The biggest pre-season killer is ramping up load too quickly sprinting, lifting, and conditioning like you’re still mid-season, even though your body’s been on holiday mode for months.

Tendons, joints, and muscles adapt slower than motivation. That’s why so many athletes feel great for two weeks, then suddenly develop shin splints, hamstring tightness, or back pain.

How to avoid it:
Start 4–6 weeks before official pre-season. Gradually build your training load by 10–15% per week. That means easing into running volume, gym load, and frequency not going all-in from day one.

2. Treating Recovery Like a Luxury

If training is the gas pedal, recovery is the brake.
And too many athletes are flooring it with no way to stop.

Sleep, hydration, nutrition, and active recovery aren’t “extras” they’re part of the program. Neglecting them doesn’t make you tougher; it just shortens your season.

Here’s the kicker: sleep needs aren’t one-size-fits-all.
A power athlete who lifts heavy before work might need nine hours to recover optimally, while a team-sport athlete with double sessions might function best on eight. Even jobs outside sport matter, a tradie who’s on their feet all day needs more rest than a desk worker training after hours. The goal isn’t a magic number; it’s consistency and quality.

How to avoid it:
Plan recovery like training. Schedule rest days, mobility sessions, or light cardio recovery. Track sleep and aim for a regular routine. Pay attention to soreness that lingers, it’s often the first warning sign of overload.

3. Skipping Strength for Cardio (or Vice Versa)

Some athletes live in the gym and forget conditioning. Others run until their legs fall off but haven’t lifted a weight in months.

The truth? Performance lives in the balance.
Strength work builds resilience; cardio builds endurance. You need both.

How to avoid it:
Structure your week with 2–3 strength sessions and 2–3 cardio sessions. Track both, not just one. If you don’t know where your weaknesses are, that’s where a pre-season screen comes in handy.

4. Ignoring the Early Warning Signs

This one frustrates me most.
Athletes start to get niggles, knee twinges, tight calves, sore shoulders, and they push through because they “don’t want to miss training.”

Ignoring pain doesn’t make it go away; it just makes it harder to fix later.

How to avoid it:
Speak up early. Tell your coach or physio when something feels off. Small changes to training loads or exercise technique can prevent weeks (or months) on the sideline. You can’t perform if you’re injured.

5. Thinking Pre-Season Is Only About Fitness

Pre-season isn’t just about building fitness, it’s about building habits.
The athletes who stay consistent year-round are the ones who last.

Consistency beats intensity every time. It’s not about the hardest session you did; it’s about the 50 solid ones that came after.

How to avoid it:
Focus on routine, not perfection. Stack small wins each week, meals, recovery, sleep, mobility, training. When the season hits, you’ll already be ahead of 90% of your competition.

Final Thoughts

Pre-season can either be your biggest opportunity or your biggest trap.
If you treat it with the same intent as competition, you’ll start the year stronger, fitter, and injury-free.

And if you’re not sure where to start, a pre-season strength and movement screen can help identify where you’re at and what to prioritise before the real grind begins.

Because the truth is, success in-season starts months before the first whistle.