How Much Do Athletes Really Train A Look at College and High School Workloads

By: Matt Flanagan | Sportzwire | July 1, 2025 | Photo courtesy Matt Flanagan

For many young athletes and their families, the sheer amount of time dedicated to training comes as a surprise. The journey to competing at a high level involves much more than games alone. From early morning lifts to late-night film sessions, serious athletes devote significant hours each week to both developing their skills and building their bodies. Here’s what a typical training schedule looks like for college and high school athletes who compete at a high level.

College Athletes: The Demands of NCAA Competition

For college athletes, especially those in NCAA Division I and II programs, training can resemble the hours of a part-time job—or even more. During their competitive season, NCAA rules set a maximum of 20 hours per week for “countable athletic activities.” This includes practices, games, film sessions, and team meetings.

A breakdown of those hours looks like this:

Skill and Practice Time

College athletes usually spend 15 to 20 hours per week on sport-specific activities. This time covers everything from practices to film review and team meetings.

Strength and Conditioning

In addition to practice, athletes commit 4 to 8 hours each week to physical development. This typically includes:

• Weight room sessions: 2 to 4 times per week, lasting 45 to 75 minutes each, totaling about 3 hours weekly.

• Speed, agility, or conditioning work: 1 to 3 sessions per week, adding another 2 hours weekly.

Optional Individual Work

Most college athletes go above and beyond their team requirements, putting in an extra 2 to 6 hours per week of personal skill work, additional film study, or individual training.

All told, college athletes can spend 25 to 30 hours per week on their sport during the season. During the offseason, when there are fewer team obligations, athletes still devote an average of 12 to 20 hours weekly to lifting, conditioning, and refining skills.

High School Athletes: Laying the Groundwork for the Next Level

For varsity-level high school athletes or those competing in elite club sports, training demands are also significant, although they vary more depending on the program, sport, and individual dedication.

Skill and Practice Time

High school athletes typically practice 4 to 6 days a week for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time, which adds up to about 8 to 12 hours weekly during their season.

Strength and Conditioning

In programs that emphasize physical development, athletes spend 2 to 4 hours each week building strength and speed. This often breaks down to:

• Weight room work: 2 to 3 times per week for 30 to 60 minutes per session.

• Speed, agility, or conditioning work: included as separate sessions or integrated into team practices.

Optional Extra Work

Highly motivated athletes often invest an additional 1 to 5 hours per week on personal training, extra reps, private coaching sessions, or playing pickup games.

Overall, committed high school athletes can spend 10 to 15 hours per week on training during their competitive season. In the offseason, the weekly time commitment varies widely—some athletes reduce their workload if they’re playing other sports, while others focus on improving their strength and skills year-round, logging 5 to 10 hours per week.

Why This Matters

Athletic success doesn’t just happen during game time. It’s the product of countless hours spent practicing, lifting, running, and refining skills. For college athletes, these demands rival the commitment of a part-time job, while serious high school athletes also invest substantial time to set themselves up for future opportunities.

Understanding what goes into an athlete’s weekly schedule helps parents, coaches, and the athletes themselves set realistic expectations, prioritize recovery, and plan effectively. Recognizing the scale of these commitments can also deepen respect for the dedication and discipline it takes to compete at the highest levels of high school and college sports.

Archives

• 2025 (691)
• 2024 (136)