Every now and again I'll update you with my own schedule, just to give you an idea of how a club player can do it. Hopefully it will give you some context to my tips.

After upping my calorie intake slightly last time to get more lean muscle I found all that happened was that my weight went up by 1kg and my body fat up by 3%. This could be to do with missing several 5-a-side and sprint sessions too.

So now I have made some slight adjustments to add a bit more intensity to the workout and cut back on the calories (excluding Christmas Day where I fully filled my boots).

I'm still aiming to improve my power and strength as the number one aim. I'll stick to this until January where my yearly plan cycles me onto a new workout.

Higher Intensity Cricket Strength Building Programme

Monday: Power Workout 1
Tuesday: 5-a-side football
Wednesday: Power Workout 2
Thursday: 40m Interval Run
Friday: Base Workout
Saturday: 40m Sprint Sessions
Sunday: Rest

Power Workout 1

After a full warm up do 3 sets of 5 reps with 80% 1RM. Take 2 minutes rest between sets and the whole workout including cool down and stretch takes about an hour.

Hang Clean (superset with 1x3 reps drop jumps)
Front Squat into Push Press (one movement)
Dumbbell Alternate Hang Pull
Alternate Bent Over Row (superset with 1x30 seconds star jumps)
Power Curls
Twist Pulls (3 sets of 20 reps with 10% of body weight)

All alternate exercises use dumbells instead of a barbell, alternating the movement from one side to the other in turn. For example, with the bent over rowing, instead of doing 5 reps on the left, then 5 on the right, 10 reps are done at once alternating from left to right.

Power curls were suggested to me by a fitness instructor in my gym. They look a bit like this, but they are like a normal hammer curl (with alternate arms) done at greater speed (but still under control) driving through the movement. Similar to running on the spot.

Twist pulls are a dynamic core stability exercise using a medicine ball similar to standing twists. The difference is that you do not need a partner. Instead you make a movement similar to a pull shot holding the ball out in front of you.

If I get a chance I will try and get some photos or video up to demonstrate more clearly. I wouldn't recommend trying either of these exercises unless you are fully aware of the risks of these dynamic exercises.

Power Workout 2

After a full warm up do 3 sets of 5 reps with 80% 1RM. Take 2 minutes rest between sets and the whole workout including cool down and stretch takes about an hour. All exercises are done with the focus on powerful rather than slow controlled movements.
All alternate exercises use dumbells instead of a barbell, alternating the movement from one side to the other in turn.

Side Lunge (superset with 1x30 seconds bum kick running)
Alternate Incline Press
Overhand Grip Deadlift
Alternate Shoulder Press
Tricep Dips
Wide Arm Press Ups (2x10 reps) (superset with 1x30 seconds high knee running)

Base Workout

After a full warm up do 3 sets of 10 reps with 70% 1RM. Take 2 minutes rest between sets and the whole workout including cool down and stretch takes about 45 minutes.

All alternate exercises use dumbells instead of a barbell, alternating the movement from one side to the other in turn

Alternate Hang Pull
Chin Up
Dumbell Sumo Squat (3 sets of 20 reps with 10% of body weight)
Plyometric Press Up (3 sets of 6 reps)
Power Lunge (3 sets of 20 reps with 10% of body weight)

Sprint Session

I'm keeping the same sprint training as last time except I am adding some extra sets and adding some longer (80m) and shorter (5-10m) sprints for variety.

Nutrition

Excluding Christmas Day, I have made a slight cut back on my calorie intake while keeping my protein about the same (1-1.5kg per kg in body weight). The aim here is to get rid of the body fat I put back on without compromising my strength increases.

Another progress update soon. What training are you doing at this time of the year?