Head of Sports Science Damien Doyle has been pushing the MK Dons players to the limit this week in a bid to get them ready for their pre-season camp in Ireland.
since Monday, undergoing a series of pre-season tests and fitness exercises designed to prepare them for the more football-specific training they will do just outside the Irish capital of Dublin.mkstadiumKarl Robinson’s squad have been back at
“We work in sets of three days on and one day off,” Doyle explained in an interview with MK Dons Player. “The first set of three has all been about preparing to train.
“It’s all about getting them back to a level we’re comfortable they can do anything at, so it has been a lot more running based.
He continued: “The next sets after this will all be football-based training. It will be more about playing games and specific drills that can help them become functionally as fit as they possibly can.”
One of the more gruelling parts of pre-season is the yo-yo test the Dons players undertook on Tuesday, which aims to achieve maximum heart rates with a focus on determining football-specific fitness.
Although the whole group impressed, it was George Baldock and Lee Hodson who were the last two players remaining, the latter having just recovered fully from a hip injury he was forced to rehabilitate during most of the off-season.
Doyle added: “Lee worked hard with Simon (Crampton) and Adam (Ross) all the way through the back end of last season. He had quite a strict off-season programme to do and he’s come back a lot leaner than he was last year.
“He’s worked very hard in the off-season and he’s seeing the dividends now.”