Most people do not understand the schedule that college athletes must endure each day to compete in the sport they love–whether it is the preseason, in-season, or off-season, athletes' schedules are always filled! The combination of lifts, workouts, pick-up sessions, and classes make it crucial that you have good time-management skills. Some days are harder than others because you might not get enough sleep or just feel drained, but being a college athlete teaches you the discipline and the power it takes to just keep moving forward no matter what. Here's what a day in my offseason grind looks like:

8:00-9:15 am

In the offseason, we have morning lifts three days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mondays are usually lower-body days, Wednesdays are upper-body, and Fridays are like a hybrid day. 

9:20-10 am 

After lifts, whoever doesn't have class heads to the dining hall for breakfast, our school serves breakfast till 10 am. 

Related: Recipes for Athletes: The Breakfast Burrito of Champions

11:30-1:20 pm

I have back-to-back classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:30-1:20 and then I'm done. It's a good schedule to have because the classes are not early and don't go that late into the day. 

1:30-2:20 pm

I usually like to get a quick solo workout in after my classes for about 45-50 minutes. These workouts are usually just ball handling and shooting. 

2:30-3:00 pm

I usually like to get lunch or something to eat after my workout like a smoothie and sandwich. 

Related: 3 Athlete-Friendly Smoothie Recipes for Recovery

4:00-6:00 pm

Depending on the schedule of the gym, we have team pick-up three days a week. The times can sometimes change but we mostly play from 4-6 pm. This is when we just get together and play pick-up basketball as we would at the park when we were younger. 

6:15-6:45 pm

After the pick-up, the team usually heads over to dinner at the dining hall together for dinner. 

7:30-9:30/10 pm

This is the time I usually use to catch up on my work and studies. The time will always vary depending on how much work I have to do. 

What's a day in your life like? Share your Daily Grind at [email protected].

Image Credit: Washington College Athletics

* Originally published on May 24, 2023, by Jason Zielinski