How Huddersfield Town will get their squad fit to succeed this summer

We spoke to the club’s head of strength and IDP about the vital weeks before the new League One season

Huddersfield Town will travel to Austria as part of their pre-season regime this summer

The Terriers first-team squad return to pre-season training today. You’re sure to see plenty of coverage of the players going through their paces under new head coach Michael Duff — starting with preliminary fitness tests.

We spoke to Huddersfield Town’s head of strength and independent development plans Callum Adams to get an idea of what lays ahead for the players and how the physical performance team will get them into the best possible condition for a long and arduous League One campaign.

Town have made no secret of the fact that they intend to improve their pre-season regime, feeling that last summer’s preparations did not adequately set them up for a successful Championship campaign.

Nonetheless, we’re a far cry from the days when players would train in bin bags to shed excess pounds after weeks of beers and barbecues in the off-season. The expectation now is that players should arrive back at Canalside ready to hit the ground running. Quite literally.

Adams told We Are Terriers: “I'd say 70% come back fully fit, if you like, and some come back fit. But the majority come back in a good state, and in recent years there’s a lot more tracking capabilities, et cetera [via technology].

“What happens is the lads actually leave in the fittest possible state, but the balance is fatigue — so they also leave in probably the most fatigued state they can be, after 10 to 11 months of a season. That's physical and mental stress.