Most people think these trips are a bit of sun, a few sessions, and some recovery on the side.

That’s not really what’s going on.

Everything is planned across the week so squads can actually get quality work done without burning out.

This isn’t set in stone and will vary between squads depending on schedule, facilities, time of year and priorities, but the top setups follow similar principles.

It’s based on interviews and insights from players and coaches, plus how I’d structure it from an S&C point of view.

They live like professional athletes for a few days and get 10x the quality work done they normally would in a standard week.

Here are three sample days of how it might look for a top county squad pre-championship:

Day 1 – Moderate Load

The first day is often about setting the tone without overloading the players too early.

They're coming off travel, different sleep, maybe a bit of stiffness. So you don’t go straight into a max session.

Morning usually starts with:

• Breakfast
• Video analysis (tight, focused, 20–30 mins)
• Upper gym session paired with pitch prep
• Full pitch session (often conditioned games like 15v15)

That gym + pitch combo is deliberate.

You get a strength stimulus, then straight into applying it on the field. It’s not about chasing PBs in the gym. It’s about priming the system.

Afternoon:
• Lunch
• Short tactical review or unit meetings

Evening:
• Recovery (sauna, plunge, physio)
• Dinner
• Downtime
• Team activity

Load-wise, this sits around moderate.

Enough to get a proper hit of work, but not so much that it ruins the next few days.

The key here is rhythm. Getting the squad into a routine straight away.

Day 2 – Mixed / Lighter Day

Good setups use mixed days, not just high or low loads. Still productive, just different stress.

Morning:

• Skills session on pitch
• Lower gym session (done post pitch to maximise the skills element)

The pitch work here is often more technical. Touch, decision-making, positioning.

Afternoon:
• Walkthroughs
• Set plays
• Off-feet conditioning (bike, wattbike, tempo intervals)

That off-feet conditioning is a big one.

You can build engine without adding more pounding to the legs. Especially important when you’ve heavy pitch work either side of it.

Evening:
• Recovery / mobility
• Dinner
• Team activity

This day helps lads freshen up slightly while still improving.

You’re layering work instead of just stacking fatigue.

Day 3 – High Load Day (The big hit)

This is usually the toughest day of the block. Generally it's done after a lighter day.

By now, lads are settled, moving well, and you can push things.

Morning:
• Video analysis
• Heavy pitch session

This is where you’ll see the most intensity.

Full pitch, high speed exposures, repeat efforts, game-like scenarios. You’re trying to stress the system properly.

Afternoon:
• Gym (prehab, mobility, accessories)
• Recovery session

Notice the gym here isn’t heavy.

You’ve already stressed them on the pitch. The gym becomes about keeping things ticking, injury prevention, and maintaining strength qualities.

Evening:
• Dinner
• Team activity
• Downtime

This is where proper planning matters.

If you just hammer lads here without recovery around it, the rest of the week falls apart.

But in a camp setup, everything is built to support this day.

What actually makes these camps work

It’s not just the sessions.

It’s everything around them.

Nutrition is matched to the workload.

Higher carb intake on heavier days, proper fuelling before and after sessions.

Recovery is built in every day.

Not optional. It’s part of the schedule. Recovery suits on-site mean players will naturally make use of the facilities in their downtime.

Facilities mean everything is in one place.

Pitch, gym, recovery, meeting rooms. No wasted time travelling.

Even downtime is controlled.

Players switch off, but within a structure.

And probably the biggest one people overlook:

Team bonding.

Spending a week together helps bring a squad tighter together.

New players integrate quicker. That's why Andy Moran brought Mayo on a week to Portugal at the start of their pre-season training.

Standards get reinforced.

You build connections you don’t get from three sessions a week at home.

Most club players will never experience this level of structure.

But the takeaway for players and coaches isn’t to copy everything.

It’s to understand the intent behind it.

• Manage load across the week
• Don’t stack hard days back to back
• Use lighter days properly
• Build recovery, prehab, injury prevention and mobility work into the plan, not after it

That’s what actually drives progress.

Not just doing more.

Doing it in the right order with the correct structure.