Running. That is what the early stages of pre-season are all about, isn't it?

When players return to their clubs after their summer breaks, the first focus, around six weeks out from the start of the new campaign, is getting back up to fitness.

That is why, at Burton Albion, the squad undergo various fitness tests in the opening days of pre-season, including the dreaded 'yo-yo' - an adaptation of the bleep test.

But there is much more to Albion's early preparations than just sprinting between cones or doing endless laps of the pitch.

There is more to pre-season than hours of running
There is more to pre-season than hours of running

"We do weighing and fat tests on day one, and the boys do the jump test and a yo-yo test," says Brewers sports scientist Chris Beardsley, a regular on-field sight on matchdays, where he leads the Albion warm-up.

"Then we do get the footballs out in the afternoon, it's just a light session, in terms of just getting the body moving again.

"We've stepped it up a bit with some more running this morning (Wednesday), and then again set the football up this afternoon - the first bit of actual possession-based training.

"It's just to get the boys used to it, get the bodies moving.

"Sometimes it's actually not the straight-line running that's the hardest and that they struggle with the most.

"A lot of it comes from the twisting and turning and various stuff like that, the groins and stuff, because over the off-season, that's the stuff they haven't been doing."

Beardsley references the things players have not been doing in the off-season because there is plenty of work the Albion squad has undertaken since their relegation to League One.

Burton Albion fitness coach Chris Beardsley during his time with Stevenage
Burton Albion fitness coach Chris Beardsley during his time with Stevenage

While the first official day of pre-season was July 2, the Brewers players were given personalised training plans for the summer to ensure they were already in a strong position when hitting the St George's Park pitches this week.

Some have even done individual sessions with Beardsley, with the aim of giving themselves a headstart.

A complete, uninterrupted pre-season programme is crucial, especially in the early weeks of the campaign.

Albion discovered as much last season, when Tom Flanagan and Hope Akpan, who both signed late in the summer, noticeably took time to get up to optimum match fitness during the opening games of the season.

It is one reason why Clough will be pleased to have got their first signings completed this week, meaning Scott Fraser and David Templeton will benefit from an almost entire pre-season programme at St George's Park.

"I think if you do miss these first few weeks, like we had in the past couple of seasons, where we got signings in late, you always struggle with those athletes to catch up," adds Beardsley.

"The importance of it is there for everyone to see.

"Players that have sometimes missed pre-season will always back that up in saying, 'it took me so long to get up to pace'.

Tom Flanagan missed Burton's pre-season last summer
Tom Flanagan missed Burton's pre-season last summer

"The running is a necessity in terms of how fast the game is nowadays, how physical it is.

"To be fair to our boys, they've got on with the last few days, and hopefully they will do for the rest of pre-season, and we'll see the benefits once we start for real."

Most League players with a full pre-season under their belts should be fresh, fit and firing when the whistle goes on August 4.

But the hard work put in throughout July also serves the purpose of getting a squad in a state of fitness that can see them through the strain of a 50-plus-game, nine-month long campaign.

While Albion will have fewer midweek League games this season following their relegation out of the Championship, they will be involved in the Checkatrade Trophy and could also go on another lengthy Carabao Cup run.

For Beardsley, much of the focus in the coming days is about ensuring players are able to recover and go again after games of that regularity, without picking up injuries.

"We've always stated that to get a footballer fit to play football is probably the easiest bit of the job," he says.

"It's keeping them fit and strong and at a level where they are going to be at their best over a 46 or 50-game season that is actually the bigger task at hand.

"And that is the key. Can we keep them fit, strong and even maybe over the season keep improving those levels?

"The recovery is important as well. Can we get them to recover quicker and better, to go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday?

"It's something we've spoken about and the stuff we've slowly brought into our training will hopefully see us through the season.

"Every individual player is different, so what will work for one might not work for another.

Burton Albion trainee Tomas Egert limbers up on the first day of pre-season
Burton Albion trainee Tomas Egert limbers up on the first day of pre-season

"We have an ice bath on site, we've got the recovery pool and facilities up at St George's Park, we do yoga and various other things, the boys do individual sessions of pilates.

"We try to cater for everyone's needs, whatever stage they are in their career.

"There are a lot of boxes to be ticked to get it right - and that's before a ball is even kicked."