Dundee boss Paul Hartley wants his players to outrun rather than outmuscle teams as they attempt to win the Championship.
Hartley has ordered the league-leading Dark Blues to stop pumping iron and instead put all their strength into being quicker than the opposition.
The message is clear put away the weights and put on running shoes instead.I want to cut out the gym sessions,” said Hartley, who enjoyed a successful start to his Dens career by beating promotion rivals Hamilton Accies last weekend.
“I don’t want the boys to be doing any more weights. Instead of power and strength I would prefer to have power and speed.
“I think you can overdo the weighttraining. Some players want to get too bulked up. That comes from the individual because they want to see themselves get big and strong. The problem is, though, that you lose sharpness and pace. There is no point being big and strong if you can’t run.
“So we have put a stop to that.”
The ditching of the weight training is just one of the changes Hartley has made since taking over from John Brown.
He added: “We have the players going into ice baths after every training session and games now. That is a must.It is all about recovery. Cool-downs after training, measuring body-fat levels,hydration and testing urine samples.
“Also, we are looking at what the players are eating for pre-meals. The intensity of our training is going to pick up as the week goes on.
“On Monday and Tuesday we will have tough, tough sessions, there will be recovery time on Wednesday, then Thursday andFriday will be more game-related.
“We will also be organising them and naming the team on a Thursday.
“That gives the players time to soak up the information. Every player will get their own copy of the report on the opposition,covering formation and the other side’splayers.
“I did it all at Celtic and Hearts as a player then took it into management at Alloa and now to Dens.”
As Hartley prepares for Saturday’stricky-looking trip to Queen of the South, he revealed Dundee will be really positive in the way they approach every game.
He said: “I have seen Dundee quite a bit this season and at times I thought it was too negative. So we’re trying to be a bit morepositive in terms of getting through people andmoving the ball more quickly.
“The players’ first thought must be to go forward now. It’s not always possible but that’s what we have to aim for.”
Meanwhile, former Dundee midfielder Craig Forsyth could earn a Scotland call-up for the friendly in Poland on March 5.
The 24-year-old was watched by national coach Gordon Strachan when he played for Derby County in their 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Monday night.
“We’ve been watching lads at Derby, not so much Craig Bryson but CraigForsyth,” confirmed Scots assistant boss Mark McGhee.
Carnoustie-born Forsyth made 69appearances in five years at Dens Park before he joined Watford in 2011.