THE TRAINING wheels are off, and for the first time in its short history Gold Coast will undertake the same workload as a mature AFL list, says physical performance manager Stephen Schwerdt.
For their first three years in the AFL, the majority of Suns players have been on modified training loads as their young and under-developed bodies adjusted to the big time.
But now entering their fourth season, Schwerdt said the kid gloves were off.
Schwerdt has now worked with the Suns for 12 months, and on the opening day of pre-season, said they were ready to take a step up.
"We're thinking about 10 to 15 per cent (extra) this pre-season," Schwerdt said.
"That doesn't mean you train for 10 to 15 per cent longer, it may mean we do things at more intensity.
"It'll be a bit of trial and error as we go through the pre-season and see how they handle it. If they're handling it well, we might ask a bit more of them."
Schwerdt said he now knew the intricacies of every individual and could adjust accordingly.
The Suns' one to four year players – a majority of their list – returned in great shape at Metricon Stadium on Wednesday.
Jeremy Taylor won the club's 2km time trial from a close-knit pack that included Dion Prestia, Jaeger O'Meara and David Swallow.
Harley Bennell was a surprise packet towards the front-end, while Michael Rischitelli also returned earlier than expected and ran strongly.
Schwerdt said despite the number of interchanges being limited to 120 per match in 2014, it would make little difference to the way he prepared.
"It will make it a bit more of a continuous type of game, where the players don't get as much break," he said.
"How that pans out and to what degree I'm not sure, but I think you'll find clubs will err on the side of being a bit more of an endurance, aerobic focus.
"Our team needs that anyway, so that's a focus of us irrespective of the rotation caps. That's where we need to improve physically as a team."
The Suns depart for a two-week altitude training camp in Arizona on Sunday
