Players at Preston North End Football Club may have to hit the treadmill instead of the beach this year after the team"s manager Alan Irvine issued them with fitness DVDs to take home for the summer, according to reports.

The Lancashire Evening Post says that Irvine issued each player with a personalised fitness programme and DVD after one-on-one meetings ahead of their end-of-season break.

And the manager has warned his charges that although the summer fitness programme is essentially voluntary, they could be in for a rude awakening if they do not keep up their exercise in the close season.

Players have a two-month break before the start of pre-season training on July 1st, the newspaper adds.

Irvine said it is up to the players whether or not they keep to the training plan during the off-season.

"But I would certainly recommend that they do, because if they don"t they will find pre-season extremely uncomfortable," he added.

Preston finished 15th in the Championship last season, avoiding relegation by four points.

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