The GIANTS will once again head north for a week-long training camp before the Christmas break. 

The entire GIANTS playing group and football staff will head to Noosa for the third consecutive year from Sunday to Saturday.

The week-long training camp includes sessions at the Noosa Tigers Football Club, a session on Noosa beach on Tuesday and the annual McConnell Cup cross-country race.

It’ll be the final week of training for the players before they have two weeks off over the Christmas and New Years period.

The GIANTS are one of seven AFL clubs heading to the Sunshine Coast during this pre-season with St Kilda, Hawthorn, Collingwood, the Brisbane Lions, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne all travelling to Maroochydore while the GIANTS head 40km north to Noosa.

GIANTS’ Head of Athletic Performance David Joyce said travelling to the region was both a physical and mental stimulus.

"My belief, and I think science is starting to back it up, is the effects from heat acclimation training is as good, if not better, than altitude," Joyce told AFL.com.au.

"And the fact is we don't have a lot of altitude in this country, so if it's 50-50, you go somewhere hot.

"Sydney is hot at this time of year, but what Noosa gives us is greater exposure to humidity, which will help us in the early and late months of season.

"Altitude training is clearly effective, but when you look closely at the research, altitude is effective for a short period, and you need to do it over an extended period of time to get that physical adaptation.

"So at the end of the day, is the juice worth the squeeze?"

Joyce says the notion of the pre-season camp is crucial for development in other areas than simply physical preparation, particularly leadership.

"It's not just an opportunity to flog the boys … it's a holistic way of looking at athletic preparation and leadership," he said.

"Our grounds are fairly strongly based in science and leadership principles. It's hardly surprising there's a trend that way (in the industry)."

The GIANTS will head to Noosa from Sunday, December 13 until Saturday, December 19 with full coverage on gwsgiants.com.au.