A group of Crows players continued to train together throughout their break to give themselves a flying start to the 2017 pre-season, young defender Jake Lever has revealed.

Adelaide’s 1-4 year players officially returned to training on Monday morning, kicking things off with a 2km time trial at the SA Athletics Stadium.

Several Crows notched personal best times in the trial, which was won by Riley Knight, as the Club’s youngsters were put through their paces.

Lever said he was unsurprised by the condition of his teammates given the volume of work many had done together in their time away from the Club.

“Everyone’s come back in pretty good shape,” Lever said.

"I don't think there was anyone that struggled, because for the last couple of weeks the boys have been getting down together to a local oval and we've just been training really hard.

"Unless you're overseas for eight weeks of the break, you really can't come back and struggle, because there's always boys pushing you along.

“Two or three weeks ago we organised to get down together and train together. When you’re training by yourself, it’s really hard. You don’t want to be down there for an hour and a half or two hours running around by yourself while everyone else is looking at you.

“I know with me personally it's been a real help being in Adelaide for the last three or four weeks and getting everyone down there because it’s obviously a lot harder to run 11 or 12km by yourself than it is to run it with the other fellas.”

Up to a dozen Crows met regularly to push one another through their individualised running programs. Players also filed through the Club gym, again in groups, in the final weeks of the break in their own time.

Lever said the offseason sessions were a sign of the strong spirit shared among the playing squad.

“With the extra year, you come together more, you make more mates and you get closer to one another,” he said.

“You bring draftees in and the group gets tighter because you’ve been together a year more. We’re building a really strong culture around here.”

Photo Gallery: 1-4 players return

After advancing through an Elimination Final clash with North Melbourne, Adelaide’s 2016 season came to an abrupt end at the hands of Sydney at the SCG.

Unsatisfied with how the year ended, Lever said hard work and natural progression would see the Club improve as the Crows aim towards a third consecutive finals campaign.

“I think you progress naturally as a football club,” Lever said.

“You’ve got blokes like Cameron Ellis-Yolmen, Harrison Wigg, and the Crouch brothers are naturally going to progress.

“The day you stop improving is the day that you shouldn’t be here anymore.”

It’s that same philosophy that saw captain Taylor Walker and reigning Club Champion Rory Sloane join their younger teammates for Monday’s session.

Adelaide’s senior players aren’t expected back at the Club until next month, but the duo returned to set the example on the first official day of pre-season.

"Tex was in pretty good shape, he looked quite big," Lever said.

"I saw a photo before on Twitter when I was standing next to him… I'll have to stand clear of that.

"It's great for the young guys to know the captain's there and obviously Sloaney is a great leader of our football club.

"Really impressed with how both of them turned up."