Summer Workout for Football Prep

The summer program for college football prep is a continuation of the one began in January. This particular phase will go seven weeks and take us to our peaking phase in July. The program is basic and includes a combination of strength training and olympic style lifts.

These days all athletes are using the weight room for performance enhancement and injury prevention. Exercise selection is important. You must match the work done in the weight room as closely as possible to the energy demands of the sport. Football requires 4-10 seconds of all out explosive effort with a rest interval between plays of about 1 minute. This is why the olympic lifts have achieved such a high priority in football and other sport training. Rep ranges as the season nears are no more than 4 or 5 and the training peaks as training camp begins. From there all your work is to maintain strength as the season progresses. Our goal is to maintain strength levels at 85-95 percent for the duration of the season. Free weight exercises, with attention to dumbbell work, are to be emphasized. Strength imbalances will lead to injury and are easily detected and corrected using dumbbells.

Pay attention to recuperation. Work in the weight room not facilitated by proper recovery techniques will slow progress. Keep the sessions intense and short, no more than an hour. Remember you are using the weight room in conjunction with practicing and need to pay attention to the total volume of the combined work, not just lifting weights. I think choosing a performance outcome is a valuable motivation tool for anybody lifting weights. I ask clients all the time how are they going to apply their improved capacity outside the weight room? Right now I am preparing a client for a hike up to the top of Mt. Whitney. The training focus is precise and the anticipation of a successful ascent keep motivation at a high level. Think of something you want to do or do better and then design a program for enhanced success in the weight room. It's not too early to think about preparing for your best ski season yet.

Steve K.

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