When training, preparing, and coaching defensive linemen, it’s important to remember that the American football defensive lineman is one of the more unique athletes on the face of the earth. It has long been said that the average football lineman engages in the equivalent of approximately 50–65 car crashes every game. Ouch! Let’s take this one step further. The American football defensive lineman initiates these collision type crashes from 1–2 yards away, all while having the responsibilities of disengaging and pursuing the ball carrier. These dudes definitely earn their pay.
Because of this unique responsibility/requirement, strength and conditioning coaches must consider programming that will equip the athlete for all of this. I’ve listed some exercises we do to prepare our linemen for their season, but first let’s look at the list of requirements placed on the defensive lineman for an average play.
1. Initiate collision and absorb impact.
2. Drive against one or sometimes even two offenders at one time.
3. Disengage the blocker and pursue the ball.
4. Tackle the ball and/or whoever has it.
All of these items require power, raw strength, speed, agility, superb conditioning, and overall mental toughness! With this in mind, here are my (I hate the term ‘best’) favorite five exercises for building a dominant defensive lineman.
1. Heavy trap bar deadlift: The reason this is number one is because of the initial burst of raw power needed to move the bar. This pre-coiled position teaches good bend and helps develop explosive hips as the athlete moves the bar vertically.
No trap bar? No problem! Use a medicine ball. Hold it in front of your chest (like you were doing a chest pass). Assume the pre-coiled squat position, and on command, explode vertically, pressing the ball as high as humanly possible while jumping as high as possible. Land with good posture and repeat.
2. Kneeling medicine ball coil press and push-up: This exercise is great for using the hips and upper body power. It teaches the similar mechanics as the defensive linemen use in horizontal pressing. Best of all, it teaches how to absorb impact in the chest and shoulders. The emphasis on falling to the floor and exploding back to an upright kneeling position is the key!
Here’s a video of a medicine ball coil press and push-up drill:
3. Up-hill truck push: The up-hill feature adds the element of the "fight back." All too often, defensive linemen practice pushing something that doesn’t push back. Well, in every game I’ve ever played in, the offensive linemen pushed back. If you use a slight (and I mean very slight) hill or slope, the truck will still budge, but it will most certainly push back if you don’t use proper leverage. Pushes on a flat surface aren’t any good because momentum takes over and the vehicle rolls on its own. So a 5–10 degree slope is best.
Here’s a video of an up-hill truck push:
*Disclaimer: This exercise should be done with a sound, proven coach or instructor. Using a very steep hill, unsafe footing, and/or an oversized vehicle can and probably will cause injury. Please be wise when performing this drill. It’s intended to help’ not hurt.
If you feel this is too risky, use a Prowler! You don’t need a hill because a Prowler won’t roll, but it also won’t push back. They are great tools for developing overall strength and power. We use them every week here. Either way you go, be wise.
4. Push-up sprints with pursuit: Have the athletes start on the ground in the push-up position. Then have them push up directly to their feet and begin a 5–10 yard sprint. After that, have them stop, redirect, and sprint to an area of choice (sort of like a pursuit drill seen at football practices all across the country).
Here’s a video of a push-up sprint:
You can add ball drops or partner chasing for increased intensity. Another great tool is a drive portion where the athlete pushes off the floor, drives the Prowler for 5 yards and then redirects into a full scale pursuit sprint. Come up with your own variation and have fun with it!
5. One-arm dumbbell row (4–6 second eccentric/1 second concentric action): This exercise may be the simplest but hardest to perform. We’re basically using an old school bodybuilding technique to help build mass and strength for the back and shoulders. Because of the high impact collisions that take place, our backs and shoulders must be able to withstand the test time after time after time. We perform this for 2–4 sets with heavy weights and low reps (usually 4–7 reps). This exercise may not seem to fit, but performed over time with attention to detail, it can add tons of muscle to the back, which will help the athletes sustain those high impact collisions in every game.
Don't have heavy dumbbells? Try slow eccentric pull-ups using a neutral grip. You can use the same rep and set scheme to help build a very strong back.
There you have it. Try these exercises along with any other favorites you may have when preparing your defensive linemen and watch them dominate. Get strong and be explosive!