It’s around that season where email questions shift from “How can I bench more?” to “I only have a few weeks left to prepare for the fall sports season—how can I get huge!?”
Unfortunately, if you’ve waited to the last minute, it isn’t going to happen (pending time machine technology). However, if you follow these tips when you hit the gym over the summer, football domination isn’t far away.
1. Are you weak and/or slow? Football requires explosive strength. Some big guys are too slow, and many weak guys are…well…too weak to be explosive. If you’re big and slow, it’s time to get on the dynamic effort movements.
Have you ever seen a spit ball shot at a brick wall? It doesn’t matter how fast it’s shot, the wall always wins. If you’re too weak (and be honest with yourself), concentrate on getting stronger and adding muscle as your primary goal.
2. Include unilateral lifts. I was reviewing the summer program one of our athletes was given and there wasn’t one single unilateral exercise in it. Not a lunge or step-up to be found. Instead it was leg extensions and calf raises.
Sports are played unilaterally. For that matter, life is unilateral. During your accessory portion, unilateral lifts are a must! Perfect choices include lunges of variations, split squats, and step-ups.
3. Get your form right. Football is a game of form and body positioning. If you can’t get into a full squat, how do you ever expect to get into a stance?
You might think I’m crazy, but after I finally learned proper lifting form, my football skills went up dramatically. I learned how to push my hips back (squat and get into a football stance), keep an arch (deadlift and tackling), and brace (everything and everything). Even though the movements and loading patterns are quite different, there is significant carry over between the basics of lifting and the fundamentals of football.
4. Invest in victory. Let’s say I have $1.00 in the bank and you have $100,000. All of a sudden the bank collapses and closes its doors. I don’t care. I just lost $1.00, but you on the other hand lost your life savings. You have much more to fight for than I do.
The same goes for sports. It’s easy to lose when you have nothing invested. If you bust your ass all off-season, that’s a serious investment. It’s psychologically much harder to lose when you have put all that work in.
5. Break your limits. Ever been pushed? I’m talking really pushed to the brink. The football field isn’t the place to “find yourself.” You should have already prepared for physically grueling and mentally challenging situations. Get ready to see what you’re made of in the off-season. I recommend some insane complexes or the Prowler. This isn’t an every day thing, but find out how to flip the switch when you need it.
6. Condition for your position. Linemen shouldn’t spend the off-season “running” half-mile races. I’ve seen it a hundred times, and it’s just terrible. It looks like a pack of injured slugs trying to get out of the sun. And it isn’t their fault!
Linemen aren’t built for marathons. Condition them in short, fast bursts. Get creative and do some upper body conditioning as well (complexes, rope battling). Don’t try to turn linemen into wide receivers. It’s a waste of time.
While I sit here reminiscing about the time spent on the field, I can’t help but hate you a little bit for still getting to live the dream. I’d give anything to stick my hand in the mud on the goal line one more time. Learn from these suggestions and make every second count.