ELITE FOOTBALL OFF-SEASON STRENGTH PROGRAM

ELITE FOOTBALL OFF-SEASON STRENGTH PROGRAM

Pete Bommarito, MS, CSCS, USAW, MATCS, MAT Jumpstart

 

Elite status in football can be categorized as any fully-grown elite high school player that has years of strength training experience, a collegiate player, or a professional player.  While this program was designed specifically for Lineman, it has been also utilized for skill players needing to add muscle, strength, or a combination of both.  It is one of the more aggressive programs designed in terms of overall volume and a progressive intensity with variable loading and speed strength development.  It is also very sport and position specific, especially at positions like Lineman that hit on every player and have to grapple a lot.  Note that the overall theme, especially in the Intensification phase, is a lot of work on the upper Posterior Chain.  This type of intense and high volume mass/strength building is essential for extreme contact athletes like Lineman.

INTENSIFICATION

With football, we usually undergo two different Intensification phases throughout an off-season.  First, after a brief GPP phase after the season.  This Intensification phase is usually pretty standard – normal progressive increases of volume and intensity to set the base for speed-strength work before OTA’s or Spring Ball.  Once the summer hits and preparation for camp ensues, we usually have 7-9 weeks total.  In this time block, an aggressive Intensification exemplified here is more applicable.  The base is already set; a good microcycle of speed strength and power is already peaked before OTA’s and spring ball.

When coming out into the summer, we’ve had good success with hitting really high volumes in an elite Intensification phase.  Note that some of the posterior chain work of the upper body even has a “German Volume” feel to it.  These concepts used for the German Olympic athletes that have been widely popularized in the American Bodybuilding culture, really apply to this phase.

Week 1

Note that the upper body is split into moderate strength in Day 1, German Volume Training GVT of upper pull on Day 1; and a push/pull complex of GVT in Day 3.  There is also a pure strength split of the lower push series of double leg on Day 2 and single leg on Day 3.  The lower posterior chain work is heavy into isometrics, and eccentric loading.

Week 2

Note the progressive overload from week 1.  The upper body progresses into lower volume / higher intensity, with more variable loading.  Using multiple chains on a partial pressing such as a floor press really helps with accommodating resistance as more max strength is built.  The GVT complex on Day 3 is also progressed with volume.  Also note that the shoulder strengthening is progressed by isometric strengthening volume (131 tempo in week 1 to 141 tempo in week 2).  Note that the posterior chain lower is still focused in isometrics, but a different, more advanced stimulus is now created with the SL holds.

Also note that the Olympic lift partials are still complexed with the lower body DL/SL split between days 2 and 4 – really pushing the limits of Post-Activation Potentiation of pure power development.

Week 3

The progression into pure maximum strength is now complete – with intensity progressing above 90%, and again an overload with increased variable loading moving into triple chains.  At this point, some of our most advanced Lineman and experienced lifters even progressed into 4 and 5 chains each side.  The push to standard GVT push/pull split is complete on Day 3, with 10×10 on each.  The lower body really focuses on max strength on both the DL and SL lower body days.  Note that this is so aggressive, that some players needed to do more of a recovery day on Day 4 (see the body weight SL box squat option).

CONJUGATE/DYNAMIC

This phase is definitely a favorite of ours with regards to building speed-strength, strength-speed, and peaking power at the end of the microcycle.  As opposed to doing a typical max strength / speed-strength split with upper body, the focus is more on resetting the pressing volume of moderate strength, pure strength, and maximal absolute strength between Day 1 of all three weeks.  Note the variable loading has now progressed into bands on the “strength” day 1.  Also, with regards to speed-strength or strength-speed:  the tempo still follows a standard 21X on the first week.  It’s essential to keep building eccentric loading and isometric pause into pure concentric power.  This type of overload will progress efficiently into a dynamic eccentric on the dynamic day; if the athlete is ready for it by weeks 2 or 3.

While this might not follow exactly into the standard “Conjugate-Dynamic” microcycles popularized by the Powerlifting community, it has very similar concepts.  It’s important to understand that the concepts can be similar; but the progressions and exercise selection needs to be modified to a football players that may have injuries and/or wear and tear coming off a season and/or OTA’s/spring ball.

Week 1

This week is focused on moderate strength of the upper body with variable loading, followed by heavy volume of pure concentric work with sled rowing/tricep work.  Note that the most efficient way to really begin the speed-strength work on day 2 lower pressing is to stay consistent on the belt squat from a box.  The max effort work on lower body is typically SL work.  For some lineman that are aligned properly and need to add muscle/strength, we do some DL Olympic squats in place of this SL work.

Note that the posterior chain work has now progressed into standard tempos of concentric/eccentric strengthening of Hypers and Back Extensions.  If the posterior chain is strengthened enough isometrically in the Intensification phase, this can be an intelligent progression.

Week 2

The progression of upper body pure strength (exemplified with the 5×5) also increases the range of motion by progressing from a 3-Board Press to a 1-Board Press.  The sled work now builds volume and concentric power with the 01X tempo on the rows and tricep work.

Also note the progression on the dynamic days of upper and lower body.  The 21X tempo progresses into a 11X tempo (and even an X1X tempo for more advanced lifters).

Note that the lower posterior chain work is moving toward a reverse periodization model.  The volume is increasing as more strength is built in all phases.

Week 3

Wave loading is a great concept to push the limits of pure maximal absolute strength in the upper body.  Note this loading pattern on the pressing strength of Day 1.  There is also an increase of volume of the sled work.

Both of the upper and lower body dynamic days should have progressed into a solid X1X tempo by this point.  The Upper body might have even progressed into an XXX tempo for advanced lifters at this point.  We tend to be careful of XXX tempos on squatting motions, as the isometric pause is still to valuable to be able to unload the knee joint, and ensure proper intention on the dynamic concentric action of the squat.  The dynamic days also really intensifies with heavy variable loading of multiple chains, or bands+chains.  Also note that the focus has now shifted to Speed-Strength, with a tendo marker of 1.0 to 1.3 m/s.

There is also a heavy focus on single joint hip work.  This type of alignment training is essential to all weeks for skill positions.  It really assists the proper joint symmetry of all of the heavy lower-body work in this final week for Lineman.