Coaching Single Leg Work In Your Football Weight Training Program

Most High School Football coaches don’t set out to be a strength coach. It just kind of happens.

I was a weight room guy as a player. Probably the only reason I was even able to sniff the field.

That doesn’t translate to being a good strength coach though. I liked to read bodybuilding magazines. And pick up heavy things.

Early on in my coaching career, that’s what our kids did, too. We didn’t even have bumper plates in the weight room.

(we don’t have any at my new gig right now, but we’re working feverishly to remedy that)

Eventually I started learning. Studying. Finding out how much I don’t know.

How much I still don’t know.

The more I learn, the more it disgusts me when I hear coaches who believe there’s one right way. Close minded. Ego trumping what’s best for the kids (and for your record).

Learning means changing. The way we’ve trained legs in our weight room has changed a lot.

For a long time, it was heavy back squats. That first year or two, we used a Leg Press too.

There’s a 45 Degree Leg Press at my new school. Glorified furniture. Let me know if you want it. I don’t see much use for it in our football training (maybe you do, and that’s cool too).

Several years ago, we switched to the Front Squat. This has minimized risk over the Back Squat. Without decreasing strength.

I know because we tested it. We entered our kids in a Powerlifting competition with some local high school teams. They had 2 weeks to learn to Back Squat. Those kids were able to hang with everyone else just fine.

Now I want to do everything on one leg. It’s become a centerpiece of the weight training program our JDFB Weight Room members get.

Why? Because we play football on one leg. We run on one leg at a time. Running Backs make their cuts with one leg.

Strong inside foot on a block destruct. Same on the tackle.

Kids don’t get to wind up and vertical jump off two feet for a 50/50 fade ball. They run, and jump. Getting most of their power from one leg.

I’m not abandoning the Front Squat. Or a double leg Romanian Deadlift. Overhead Squat. That’s all still in.

But we’re moving the focus much more heavily to training on one leg.

Still early. I’m not convinced it’s the end all, be all of training. But our kids have progressed quickly in just a few weeks.

We’re programming a lot more Lunge Complex. Reverse Lunge, Side Lunge, and Rotating Lunge.

We put an emphasis on 1 Leg Romanian Deadlifts (or Stiff Leg Deadlifts, but the leg isn’t stiff – bent just slightly). Tough to watch at first, but rapid improvement.

And my favorite. The 1-leg squat. We let them stand on a box like you’d use for Box Squat. Our kids don’t do box squat so it’s good to have a use for them.

The key here is to go as deep as they physically can. Most kids won’t be able to get into a full squat right away. Or even soon.

Single Leg work is not new to our weight training program. But it is a new emphasis for this year.

Always learning. Always changing. I still have not found the ‘right way’.

Maybe in 5 years we’ll all be singing the praises of the Leg Press. Who knows!

Are you suddenly a Strength Coach? Need some help maximizing your Football Weight Training? Or just some ideas? Join JDFB Weight Room right now!