Joe Daniel Football

Coach Simple. Play Fast. Win.

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Football Workouts To Win More Games | FBCP S10E16

As the season comes to a close, we’re all evaluating where our strengths and shortcomings were this fall. More than likely, many of us have found that there is improvement needed in the strength and speed departments of our team.

In this episode we discuss the why, the what, and the how of preparing football workouts and building a successful weight room program.

Why Do You Need Football Workouts?

  • Why do you need a strength program? Everybody else is doing it is not good enough. 
  • Kids only get one shot at each off-season. It’s either the best it can be or it’s not. Kids will grow from just looking at a weight. 
  • You need organization and a destination. Peak when the season hits. Your individual football workouts need to be headed toward a goal.
  • Good programs are making a comeback in small schools due to large schools being successful and the ability to share through social media.

Exercises For Football Workouts

  • The common exercises are common for a reason. Bench, Squat, Power Cleans.
  • Olympic lifts are a major part of football workouts in today’s game. If you’re just doing an old Powerlifting routine you are not preparing your players to win.
  • Explosion + Strength = Power. It’s a critical equation for any athlete. Increase explosion and strength to build more powerful athletes on the field.

Writing A Football Strength Training Program That Works

  • Sport dependent football workouts.
    • Powerlifting vs Football. They are not the same workout. A powerlifter performs 3 lifts, 3 times in a competition. A football player plays 60+ snaps in a game moving every direction imaginable.
  • Dynamic Flexibility/Mobility warm up. Every workout needs to start by getting the athlete’s core temperature up.
  • Cluster lifting is one style that has shown success in studies.
    • 85-90%, 6-10 sets, 2-6 reps
  • Hypertrophy can be attained with low-load exercising as well high-load. The key is going to muscle failure. Off-season weight room is a great time to push the volume (total work, reps), and reduce the intensity (work load, weight) (volume>intensity), with in-season usually leaning towards the opposite (intensity>volume).
  • Exercises for Injury Prevention. Football workouts need to hit from multiple angles to prevent injuries. If you do not train one muscle group consistently, it becomes a weak link and results in injury.
  • Prevent boredom by knowing what to coach, and explaining to your kids why each lift is important. If you are coaching the technique and seeing improvement, your players will not get bored. Do not do goofy stuff for the sake of fun. 

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