Football players Open a New Window – need a combination of speed, strength, agility, and power to be successful on the field — and that means a lot of time in the gym. To train right, football players need to hit a range of areas, and that’s why we’ve put together this all-around workout for you to add to your routine.
FREQUENCY
Perform each of the workouts (I, II, III, and IV) once per week. Try and schedule training so that workouts I and II can be performed on back-to-back days, and then rest a day after that. Perform workouts III and IV on back-to-back days, followed by two days off.
HOW TO DO IT
Perform the exercise pairs (marked A and B) as alternating sets, resting the prescribed amount of time between each set. So you’ll do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, rest again, and repeat for all the prescribed sets.
Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for one exercise before moving on to the next. Some exercises call for one to “work up” to a weight that’s the most one can use for a given rep range. This is called your “rep max,” or RM. A “3RM” would indicate a three-rep max (a weight with which one can perform only three reps).
Perform increasingly heavier warm-up sets of no more than six reps to gradually arrive at the RM weight (the warm-up sets should not be very stressful). Make sure to perform at least five sets total for the exercise.
Day # | EXERCISE | S X R | REST |
Day 1 | Weighted Box Squat | 5 x 3 | As needed |
Legs, Back, Abs | Weighted Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 x 8 | 180 sec. |
Weighted Back Extension | 4 x 12 | None | |
Dumbbell Side Bend | 4 x 12 | 90 sec. | |
Sprinter Sit Up | 4 x 12 | As needed | |
Day 2 | Bench Press | 5 x 3 | As needed |
Chest, Arms, Back, Shoulders | Neutral-Grip Floor Press | 2 x 8 1 x 6 1 x 5 | 180 sec. |
Dumbbell Row | 1 x 8 1 x 20 to 25 | 120 sec. |
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 x 10 | None | |
Seated Dumbbell Clean | 3 x 10 | 90 sec. | |
Weighted Zottman Curl | 3 x 8 | 60 sec. | |
Day 3 | High Box Jump | 8 x 2 | 45 sec. |
Legs, Back, Shoulders, Abs | Weighted Reverse Lunge | 3 x 10 | 120 sec. |
Dumbbell One Arm Swing | 3 x 15 | 90 sec. | |
Plank | 3 x 30 sec. | None | |
Weighted Sit Up | 3 x 15 | 30 sec. | |
Day 4 | Pylo Push Up | 8 x 5 | 45 sec. |
Arms, Shoulders, Traps | Chin Up | 3 x 20 | 120 sec. |
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 x 10 | None | |
Face Pull | 3 x 12 | 120 sec. | |
Shoulder Shrug | 3 x 30 | 120 sec. | |
Hammer Curl | 3 x 30 sec. | 120 sec. | |
Triceps Pushdown | 3 x 20 | 60 sec. |