One of our favorite times of the year at my facility is when our \ncollege football sessions begin in May. What makes our job unique when \nit comes to this 12-week program is our near absolute control over what \nMike Robertson and Patrick Ward call the athletes\u2019 stress bucket. When \nthese guys come to train, there\u2019s no external stress. Aside from a \ngirlfriend and a landscaping job, their lives are a piece of cake. And \nit shows every day during the warm-up. We simply cannot get them to shut\n up (a very simple way to determine their level of central fatigue or \nlack thereof).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do I mean when I say we control their level of stress? To \ntoday\u2019s physical preparation coaches, the figure below is nothing new, \nbut it demonstrates how we truly are the organisms\u2019 stress managers over\n the course of the summer. We structure our athletes\u2019 training around \nthe General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) by the day, by the week, and by \nthe month. Seems simple enough, right? Apply a stimulus to the point of \nfatigue and watch the athlete recover and supercompensate leading to the\n next training session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrong. In reality, each athlete has his own GAS, if you will. \nDifferent positions (lineman, receiver, etc.) require not only different\n stressors but also varying levels of intensity and volume. Our program \nfills the need for the application of unaccustomed stress. I believe \nthis system is the ultimate guide for building today\u2019s American football\n player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we dive into the daily training sessions, let\u2019s look at a \n10,000-foot view of the whole program for the three months we have these\n guys in-house. Let it be known, I in no way consider myself a \n\u201cprogramming sensei,\u201d I simply try to instill what others much smarter \nthan I have found successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first glance, you\u2019re probably rolling your eyes with the \nassumption that there are too many moving pieces to this puzzle. It is \nmuch simpler than it appears. I like to refer to it as Modified Block Periodization<\/em>\n where we\u2019re linearly building athletic movement, meaning triphasic, \nconcurrently raising all aspects of athleticism, all while respecting \nresidual training effects (aerobic endurance, maximal strength, maximal \nspeed, etc.). The big picture is nothing more than transitions from slow\n to fast, general to specific, and simple to complex using legend Al \nMiller\u2019s suggested prescription of volume first, intensity second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the session begins in early May, some of the guys have been \nkeeping up on their training since the end of spring ball while others \nhave kept up with Call of Duty<\/em> and Taco Bell. With that in \nmind, we adhere to the least common denominator and take everyone \nthrough two weeks of anatomical adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The benefits of this period are two-fold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our speed work for the four weeks focuses on starts from a static \nposition and is incredibly simple. Our go-to is two-point starts with \nthe emphasis on front side arm mechanics and, most importantly, posture.\n We also emphasize posture, rhythm, and relaxation through extensive \ntempos during this block. In the weight room, we want the speed of the \nbarbell to maintain relatively high speed. We are constantly cueing the \nguys to \u201crattle the plates,\u201d as athletic movement starts from the ground\n up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first four weeks is a fan favorite (sarcasm) as we employ slow \neccentrics to the main movement in the weight room, and we perform them \nin a cluster fashion. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that Cal \nDietz and his work greatly influenced the resistance portion of our \ntraining session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goals of the eccentric phase, or block, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only problem with eccentrics? They\u2019re extremely stressful to the \norganism, which is why we use cluster sets during this block. Clusters \nare phenomenal for performing each rep at or near maximal velocity \nduring the movement\u2019s concentric contraction. This results in maximal \npower output, ultimately leading to greater improvements over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re familiar with Coach Joe Kenn, you are without a doubt \nacquainted with his Tier System Strength Training template. I\u2019ll explain\n why we implement it later in the article. For now, know our focus is on\n hypertrophy (\u201cR\u201d for repetition effort, or in our case, slow eccentrics\n and time-under-tension), then max effort, followed by a dynamic \nmovement which could be a jump, throw, or use of accommodating \nresistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for jumps during this block, we\u2019ve had tremendous success with max\n effort, single response jumps. More specifically, static overcome by \nballistic jumps (seated box jumps) with knee bends of at least 90 \ndegrees to mimic the start of the acceleration phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n June<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we progress further into the summer, the program becomes more \ndemanding. The emphasis continues to center on the one biomotor ability \nthat separates the terrible from the bad, the bad from the good, and the\n good from the great: speed. From a bioenergetic standpoint, we focus on\n alactic power rather than capacity. Why? It does not matter how many \ntimes a guy can run a 5-flat forty, he\u2019s still slow. We find it more \nprudent to start building a Ferrari rather than a Ford Bronco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as biodynamics are concerned, we begin to push the alactic envelope with longer accelerations and sprints. A staple in our program is flying 10\u2019s (build 30, sprint 10) and medicine ball starts with great awareness on the height of their hips and their front side mechanics. Once they meet the sprinting requirements, they transition to the \nweight room with isometrics as well as true dynamic effort a la Westside\n Barbell. Isometrics seem to be all the rage again in the industry, so \nI\u2019ll spare you the physiology lesson. Here are the benefits from \nisometrics that deserve mention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n During this block, we\u2019ve had great buy-in and greater success with \nmax effort, double response jumps to mimic the acceleration phase by \nstill employing a somewhat deep knee bend. A tried and true variation we\n love is double broad jumps\u2013effective and efficient. That\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n July and August<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving into July, we progress toward sport specific or what I prefer to call sport transferable.<\/em>\n Our tempos become more intensive, and we center sprints on absolute \nspeed. Bioenergetically, by having shorter distances and rest times for \nthe tempos while giving the athletes a more powerful engine and larger \nspeed reserve, we\u2019re giving them the best opportunity to not only \nsurvive during a game but to thrive. Football is an alactic-aerobic \nsport with an emphasis on capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how we prepare our athletes on a typical Saturday afternoon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game dictates what we do bioenergetically. While we\u2019re not perfect, I\u2019m confident we\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t take an MIT graduate to understand we\u2019re now placing a \npremium on \u201cdisplaying your strength quickly\u201d in the weight room, with \nthe institution of the concentric or reactive phase, the short and \nmultiple response jumps and plyometrics, and the priority Tier being \ndynamic. We use the high\/low approach made famous by the late Charlie Francis.\n We are our athletes\u2019 stress managers for the twelve weeks they\u2019re with \nus, and this approach allows them to supercompensate constantly rather \nthan seek homeostasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n High CNS Training<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After reviewing our weekly template, one could safely assume that our\n program revolves around sprinting. Why shouldn\u2019t it? Speed kills. Allow\n me to quell your concerns regarding having only one day that addresses \nagility and jumps\/plyometrics. We\u2019re able to improve agility without \nventuring into that realm through linear acceleration and sprinting. \nHow? Having your athletes sprint farther and faster in training allows \nthem to reach higher speeds, thus achieving higher ground force. As we \nall know, high velocity=high force. Derek Hansen has touched on the \nmultitude of benefits sprinting has when it comes to agility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the organism is in a state of high velocity and high force, they reap the rewards of agility training without any of the risk. If we\u2019re honest, we know agility and change of direction are hard on the organism. Knowing that, why venture into that realm of risk when it\u2019s accomplished by sprinting full-speed?Linear acceleration and sprints train agility, allowing us to reduce risky plyometrics. Click To Tweet<\/p>\n\n\n\n Real world example: when Michael Vick was in his prime, he achieved \nmaximal speeds at over 20 miles per hour (21.63 mph to be exact). When \nhe was achieving at least 95% of his best times in max velocity speed \ntraining, submaximal velocities would be that much easier on him. Aside from the benefits of exposing our athletes to sprint work \nthrice during the work week, there are also substantial costs. The most \nglaring is the residual training effect of maximal speed. The benefits \ngained from training at or above 95% of maximal speed last a measly two \ndays (depending on the athlete) as the residual training effects of this\n biomotor ability are five days \u00b1 three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Typical CNS Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On a typical high CNS day, we use my friend Mike Robertson\u2019s R7 protocol:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Release<\/strong>\u2013For the release portion, we prescribe no \nmore than three areas for the athletes to perform self-myofascial \nrelease. We stick to three because I believe if we prescribe more, we \nstart to venture into the parasympathetic realm. As all of you know, \nwe\u2019re trying to shift to sympathetic dominance on a high CNS day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resets<\/strong>\u2013I admit we\u2019re not postural restoration \nwizards, nor are we great with functional movement screening when it \ncomes to resets. However, my director of performance, Thomas Bowes, is a\n mobility guru on all things Supple Leopard<\/em>. We know what we\u2019re proficient at, and our guys feel good, mobile and stable, and that\u2019s all that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dynamic Warm-Ups<\/strong>\u2013After we\u2019ve relieved some tension \nand moved the guys into more advantageous positions, we start our \ndynamic warm-up. Trust me, it\u2019s nothing earth shattering. Again, I may \nnot be the smartest guy in the room; I just apply what the best have \ndone. We have great success with flowing yoga movement patterns as well \nas Buddy Morris\u2019 high CNS warm-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reactive<\/strong>\u2013The optimal volume for a world-class sprinter is 600 meters of max velocity. Newsflash, I do not work with world-class sprinters, so we adjusted our sprinting volumes based on position to meet the demands of our athletes. Our reactive segment taps into 100-300 meters of sprint volume. Dan Pfaff says, \u201cAcceleration is a skill.\u201d We believe that any skill needs to be addressed daily. The lineman will do at least 60 meters every single day, big skill will perform at least 100 meters every single day, and skill will be exposed to at least 150 meters every single day.The closer an athlete is to the football, the more he requires strength. Click To Tweet<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where our program may be unique: a linemen\u2019s exposure to the \nreactive segment is rather brief, but his time during our resistance \nsegment is much more extensive. This is because the closer an athlete is\n to the football, the more he requires strength. The relationship \nbetween strength and speed is inverse for our skill players. Their time \nduring the reactive portion will be far greater than time spent in the \nweight room as their position demands more sprint volume with less of a \npremium on strength and weights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Readiness<\/strong>\u2013The bridge from sprint work to the weight room is what we call game changers<\/em>, or readiness. Joe Kenn calls it halftime<\/em>. Vernacular does not matter, substance does. This portion consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve found this is highly effective at the beginning of the weights \nsegment to ensure the proper muscles are firing before the \u201cmeat\u201d of the\n lift. For example, hinging before a deadlift or performing a knee \nflexion variation before squatting. From a more practical standpoint, as\n the workout nears the end, what athlete is going to be fully engaged if\n we place this portion at the end?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resistance<\/strong>\u2013We love Coach Kenn\u2019s Tier System for \nresistance; this game is played head-to-toe, toe-to-head. I have yet to \nsee a football player use only his upper body in the first half and his \nlower body in the second half. That alone provides enough rationale to \naddress the total body each weight session. Our weights are extremely \nsimple, efficient, and effective. We only use three exercises each \nworkout\u2013yes, only three. Volumes are adjusted based on position, but we \nmake it known that we are concerned with speed, not weights. A typical \nsession would look similar to this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resiliency<\/strong>\u2013For us, resiliency means bringing the \nathletes through movements that are cyclical (running A\u2019s, ankle jumps) \nbecause of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recovery<\/strong>\u2013Again, nothing ground breaking when it \ncomes to recovery. We prescribe the guys elevate their feet and achieve a\n parasympathetic state, or \u201crest and digest\u201d to help kick-start the \nrecovery process. With early 20-year-olds, this is a popular time for \nSnapchat sharing and selfies\u2013not a bad promotion for our facility. If it\n gets them to relax, I\u2019ll take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low CNS Training<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the low days, we prescribe tempos based on position. Larger \nathletes (lineman) won\u2019t have the same volume that a cornerback \nperforms. Our ranges will vary anywhere from 1000-2000 meters; at the \nbeginning of the summer we focus more on extensive tempos and progress \ntoward (slightly) more intensive and glycolytic tempos in July and \nAugust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with the tempos, we prescribe upper body circuits that include medicine ball throws. This accomplishes a few things for the athletes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the end of the summer, these young men have developed bonds that \ncarry over into the season as they mention one another on Twitter, post \npics of their new friends\u2019 success on Instagram, and are truly invested \nin each other\u2019s careers. It\u2019s one of the best parts of being in the \nprivate sector\u2013the relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My goal for this article is not to brag or boast, but to simply shed \nlight on how we\u2019ve found great success. And, speaking candidly, I hope \nthis will encourage other coaches to be as open as I am so we may all \nbenefit and continue to learn from one another. I am not na\u00efve to the \nfact that, with this article, may come criticism. I have zero issue with\n this, as there is no perfect program. The program I presented to you is\n different from what we did in years past and will continue to change \nand evolve because training, by nature, is incomplete. In fact, as Buddy\n Morris once told me, \u201cThe best program is the one you\u2019re not<\/em> \non!\u201d With that in mind, let us professionals continue to pay it forward,\n grow, and ultimately help those we serve. This is truly what this \nindustry is all about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of our favorite times of the year at my facility is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[28,65,67,100],"class_list":["post-2971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-update","tag-american-football-player","tag-football-player","tag-games","tag-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millionairemag.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Mesocycle One<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mesocycles Two and Three<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The fun part for my staff and me during this block is to witness the athletes realizing that as their speed increases, they\u2019re able to generate more force with each ground contact. It\u2019s even more rewarding to explain that the challenge they face as speed increases is that there\u2019s less time available to apply force. A cue that\u2019s worked time and time again for us is, \u201cThe only difference between flying and sprinting is ground contact.\u201dThe only difference between flying and sprinting is ground contact. Click To Tweet<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nA quick note on deloads: use them before your athletes need them. We \nback our guys down once a month. As Dr. Bryan Mann said, \u201cOur body runs \nin three-week adaptation waves.\u201d With that, we extract as much as we can\n from a given stimulus and then rejuvenate the organism. It\u2019s not what \nyou can do; it\u2019s what you can recover from.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHigh\/Low CNS Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nI believe that all team sport athletes need to tap into max velocity \n(absolute speed). Forget the benefits it has regarding jumping and \nchange of direction, sprinting alone has a plethora of benefits, \nincluding:<\/p>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n