Let’s talk a little football.

It’s that time of year…  In Nebraska it’s HOT as hell out, the humidity is absolutely ridiculous, but the smell of football is in the air!

I can remember back when I was in high school how I would be up at 545am to go to work for my dad doing construction in the 100 degree heat.  We would work from 6am to about 4-5pm and as soon as I would get off, I would head straight to the high school weight room for agility and strength training.  I did this every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday’s, I was usually hitting up a local park called, Brickyard Park to sprint hills.

During the day when I was at work with my dad, all that was ever on my mind was how I was going to tear into my weight training session later that day. 

I never skipped workouts. 

Even when I would come home and feel totally drained from being in the sun all day I would still find a way to get my ass into train!

Back then, my high school’s football strength training program was an absolute joke!

We benched, squatted then benched and squatted some more.  We also maxed out about every week which if you know anything about building more strength and getting stronger, maxing out every week will NOT get you stronger.

I can also remember my buddy Brian and I doing “gun show” every damn day too… Because the GUNS have to look good in the uniform right?

Looking back at what I used to do for strength training and knowing what I know now, it would be nice to go back and change up my program a bit.

I would give anything to of have the chance to go to a gym like The Forged Athlete or similar, but you can’t change the past and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I put in a TON of hard work and for that, I’m very proud.

Now that I know what I know today, one of my main missions is to ensure that the athletes I’m training now, train RIGHT and get RESULTS.  I make damn sure their not making the training mistakes I made when I was back in high school.

Later this week I’ll get into what I would personally do if I were to be getting myself prepared to kickass in football this coming season, but or now, I have something special for you below…

In light of all this football talk, just the other day I got to chatting with another kickass strength coach David Claiborne, who owns and operates Genesis Athletic Performance in Houston TX.

DC definitely knows a thing or two about training athletes, especially when it comes to training football players as he’s got a whole slew of athletes from high schools,  major colleges, and all the way up to the pros that come into train with him at Genisis.

David know’s what he’s talking about and one of the things I RESPECT most is that he walks the walk as well! 

So, with out further adu, here’s a killer guest blog post my man David Claiborne…

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I have been around football in some form either playing it or training football athletes, for over 20 years now, and the game is changing so quickly that it is hard for athletes to keep up.

There are football players in high school today, who are bigger, faster, stronger, and more powerful than a lot of the NFL players back in the 70’s and 80’s.

That is crazy, and with how advanced the training is getting for these athletes, you have to make sure you are always doing more than everyone else if you want to get ahead.

By taking your training to that next level and making it more intense, more advanced, and more hardcore (in a safe and correct manner), you will give yourself your best opportunity to succeed in this game.

I have a few tips I will share with you today that should give you the boost needed in your football training to dominate on the gridiron.

#1 – Train Outside the Gym

When was the last time in the middle of a game you stood in one place without moving or laid down on the ground and tried to move people around you?

I’ve yet to see this happen in any game, but unfortunately this is the only way most athletes train in the gym for their upcoming season. They stand in one place and squat, press, or deadlift a barbell and don’t do much else.

These types of lifts are key towards getting stronger, bigger, and more powerful, but you have to learn how to athletically use them so that strength and size doesn’t go to waste.

The best way to increase athleticism so your strength and power carries over to the field, is by training outside the gym using odd objects like sandbags, tires, sledgehammers, or whatever else you can find.

Incorporate this type of training into your program, by using exercises such as farmer walks, tire flips, sledgehammer swings, and sandbag cleans, so you will know how to maximize your strength and turn it into power and speed that makes you a freak on the field.

#2 – Learn How to Move Your Body

In football, every practice and game is has you moving your body as explosive, powerful, and quick as possible.

Think about this when you train, and get used to moving your body better by incorporating more bodyweight exercises into your training.

If you replace 70-80% of your assistance exercises with bodyweight movements that work the same muscle groups, you will become more explosive and powerful… Not to mention a helluva lot more athletic in any situation.

Why does this work so well to build power? When performing bodyweight movements, you are forcing your body to learn how to move as a whole and get in sync.

The more efficiently your body can operate and move itself, the faster it is going to be able to move in any situation. The faster something moves, the more powerful it becomes.

As an example, there is a direct correlation between the amount of pull-ups an athlete can do and his 40-yard dash time. No matter how big the athlete is, those who run the fastest 40-yard dash always seem to have the ability to do the most pull-ups.

Here are a few bodyweight exercises that you should sub in for exercises that use the same muscle groups:

  • Bench Press – Push-Up Variations/Dips
  • Bent Over Row – Inverted Rows
  • Leg Curls – Glute Ham Raises
  • Squats – Pistol Squats, Deck Squats
  • Bicep Curls – Chin-Ups

#3 – Push & Pull Something Really Heavy

No matter what position you play on the field, you will always be required to push or pull someone, and you better be strong and powerful when doing so or you will get crushed.

If you are a lineman, you are pushing and pulling the guy you are going head up with every single play. If you are a linebacker, you are pushing blockers out of the way and pulling down running backs. If you are a receiver, you are pushing defenders away while getting off jams or throwing blocks… I could go on and on, but the biggest thing to realize, is that you need to get strong pushing and pulling things.

The best way to do that is to push and pull things that are really heavy.

One of the best objects you can push and pull that will not just make you a ton stronger, but mentally tougher, is a car or truck (I live in Texas, so we have more trucks than cars). Go to an empty parking lot, pop it in neutral and get to pushing.

Perform a few rounds of pushing the car/truck for max distance in 12-15 seconds with 45 seconds rest to mimic a football drive build up the leg strength needed to dominate on every play.

To work on pulling, either purchase or build a sled or if you have a rope at your disposal, hook it up to the car you were pushing and start pulling it. You can pull it hand over hand to hammer your upper body, or grab it and start walking.

If you have a sled you can do the same thing. Just make sure that sled is heavy, you are using good solid form, and are doing it in bursts of 10-20 seconds with 30-60 seconds rest between sets.

Football season is quickly approaching, so don’t waste another workout. If you take action and add these tips into your current training program, your competition won’t know what hit them when you put those pads on.

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Great Tips from my man David.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I wish I had known about how to train a bit differently back when I was growing up as I would have loved to add in and implement some different things, especially the 3 kickass tips David posted up above..

I’m curious, what types of football training questions do YOU have?   Post them up in the comments below!

Train Aggressive and Get Strong!

PS – If you’re a coach or a SERIOUS football player that wants to take your football training to the next level, DC has a fool-proof football system that I would highly recommend you check out.

This program will get your FASTER, STRONGER, and more EXPLOSIVE.

It’s Called Insane Football Training and you can check out more info HERE.