The Strength Report: Developing the Explosive Athlete - Running Backs

by: Scott Swanson, MSCC
Strength & Conditioning Coach, U.S. Military Academy
© More from this issue

          
The cadets at West Point are highly motivated. They are at the United States Military Academy because the objective and goal is that they all will be great officers and that is the number one priority; that is, to do everything possible so they will be great officers. The entire training mission at the USMA is to get the cadets to be leaders.

At Army, my program is built around a year-long periodized program. We utilize the non-linear periodization cycle and we approach it with the four quarters of the year: 1. The off season program; 2. Spring practice; 3. Summer program; and 4. The in season program. With the cadets we train, we normally have them for three hours, usually 3pm-6pm during the week. It’s critical that they invest time in the weight room and not just spend time here. The Army way is intensity. Everything we do is related to that whether it is actual Army training or playing football. The training to be an officer as well as being a football player is identical.

Step one in designing our strength program is to identify any weaknesses in our players. We will sit down and review their medical history and then evaluate them with a series of flexibility and strength exercises to determine where their individual deficiencies are. Players come out of different programs and you’ll have some that have never lifted and then there are others that experienced advanced programs. Step two is designing a position specific training program but also a player specific program. We will then set up lifting cycles but hone in on what the individual athlete needs to work on. Every athlete has a training card and every day they are in the weight room the card will tell them exactly what they need to do – sets, reps and what they need to work on. We try to eliminate those weaknesses and reduce the chance of injury.

For our running backs we have similar programs but then focus it down to the individual. For example, one running back may have poor hip flexibility and need to work on additional exercises to improve that flexibility. If another player has a bad shoulder, we put together a program to strengthen it. We sit down with his coaches and the individual player and make an evaluation of what’s needed in the weight room that will help translate to the football field. I try to get to know each player and find out as much information as possible about each one.

With our running backs, in the off-season, we have an eight week period of weight training (January-February). We’re trying to develop a great strength base and work on their speed and agility as well as work on the weaknesses we’ve identified. We lift four times a week during this cycle and all the players will be competing in all these drills. Competition drives guys to play harder and it’s all about the competition. More specifically:

Mondays: We have speed improvement drills and technique work which is part of their warm-up. This is our heavy upper body lifting day.

Tuesdays: After a proper warm-up, we will do all hurdle work for flexibility and then we’ll do the quick foot ladder drills for lower body training.

Wednesday: We do a team run. There is a lot of team-building on this day with the coaches coming in and adding to the level of excitement. We now have an indoor facility in which to run and it’s a great asset for our overall program.

Thursday: After the warm-up, we do a lot of plyometric work, jumps, bounds, vertimax with high knee action hurdles. Again, we work on fast reaction off the ground, change of direction and body control. If you can’t control your body in a drill, how are you going to control it on the field? I want them to be uncomfortable and see how it feels before they get back into proper position.

Friday: A dynamic circuit is set up. We utilize everything we did the first three days of the week. It’s a circuit 25 yards down and 25 yards back. They do 8-10 yards of high knees, then a foot ladder. They will also round some cones, go through some plyo boxes, jumps, agile bags, change of direction cones and a five yard bust at the end. There are different patterns but we’re combining what the players did during the first three days of training. We’re now making them move like football players. Each week is different as we build up during this cycle. Through adding new drills all the time and making it more competitive you can see the improvement when testing is administered in March.

In the second quarter, which is spring ball during March and April, our emphasis is to continue to improve in terms of strength and speed even when the workload decreases. We’re going to lift 2-3 times per week depending on the spring practice schedule. With NCAA rules you can only have 15 practices and you have roughly four weeks to complete them. We lift during this time on Monday and Thursday and we practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Our Monday lift is our heavier training day because Saturday is normally a scrimmage day. Thursday is more of a speed-strength day. In May, the cadets take an Army Physical Fitness Test which measures their fitness according to the Army Standards. This is very important for the program and their overall grade at the Academy.

The summer program is an interesting dynamic for us. Basically, you have about an eight week period but you also have to take into account the training program all cadets go through during the summer.

Depending on their year at the Point, they will either go to posts around the country or take part in a four week leadership course where they shadow a platoon leader in the Army. Other athletes during the summer will be exposed to the different branches of the Army at their summer training following their freshman year at Camp Buckner. During this summer they are introduced to the branches of the Army whether it is infantry, armor, field artillery or aviation, etc. I then design my program for each individual athlete, depending on what he will be doing that specific summer. We balance the military training with a strength program that works for them to maximize their potential. So, by the end of the summer, we want them to be as strong as possible working around the military structures that are in place. I will go to the summer training bases and set up the football training for our football players. It's not just about strength and conditioning but motivating athletes to be better each and every day. That's where the sports psychology element comes in because an athlete is not going to have a great day every day. Based on their training card, we will adjust their schedule. We lift three days a week during the summer and run 2-3 days a week as we fine-tune the players for the beginning of the season. We utilize the same warm up structure, continue hurdle work as well as foot-ladder training and then finish with a dynamic circuit each week.

During the season itself, the players are divided into two units. I have 195 players on the football roster. The first is the travel squad. Those players lift twice a week. On Sundays, I implement a total body lift with moderate volume but we want to keep the intensity high. On Wednesday, the team lifts after practice with a focus on speed and strength. With our running backs, we work on flexibility and strength. We will also do small auxiliary work including grip work and some hurdle work.

The other group is our non-travel group. Our travel squad is about 85 guys so I will take the other 100-110 and schedule their training three days a week. We'll use the same structure on Sunday with additional lower body volume. Wednesday is the second day of lifting each week and then Friday we work on their weaknesses and spend a lot of time training the lower body with squats, dead lifts, lunges and step-ups. We'll also do upper body work, as well, on Fridays. This could be anything from chain bench to regular bench for the upper body. This is also a time to rehab injured athletes. No matter what the limitations we can train the whole body any time.

I'm grateful that I have so many tools and resources to work with. It's a great facility and a great place to work.

---

Scott Swanson is in his 10th year as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at West Point. A 1992 graduate of Wake Forest, Swanson spent the 1995 and 1996 football seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Army before leaving to serve in the same capacity at Stanford. He returned a year later to take over the Black Knights' head job. Swanson directs the training of 1,000 athletes, operates three weight rooms and manages five off-site facilities around the country during summer assignments.

NEW BOOK!

Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach