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AFM Magazine


Preparing For A Pro Career

by: J.T. Rogan
© More from this issue

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(The following is the diary of J.T. Rogan, an outstanding running back from the University of San Diego, as he prepares for February’s pro football combine and individual pro day. The article will be continued through early March. Rogan includes his background as an athlete, his philosophy on training and his actual routine in preparation for the event).

 

After my redshirt Junior season in 2007 where I eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season, and where I earned the distinction of All-American for my work as a kickoff returner, my path was set. I had agents "putting out their feelers" in an attempt to potentially retain me as a client of theirs following the next season. I had one class left to take to receive my diploma from the University of San Diego and my motivation could not have been any greater.

I spent my summer in 2008 working in Northern California and training nearly every day with my uncle who was formerly a drug-free powerlifting champion. I entered our training camp weighing 208 lbs., my heaviest weight ever, and was running faster than I ever had before. Our first game was my opportunity to showcase my new and improved self and I had my sights set on breaking records including the NCAA all-purpose yardage records held by Brian Westbrook. The first quarter of our first game was all I had hoped it would be. I had a thirty-six yard kickoff return, one catch for a twenty-nine yard touchdown and three carries for forty-six yards in the first quarter alone.

However, at the end of the first quarter as I broke free on a thirty-seven yard carry, I attempted to cut back to my right and my left knee gave out. On a cut that I have made hundreds of times, I suffered tears in my ACL, MCL, medial meniscus and lateral meniscus. I also had a microfracture (a chip on the surface of the femur) which would require drilling into the femur to repair. The injury changed everything.

Due to the fact that I had already exhausted my redshirt year, the chances of me being granted a 6th year of eligibility by the NCAA were "10%-15%" according to our school's athletic administration. The doctor who performed my knee surgery classified it as one of the worst knee injuries that he ever had to operate on. I went into surgery in late September, but because of the comprehensive nature of the injury, I needed surgery again in the middle of January. I had gone from the proverbial penthouse to the outhouse. However, I did not know how to fail.

I sent the NCAA over 90 pages of information requesting a 6th year of eligibility including several letters of recommendation. I was fortunate enough to have been granted an additional year of eligibility. I trained relentlessly to return from the knee injury and I was able to participate fully in the training camp. I enrolled in graduate school and furthered my education while playing my entire sixth year for USD. Our team had a poor year winning only four games and I had a poor year as I ran for roughly 500 yards. My plans for playing in the NFL had been seriously derailed.

As I attempt to continue to follow my dream of playing in the NFL, I will be chronicling my efforts. This is the first installment of a series that will cover my training for the NFL.

PHILOSOPHY OF TRAINING

 

 

 

Weightlifting and Speed Training

There are a couple of pervasive philosophies or mantras that I have sculpted my training by. There are two phases to my training: speed and strength. My training is not centered around becoming a better football player because the tests for the combine/pro days are based on pure athleticism. The one thought that always goes through my mind when I'm training is How is this going to help me on my pro day?

Weightlifting

My strength training background is decent. The quality of my form varies depending on the exercise, but for the most part, my form is above average. I need to gain weight and I need to increase strength throughout my body. That said, my major concern is lifting heavy weight. Lifting heavy weights is made possible through having quality form and progressing steadily in the weight room.

I have been lifting weights 7 days a week. Rest is very important for gains and growth in the weight room. I rest by sleeping at least 9 hours per night and by alternating which muscle groups are worked. The lack of a "day off" does not allow me to fall victim to complacency or mediocrity. I moved away from my hometown for the better part of two months to work relentlessly at being ready for an opportunity to play in the NFL, and days off will be few and far between. If I were a great self-motivator in the weightroom and if I could easily avoid distractions back at home, then I would be training there. The fact is I change my lifestyle, my focus and my work ethic when I lift over these two months.

Each day of training is difficult. It is either difficult in repetitions or in maximum weight. My typical leg days consist of squats, hack squats (barbell sliding vertically on rails), leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises and leg press. My typical shoulder and back day consists of shoulder press, shrugs, deadlifts, lat pulls, seated rows and vertical press. My typical chest and arm day consists of barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, seated press, incline press, and curls. There are various exercises and machines to work muscles, but a heavy emphasis is placed on squats for leg strength which relates to gains in speed, deadlifts for core/total body strength and bench presses for the 225 lb. bench press test. I do some core work every day typically with medicine balls, abdominal/lower back exercises or yoga.

Speed Training

The development of speed is a comprehensive process. Straight speed and functional speed are two completely different things. I have trained to be strong and fast while paying no attention to injury prevention, flexibility or dynamic movements and the result was a season-ending injury. I will speed train for the test which I will perform: the short shuttle, the three cone drill and the 40-yard dash.

I have had the privilege of utilizing several different resources for grooming speed. Consequently, my speed workouts are a combination of all quality speed techniques. I believe that the ability for one to have loose hips is pivotal to successful speed developments. Many leg muscles connect to or run through the hip/pelvis area. Knee drive and stride length are my major focus when attempting to cultivate my speed. The fluidity of the running motion is dependent on the powerful knee drive and elongation of the running stride via the strength of the quadricep and the efficiency of the muscles in and around the hip.

As I have requested the assistance of a former drug-free powerlifting champion for weightlifting, I have sought help for speed training. I had the pleasure of working with Dale Baskett in 2007, and I return to him now for guidance and coaching on the development of my speed. His familiarity with my form and his knowledge as it relates to speed training makes him a perfect fit to train me for speed growth.

Supplements, legal or illegal, are not necessary for drastic improvements in size or speed. I have ceased taking protein shakes as a post-workout supplement and I have substituted them with natural, high-protein foods (chicken, tuna, steak) and/or beverages (milk, homemade smoothies). Illegal supplements can provide growth, but they are merely a substitute for hard work and dedication. A diet rich in protein, carbohydrates and quality fats, coupled with an intense, focused workout routine, will result in growth. The amount of growth depends on the individual's commitment to their training.

 

Week 1 

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easily

After a poor season where my only concern was to make sure that my knee could handle the rigors of a full season of football, I had dwindled down to a shell of my previous self. I was certainly not an NFL caliber athlete and I had a long way to go to get back to return to my previous form. Every spring, NFL scouts from all 32 NFL teams will visit college campuses across the nation to watch graduating players perform a series of tests of athletic ability. The performance of athletes on those tests will go a long way to determining an athlete's opportunity and compensation in the NFL. I know that the only way for me to achieve my personal best was to enlist the help of my uncle.

I had spent the summer before my 2006 season and the summer before my 2008 season training with my uncle. The strength gains I made with him were remarkable and the overall improvement in my athleticism was astounding. My uncle is the best person for me to train with because he possesses great ability and knowledge as it relates to strength training on top of being focused. In other words, he is a 47-year old man who can lift more weight than I can in several exercises. He takes me to the gym daily to remind me of this fact and he taunts me while we lift. He can bench press 360 lbs. and he has won many powerlifting awards. I cannot get that type of guidance and motivation anywhere.

My training with him began January 5th at a 24-hour fitness club by his home near Pasadena. The first week was an introduction week to allow me to get familiar with what type of exercises we'd be doing along with how I would schedule my days. As starting points, I had a 30 inch vertical leap, I weighed 191 lbs., I ran a 4.75 second 40-yard dash and I bench pressed 225 lbs. nine times. I have approximately two months to improve these figures.

By comparison, Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos had a vertical leap of 35.5 inches, weighed 212 lbs., ran a 4.60 second 40-yard dash and could bench press 225 lbs., 25 times. I have a long way to go. However, nobody will work harder to ready themselves for their opportunity in the NFL than I will. With my knee injury behind me, I am ready to regain the size and speed that I once had.

My training is two-fold. I must get bigger and I must get faster. The training to get bigger is covered by an intense daily workout session with my uncle coupled with a 5,000+ calorie diet that is high in carbohydrates and protein. The speed training is a little less simple. I have several points of reference for my speed training. I have had three strength and conditioning coaches from which to draw from and have trained with speed coach Dale Baskett who is featured monthly in American Football Monthly magazine. I have books or DVD's from USC, Air Force and Virginia Tech on speed training. I utilize anything that is agreed upon by all sources as a definite component of my workouts along with implementing drills/concepts that have worked for me specifically.

My days routinely consist of a speed session and a strength session with food consumption on a regular basis. The only supplement that I take is protein powder and that is primarily for weight gaining. I focus on training my core (abdominals and lower back) which is the part of the body that is included in everything that I do. I rotate different muscle groups I work at in the gym: one day legs, one day shoulders and back, one day arms and chest.

There is no substitute for hard work. I have seen many of my teammates go through this training for their opportunity to play in the NFL including Josh Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eric Bakhtiari of the Tennessee Titans.

(To be continued)






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