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AFM Magazine


Strength Report: Developing Functional Strength and Conditioning

by: Rick Regan
Physical Training Consultant with Dustin Smith, High School Coach and Teacher
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Over the past five decades, the physical requirements and the tactical and technical sophistication of football have increased drastically. Preparation of athletes for specialized demands requires that strength and conditioning programs be position-specific.

Conditioning 

    The initial task is to identify the physical demands of the game. Football is an intermittent sprint sport. It demands a series of explosive maximum efforts with relatively full recovery. In addition, it is also a high-impact collision sport. Physically stopping an opponent is a key element in success. The implication here is that the emphasis for overload training is the enhancement of muscle mass along with strength gains. However, quickness and mobility are also essential for success. Therefore, football-specific conditioning should develop power, acceleration, deceleration and rapid change of direction along with balance and coordination.


    The focus of drills and exercises should be training movement patterns that are required in the sport. By focusing on movement patterns, all of the muscles that contribute to those movements are conditioned. For example, the goal of sprinters is to move as fast as they can in a straight line from start to finish. The goal of football players is also to move as fast as they can while executing multiple direction changes and withstanding violent body contact. Their training should include activities that require running with quick changes of direction initiated from their football-starting stance. Training acceleration followed quickly by deceleration and change of direction is critical for the football athlete (See photos 1-4: Lateral leap and change of direction drill).



    For any sport, regardless of age or gender, training the oxygen delivery system is essential to ensure optimum power endurance. For football players, tempo and interval training are more functional than the steady and continuous running of aerobic training. In the late post-season and early off-season, an endurance workout for football players might include tempo running, consisting of striding 90 – 110 yards at 50 – 60% of full speed followed by a casual walk of 30 – 40 yards. This might be repeated 10 to 20 times and would be done after a weight-training workout.


    In the late off-season and early pre-season, tempo running could be replaced by the higher intensity of interval training, utilizing shuttle running (See photos 5-6: Shuttle run).




Players might perform 2 x 300 yard shuttle runs on a 50-yard course with a five-minute rest interval. Later in the pre-season, the course could be reduced to 25 yards for 250-yard shuttles or down to 15 yards for several 150-yard shuttle runs. Shorter courses require more direction changes. Rest intervals among shuttles can also be manipulated. Shuttle runs are done after weight training.


    Another variation of interval training is performing a series of explosive starts varying from 10 to 50 yards from a football position stance with 30-second rest intervals. Offensive players start on cadence count while defensive players start on ball movement. Interval training of this type would be done after weight training or on a non-lifting day.


    A final consideration in functional conditioning for football is the improvement of speed and mobility. This is accomplished by using short, explosive starts from a variety of body positions for distances of 10 to 40 yards repeated 6 to 10 times. Rest intervals among the starts should allow almost complete recovery so athletes can attain maximum acceleration (1:10 work-rest ratio). These starts can be combined with mobility drills to develop rapid directional change and coordination. There are literally dozens of agility drills, but they all require multiple changes of direction and footwork over a relatively short distance (usually 10 to 30 yards). Speed and mobility work should be done before weight training so that athletes are relatively unfatigued. Speed and mobility training take the place of interval training and should be incorporated into the late pre-season conditioning (August) and possibly on a very limited volume into the early in-season period.

Strength

    The most frequently desired result from weight training is an increase in lean body mass. To achieve optimal gains in muscle hypertrophy, three areas need to be manipulated correctly – diet, hydration, and overload training. For overload training, follow these tips:

•    Use shorter rest intervals among working sets (60-90 seconds).
•    Perform multiple working sets (two to five sets).
•    Establish an even distribution of work for upper and lower body.
•    Establish an even distribution of work for pushing and pulling movements.
•    Lifting four days per week is very effective if the lifting movements are arranged to
      allow two days of recovery after each movement. As an example:

Monday – Pulling and leg work

Tuesday – Pushing and core exercises

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday – Pulling and leg work

Friday – Pushing and core work

Saturday and Sunday – Rest

    Allowing adequate recovery time among all workouts is essential. It is during recovery days that the body adapts to the stress of training. By utilizing an organized progression of a strength and conditioning program, coaches can help athletes prepare their bodies for the escalating demands of football competition.

About the Author: Rick Regan is a physical training consultant who has trained high school, college and professional athletes as well as special operations personnel for both the military and law enforcement organizations. He can be reached at rodrickregan@gmail.com.






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