Strength Report – A Complete Strength and Conditioning Report for Offensive Linemen, Part I

It is my belief that all strength and conditioning programs grow from a very specific set of needs and circumstances that differ from team to team. Every situation is different, so a program influenced by principles rather than copied verbatim is needed.

From years spent playing offensive line then beginning my coaching career coaching it and finally working as a football strength coach for the past 25 years, I have gained perspective into the needs of offensive linemen. The principles detailed in the following program have been used to develop NFL linemen (including six Pro Bowl players). They also have proven successful with collegiate linemen and can easily be tailored to scholastic athletes.

Philosophy: Conditioning must be the foundation of a performance plan. Conditioning should run the gamut of all energy systems with emphasis on change of direction and also working against resistance. The former is achieved by using traditional agility drills in a conditioning mode. The latter can be achieved through pulling or pushing sleds or metabolic conditioning circuits incorporating strength and power type exercises and running (also using change of direction) drills in high intensity interval circuits.

A foundation of our program is that the weight room is a laboratory. In this laboratory we use training to assess and correct the way our athletes move and generate force. For this reason, the strength program is based on using primarily free weight multi-planer exercises (with one primary exception that will be discussed later). Free weight exercises allow for natural and variable movement patterns. They are easily adapted to any size athlete. They force the athlete to control and reproduce the movement pattern. Exercises like the squat, deadlift and power clean variations give us plenty of “bang for our buck”. Gymnastic-type exercises like the push up and pull up variations do as well. All of these exercises can also be used to promote structural balance.

Besides the obvious goals of increasing strength and power, a strength program must promote structural balance, optimum mobility and stability. This concept is critical for injury management. Poor performance, overuse and eventually a system breakdown (injury) are the results of repetitive poor movement. A program must demand more efficient and balanced force production and movement.

In today’s training world, the concept of specificity is often misunderstood and over-emphasized. Spending too much time on specific movements and energy system development leads to imbalance, immobility, overuse, eventual decreased performance and injury. Instead, a variety of exercises and techniques should be used to correct problems and promote overall athleticism.
Designing the Program

    The first step in designing a program is performing a needs assessment. This assessment must consider the following:

• Style of play (option football vs. power running attack vs. spread, etc.)

• Position needs (how do we want our linemen to play, how big, are there differences between guards, centers, tackles and/or right vs. left, strong vs. speed, etc.)

• Individual needs, including:
• Strengths and weaknesses - on the field and in training (much of this is done in the weight room/ laboratory).
• Athlete age and sport experience level.
• Position and individual injury concerns/ history.

After the assessment is completed, goals for the program can be set and the exercise, load, frequency and duration parameters can be established.

The first concern with any athlete and especially offensive linemen is developing functional strength. When choosing strength exercises for the program, we look for exercises that will transfer movement skills from the weight room to the field.

Exercises are categorized by movement type:

• Explosive
    • Olympic Lifts (e.g., power clean variations,         kettle bells)

• Lower Body Push
    • Double Leg (e.g.,  squats, deadlifts)
    • Single Leg (e.g., step ups, lunge and split         squat variations)

• Lower Body Posterior Chain
    • Double Leg Hip Extension (RDLs, swings)
    • Single Leg Hip Extension (single leg RDLs,         split stance RDLs)
    • Knee Flexion (glute-ham raise)

• Upper Body Push
    • Horizontal (push ups, DB bench press)
    • Direct Shoulder (press, multi-planer raises)

• Upper Body Pull
    • Horizontal (row variations)
    • Vertical (pull up variations)

• Core
    • Flexion/ anti extension
    • Extension/ anti flexion
    • Rotation/ anti rotation

• Joint Stabilization/ Rotation

 Explosive

We utilize many types of explosive exercises. Olympic lifts, jumps, the medicine ball as well as traditional exercises done at explosive tempos (e.g., jump or speed squats) are utilized. Offensive line requires explosive leg drive as well as strike power. To achieve this, type-2 (fast twitch) muscle fibers must be stimulated. This can be accomplished either through high load (done with an intent to move as quickly as possible) or through high-speed training. In choosing an exercise, we seek a balance between the highest loads (resistance or speed) that can be performed safely. Perfect form is always stressed. We use the concept of technical maximum. In other words, max is determined by the load at which technique breaks down rather than by pure maximal strength or power.

Lower Body

We prefer the athlete be on their feet while training. Squats trump leg presses, step ups beat out leg extensions and glute-ham raises replace leg curls. Furthermore, exercises that require the athlete to stabilize are preferred.

Upper Body

The barbell bench press is deemphasized in our program in favor of weighted push ups utilizing load provided by sand bags, plates, bands, a smith machine or PitShark. The inherent problem with the bench press is that it is done supine on a bench that supports the shoulder rather than forcing it to stabilize itself. Also, the barbell allows for great loads to be lifted. Asymmetrical development of the anterior musculature vs. posterior musculature leading to instability is almost a certainty. Where supine pressing is done, we prefer dumbbells. We also like holding one dumbbell at a time or doing alternating presses to promote core activation stabilization. Dumbbells require strength in more planes of movement than the barbell press. The additional demands on the core pay dividends as we transition to the field.

Core

We try to limit core work done prone on the floor in favor of standing weighted variations. Anti-movement exercises like planks and holds or anti rotation exercises such as the Pallof press also have a role. Heavy squats, cleans and deadlifts as well as med ball throws and weighted carries create much more functional core strength than any amount of crunches.

Correction of Compensation Patterns/Achievement of Structural Balance

Another consideration in exercise selection relates to the goal of creating and maintaining structural balance. Offensive linemen are pushers. It is common to see a lineman with a highly developed anterior upper body, inwardly rotated at the shoulders, externally rotated at the hips, large tight quads, tight ankles, tight spinal erectors and a protruding stomach.

Traditional specificity training would lead to a program design that includes great emphasis on the punch (bench press, med ball thrusts) leg drive (squats or leg press) and other exercises in extension. It would be common to see elaborate periodized load schemes for the bench press, squat and power clean with 2-3 sets of rows or pull downs and leg curls thrown in for “balance”.

The reality is linemen do a ton of pushing in practice and games – before they even come in the weight room. Thus, we try to program pulls 2:1 or even 3:1 when compared to pushes. In extreme cases we may remove all pushing movement from the programs and attempt to “over train” pulls early in the off season. When presented with this approach, players come back to pushes stronger due to the correction of imbalances and reduction of pattern overload.

Targeted Flexibility and Mobility

Another part of achieving structural balance is flexibility and mobility. Lack of mobility is more of a problem than lack of flexibility. Both attributes are addressed in our strength workouts. Lack of strength is often a key contributor to mobility concerns. Weak muscles guard and restrict movement. Correction of muscular imbalances, muscle activation and targeted functional flexibility as part of the strength workout address these deficiencies.

One of the exceptions that we use regarding machines vs. free weights is a machine called the Rotex. Dr. Joe LaCaze, the inventor of The Rotex, introduced us to the notion that a joint’s ability to deal with rotation is imperative to the joint’s ability to avoid injury. We utilize a series of exercises on the Rotex to address this in the ankle, knee, hip and shoulder and to activate rotational stabilizers like the internal oblique, tibialis posterior and infraspinatus.

Next month we will look at how the program comes together.

About the Author: Dan Dalrymple has been the strength and conditioning coach for the New Orleans Saints since 2006. He was previously the strength and conditioning coach at Miami (OH) for 17 years. Dalrymple was Samson Equipment’s NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for 2009 and is one of only two coaches in the NFL to be certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association as a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach. He recently completed a three-set series of DVDs on Developing Offensive and Defensive Linemen and Post-Season Training that is now available at AFMvideos.com.