The Big Squeeze

by: Joe Hampton
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ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT times to get a football player into the weight room is during the rigorous two-a-day practice sessions before the start of each football season. During this time the athlete's body is pushed to the limits of exhaustion. It's a time of major concern to most strength and conditioning coaches and athletic trainers because of the chance of overuse/overwork muscle strains and pulls that can occur.

During this time the question arises as to what would be the best way to put strength training in the equation. Obviously, there are numerous methods to choose from. We feel circuit training may be the best way to strength train during the pre-season.

Our No. 1 objective when developing our pre-season strength training program has always been to give the athlete ample time to recover between the morning and afternoon practice. This cannot be accomplished if we were to do our typical clean, squat and bench progressions that are done throughout the winter, spring, and summer programs. We prefer to train the athletes after the first session rather than before or after the afternoon sessions.

We decided that there was a specific need during this time that could benefit the athlete. The need was flexibility. The ability to keep an athlete's muscles "loose" rather than tight and restricted will reduce the chance of pulling a muscle. With this is mind, we developed a program that takes into account various movements that occur on the field. We primarily use multiple-joint single leg movements for the lower body and dumbbell movements for the upper body. This gives the athlete greater range of motion and helps decrease the chance of overuse muscle strains that commonly occur during pre-season camp.

Fitting it in

Our circuits are done after the morning practice. This is done for two reasons. One, the athlete is too tired to train after two practices a day, and, two, it's when time is available. After the afternoon session, most teams go from the practice field to the evening meal and then to meetings.

The team is on an offense/defense every other day rotation. We utilize two circuit programs of 12 exercises each. The circuit consists of six stations where the athlete combines lower body and upper body movements before moving on. The athlete should spend no more then 20 minutes completing his work out.

There are certain responsibilities that both the strength staff and athletes have to fulfill to make the program work in a timely manner. Our goal is to have the athlete leave the practice field and complete the required workout in the shortest amount of time. An injured athlete is required to perform all the exercises he can before heading to the training room for treatment.


Photo 1


Photo 2


Photo 3

The schedule

Athletes report to the facility directly from the practice field. They are told which mobility drills are on schedule for the session. We utilize hurdles for our mobility drills. Our athletes will either do a duck under (Photo 1), a lateral walk (Photo 2) or a forward walk through the hurdles (Photo 3). Once the mobility drills are completed, the athlete then completes the required torso movements for the session.

The two circuits are based on the lower body movements of the day. One circuit is based on single leg horizontal plane movements or our lunge progression. The other circuit is based on single leg vertical plane movements or our step up progressions. We may use dumbbells, barbells, or have the athlete hold a 45-pound plate at chest level.

The upper body portion of the circuits will include exercises for all of the upper body musculature. These exercises will include vertical and horizontal presses and pulls, elbow flexes and extension, shoulder abduction, shoulders cross abduction and forward flexion movements. We use stability balls and balance boards during some of the upper body movements to further develop core stability, balance and coordination when the athlete is fatigued from practice.

When the athlete has completed the circuit he is then required to do neck and lower leg exercises (ankle/shins) to fulfill the daily requirements of the strength program.

Obviously, there are numerous exercises to choose from when developing a strength program. Each year we evaluate the previous season's common ailments and try to implement exercises that may help in the prehabilitation/rehabilitation process of our athletes. We then develop the circuits we will use during our pre-season practices.

We have seen a decrease in overall soft tissue injuries during the pre-season. Part of the reason is that our athletes our doing a great job during the summer months to prepare themselves for camp. But we also think the strength training sessions are important. By implementing the exercises utilized in the circuits, the athlete performs functional movements through a full range of motion.

Circuit Procedures

To start with, each team is broken down into offense and defense. The groups are rotated on a daily basis unless it is a scrimmage day. The circuit is performed after the morning practice, before the athlete showers, gets treatment, or goes to lunch.

The player enters the complex and checks in with a strength staff member (usually an intern or graduate assistant) in charge of attendance. The coach checks the athlete off on the role sheet and directs him to the hurdles for the daily mobility drills.

The coach leads him through the torso work for the session. Once the athlete has completed both the mobility and torso work he moves to the circuit area.

The player can start at any grouping and must complete all six groupings (2 - 6 station circuits are ideal). The head strength coach and assistants supervise this area.

When the athlete has completed the circuit he reports back to the coach who instructed him through the mobility and torso work. He then performs the required neck and lower leg exercises for the session. When he is done, he checks out with the coach to make sure he gets credit for attending the session.

The Exercises

Upper Body Movements


Photo 4

Dumbbell Bench (Photo 4) - This multi-joint exercise focuses on the triceps, pectoralis major and minor, and shoulder girdle. This exercise makes the athlete stabilize the weight himself at the end range of motion with his shoulder muscles. These muscles consist of the pectoralis muscles, and the four rotator cuff muscles, the deltoid, the trapezius, rhomboids, and serratus anterior. This exercise is even more effective when the athlete is forced to round his shoulders when in full extension. This strengthens the entire shoulder girdle and help prevent some shoulder injuries, such as subluxations/dislocations. This exercise could also help prevent some elbow injuries by strengthening the dynamic stabilizers of the elbow joint, and help prevent some hand and wrist injuries, by increasing grip strength.


Photo 5

Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Photo 5)- This multi-joint exercise focuses on strengthening the shoulder girdle and elbow extensors. It forces the athlete to stabilize the weight with one hand throughout the full range of motion. It requires help from the deltoid and rotator cuff musculature so will help prevent some shoulder rotator cuff injuries.


Photo 6

Dumbbell Pull Over (Photo 6) - This exercise strengthens the latissimus dorsi muscle and helps the athlete learn proprioceptive skills when their arms are in strange positions. It should not be done by athletes who are experiencing shoulder dislocations and subluxations.


Photo 7

Dumbbell Bent Over Row (Photo 7) - This multi-joint exercise focuses on the latissimus dorsi, middle trapezius, rhomboid, and teres major. The strengthening of these muscles will assist scapular adduction/retraction. If the scapula stabilization muscles are properly working, this could reduce the amount of impingement seen in overhand athletes (i.e. quarterbacks).

Lateral Raises - This is a single-joint exercise that focuses on strengthening the middle deltoid and supraspinatus musculature. It's a good exercise to strengthen the shoulder to help prevent some shoulder injuries. Although good for strengthening, gradual resistance must be applied because if overdone it has been seen to cause impingement syndrome, and some tendinitis.


Photo 8

Triceps Extensions (Photo 8) - A single-joint exercise used to strengthen the triceps brachii muscles. Early in double days, offensive and defensive lines do a lot of punching and can experience tendinitis of their triceps extensors. This exercise can not only strengthen the elbow for punching, but also help prevent over use injuries.

Dumbbell Fly - This is a multi-joint exercise that focuses on the pectoralis major and minor, the anterior deltoid, biceps brachii, and coracobrachialis. It can teach the athlete to stabilize the shoulder and generate force at the end ranges of motion. It is in a position close to this that most shoulder dislocations occur. Strengthening muscles in this exercise, along with proper rotator cuff strengthening, will possibly assist in the prevention of this injury.

Dips - They are used primarily to focus on the elbow extensors (triceps) and to strengthen dynamic stabilizers. They also help build shoulder strength through stabilization. The athlete must learn to support his own weight on two hands. This activates the shoulder girdle, including the deltoid, rotator cuff, and pectoralis muscles.

Chin - Ups (with palms supinated) - This multi-joint exercise focuses on elbow flexion (biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis), and shoulder extension (posterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi, and teres major and minor). It helps stabilize the elbow and shoulder at different angles.

Dumbbell Power Pull - This is a multi-joint exercise that utilizes full body movement, but aims at strengthening the shoulder. The final phase focuses on elbow flexion with shoulder abduction and external rotation. This type of exercise can help strengthen the shoulder girdle and possibly prevent some shoulder injuries like impingement syndrome.

Lower Body Movements

High Step Up (Photo 9)- The multi- joint exercise focuses on knee and hip extensors. It is a great exercise because it requires the athlete to work the hip and knee extensors through a full and functional range of motion. It helps prevent high hamstring pulls, knee ligament injuries and patella subluxation/dislocation.


Photo 9

Dumbbell Lateral Step Up (Photo 10) - This is a great multi-joint and functional exercise that will help the athlete strengthen the abductors as well as hip and knee extensors. This exercise will help the athlete work through a range of motion that is not normally conditioned and will help cut back on those annoying pre-season adductor strains.


Photo 10

Dumbbell Crossover Step-up - This is a multi-joint exercise that focuses on hip abduction, external rotators, hip extensors, and knee extensors. It is a great exercise for athletes who must use a lot of lateral movement and crossover type stepping, such as linebackers and defensive backs. It helps strengthen and coordinate the triple extension and adds an element of hip abduction, which is normally done in cutting drills

Standing Forward Lunge (Photo 11) and Standing Reverse Lunge (Photo 12) - These are multi-joint exercises that focus on the knee and hip extensors. They utilize a deep hip flexion, which puts good stress on the upper hamstring muscles. Both help strength the hip extensors and reduce the amount of hamstring muscle strains. They are also closed kinetic chain exercises which athletic trainers use during therapy to help strengthen the quads after some knee ligament injuries and patella dislocations. They also help prevent those type of injuries.


Photo 11


Photo 12

450 Lunge (Photo 13) - A multi-joint exercise, it helps strengthen knee extensors and hip extensors. Lunges also help strengthen hip adductors, which are one of the most common strains that occur in pre-season training. These muscles are strained primarily because they are usually never worked through a full range of motion. If done correctly, lunges work the adductors through an extremely large range of motion preventing the type of injury that occurs during practice when an athlete slips and his legs go in opposite directions.


Photo 13

Lateral Lunge (Photo 14) - Another multi-joint exercise, it strengthens the groin or adductor muscle group of the hip. This group of muscles helps us turn and cut different directions or run laterally when pursuing a ball. Groin or adductor strains are common during the first part of double days because most athletes fail to strengthen or stretch this group of muscles during the off-season. The athlete will hurt this muscle group within the first few days of hard cutting (seen especially when they slip on grass surfaces). This exercise will help strengthen this group of muscles and help prevent injuries.


Photo 14

Single Leg Squat (Photo 15) - A good multi-joint exercise that helps strengthen and stabilize the knee and hip extensors. This exercise not only increases strength, but also teaches athletes coordination and balance while working on one limb.


Photo 15

Romanian Dead Lift (Photo 16) - This multi-joint exercise focuses on hip extensors (hamstring muscles) and back extensors. It helps prevent low back muscle strains, which are common in athletes who are out of shape when reporting to double days, or start to squat heavily before they are physically ready.


Photo 16

Partner Leg Curl (Photo 17) - This single-joint exercise focuses on the hamstring musculature (semi-membranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris). It helps build the quadriceps for dynamic support and stabilizes the knee joint, which help reduce the chances of ligament sprains. Also helps prevent hamstring muscle strains.


Photo 17

Glute Ham Raise - This is an extremely important exercise to help prevent high hamstring pulls. It is also used during rehab to help strengthen the hamstring during hip extension. These injuries can occur at any time during the season and can set the athlete back several weeks. Utilizing this exercise can help prevent this high hamstring pull.

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