Pea cae aN ue i a Ech GIAO f heComplete Conditioning for FOOTBALL Michael J. Arthur, CSCS Strenglh and Conditioning Coach University of Nebraska Bryan L. Bailey, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach University of Nebraska Fa BS) Human KineticsTo my father, Francis, who was instrumental in developing in me the passion for coaching, and 10 my mother, Marlyn, for her loving support and strength.—Mike Arthur To my loving parents, Bill and Alta Bailey, for instilling in me the passion and determination to tackle each and every endeavor I encounter in life with a total ‘commitment ofove. Andto al the University of Nebraska athletes I'v had the privilege to meet and work with; you have made me the person I am today.—Bryan L. Bailey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Arthur, MichaelJ.,1952- ‘Complete conditioning fo football / by Michael J, Arthur and Bryan L. Bailey. Pom, 97-38483, ISBN 0-88011-521-1 ap 1, Football~Training. I. Bailey, Bryan L, 1956- H. 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Box 105-231, Auckland Central oo.s23-462 ‘emai ip@ihugcomzCONTENTS Foreword v Introduction vii Chapter1 Performance Needs for Football a Chapter2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Whether you were born with the natural talent or not, you can become a better football player. Discover what it takes to become the best player you can be. Conditioning Principles 2B Learn the 4 basic training principles that will help you peak your speed, agility, power, and endurance. ‘Testing, Evaluating, and Goal Setting 55 Use these 8 fitness tests to evaluate your strengths and wenknesses and to set your football-specific conditioning goals. Flexibility Training 85 Include these 15 flexibility and mobility drills into your daily routine to help prevent injury ard to improve your performance on the playing field. Lifting Techniques 104 ‘Add the right muscle and strength for football by learning the proper lifting techniques for these 32 lifting exercises.Chapter7 Chapter 8 Speed Drills These 26 speed drills will help you improve your on-field acceleration and sprinting techniques. Agility Drills You'll be sure to break toward the pass or ‘make a block by including these 58 agility drills in your program. ‘Nutrition and Rest Round out your complete conditioning program with balanced diet guidelines and strategies to help you get the rest your body needs. Conditioning Workouts and Programs Tailor specific lifting and running workouts {for each phase of your conditioning by using these 6 position-specific sample weekly workouts. About the Authors 165 191FOREWORD Winning as often and consistently as we have at the University of Nebraska requires many contributing factors and individuals working together. Complete Conditioning for Football provides one very important piece to the puzzle. In this book, strength and conditioning coaches Mike Arthur and Bryan Bailey present the training approach they helped develop and implement as members of our Athletic Performance Team. This pro- gram is widely recognized as one the most effective in developing athletes to their full potential. Like most programs, strength, power, speed, agility, and flexibility are ‘emphasized. So are proper nutrition and adequate rest. What sets this conditioning program apart from othersis thatitis designed to meet the specific performance needs of football players. Techniques like block~ ing, throwing, and cutting are improved through this tailor-made training program. More importantly, the program is based on a strong scientific foundation and was developed from sound training prin- ciples. Many of the guiding principles of the conditioning program were established by Boyd Epley, Assistant Athletic Director and Director of ‘Athletic Performance at Nebraska. Boyd was the first person tohave the official job title of Strength Coach back in 1970 and founded the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 1978. He is univer- sally regarded as one of the world’s leading strength and conditioning experts. Complete Conditioning for Football offers not only this special expertise but also very practical fitness tests, drills, workouts, and position- specific programs for each conditioning phase. If you coach ot play the game, this book is as essential as a playbook or helmet.Mi Foreword Being in peak football shape doesn’t guarantee victory, butt certainly does improve your chances. In the fourth quarter with the game on the line, you need the physical advantage. Put yourself and your team in the best possible position to win. Work hard and smart with Complete Conditioning for Football, ‘Tom Osbome Former Head Football Coach Assistant Athletic Director University of NebraskaINTRODUCTION ‘Theimprovement of performance in football over the past few yearshas been phenomenal. Twenty years ago, the average lineman weighed 240 to 250 pounds and ran a 52-second 40-yard dash. This was considered tobe nearing the genetic potential for a player. Now running backs who weigh 240 pounds are running 4.4-second 40-yard dashes. Strength traininghas made the single, most positivecontribution to thisimprove- ment. Today sports conditioning and strength training influence every football program in the country. Players now find it necessary to lift ‘weights and do conditioning drills to better prepare themselves for the competitive rigors of a football season. Just a short time ago most coaches thought that strength training ‘would cause athletes to become muscle-bound and would be counter- productive to good technique. Now it has been proven that football performance depends either directly orindirectly on qualities of muscu- lar strength. We must remember that technique is the medium that expresses strength. Ifyou compare two athletes who have equal techni- cal skills and abilities, the stronger one is going to win. "The number-one purpose of complete conditioning—including the physical, technical, tactical, and psychological aspects of training —isto improve the player's ability to make the play. Strength training is an important part of complete conditioning. The primary function of the body's 600-plus muscles is to contract (shorten in length) to move body parts. Only muscle can cause movement. The stronger the muscles and the more forceful the contractions, the faster the player can run. With strength training, not only does a player get stronger, but his muscle ass also becomes larger. So the player not only runs faster but also weighs more. The combination of speed and size increases the perfor- ‘mance potential of a football player. "A bonus of complete conditioning and strength training is injury prevention. Training strengthens the muscle attachments and increases the density of bone at the sites of muscle origins and insertions. If an vwinjury does occur, it will probably not be as serious, and the athlete can rehabilitate faster. In addition to physical changes, psychological changes develop from complete sports conditioning. Asa player becomes bigger and faster as 1a result of consistent and intense workouts, he gains confidence. This increased confidence will carry over when he lines up on the football field. A player who has conditioned himself properly will be just as strong and fast in the fourth quarter as he was in the first quarter. As Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us al.” The proper application of conditioning principles is critical to maxi- ‘mize performance potential. This book will stimulate you to evaluate what you are doing in your program. Coaches and athletes should question why they include an exercise or drill in their program. Many will find they are doing the same drills their coach did, whether these drills are right or wrong. Make productive use of your time. Don’t waste it doing things that won't improve performance. Incorporate the prin- ciples outlined in this book into your program and you'll be on the path to success. Each player's situation is different, and you must address an athlete's past training experience, available practice time, and available equip- ment. The purpose of this book is to enable you to set up strength and conditioning training based on the needs of your players and situation, Sample programs will give you ideasabouthow toimplementyour own program, Multisport athletes whose primary focus is football are some- times confused about how toimplement year-round conditioning work- outs and still be competitive in each sport in which they participate. Some guidelines for meeting the conditioning needs of these athletes are given in chapter 9. ‘Athletes are always on the lookout fornew and better ways of training, but shortcuts and gimmicks are not the answer. The bottom line is hard work. Thisbook will show you the way, but you will haveto provide the work.Torariee Many factors make up a good foot- ball player. Some playersarcborn with thenaturaltalentto play football, while others have to work harder to sake up for a lack of ability. But _xgantless of your level of talent, you can become a better player. The are no shortculs to becoming the best player you can be, however: takes lots of hard work and dedication. This book provides you with a conditioning program that has been proven to work for thousands of football players, including the 1994 and 1995 National Championship team at the University of Nebraska. The hard work will come as you condition, using this program: the dedicated effort mustcome from you. ‘The performance pyramid shown in figure 1.1 was inspired by John ‘Woaden’s “Pyramid of Success.” Jolin Wonden belteved success is not ‘how much money, power, or preslige you can attain, but knowing, within yourself that you have done everything possible tv be the best ‘person you ne eapableof becoming, The performance pyramid representsrene “Bott | Recon: Figure L1 Performance pyramid. the entire training process followed by the University of Nebraska football program or any ether successful team, The purpose of this {ctining processis to develop players’ athletic performance potential to the maximum. Each block signifies a different component of training, arranged by level according to the desired training effect. The training [process starts at the bottom, with each succeeding level building on the ‘one below it. Character is at the foundation beeause it creates the greatest changes, which in tum affect everything above it. For example, as you develop character you become more consistent in your workout habits at the conditioning level. Better conditioningleadsto greater athleticebility by improving power and endurance. Then as gains in power and endlur- ante inceease, practices become more effective. More effective practices lead to improved football skills. Ultimately these skills improve your ‘potential to make more plays-in performance. ‘CHARACTER A sound character is the basis for being the best player you can be; it assuresa solid foundation. Character isa person's attitudes and behav- iors, based on the individual's values. A person’s values reflecthis view of reality, ‘At the extremes, two opposing views of reality are evident in today’s world, and each of us falls some place between the two. These views govern the values, attitudes, and behaviors that in turn determine our character. One view holds that esch persom isto do his own thing. That is, there is no absolute truth; rather, whatever a person does can be rationalized to mect the needs of the situation. This view holds that life ig short, sa get the most pleasure as possible out of it right now:the endPorfernance Nees for Footbal 3 results more important than the means. The other viewhaldsthatthere are infinite and unchanging absolute truths and natura laws that govern all people, and that you must live in harmony with these Fundamental principles toachieve your maximmuin human potential. To ‘know yourself, you must have a philosophy of life that does not change according to the situation, a philosophy that gives you a true personal identity. Through knowing yourself you acquire self-mastery, and through seli-mastery you can delay gratification and make sacrifices, The first of these fundamental views fosters someone who isolates himself from the world, whose attitude is “What is in it for mc” and ‘whose emphasis is on getting ahead, The second view leads to the Kind of character needed to play goad football. A person with this view believes in an ultimate truth, is at peace with himself, and lives in unity with others. As John Wooden said, “[Knaw] within yourself you have done everything possible to be the best person you're capable of becoming.” Coach Tom Osborne of the University of Nebraska stresses six charac ter qualities and values during team meetings, which we will discuss next. The most significant aspects of his messages arc the comerstones: beliefand unity. There are many different character qualitiesand values that vary with the individual. John Wooden's pyramid consisted en- tirely of character traits and values: industriousness, enthusiasm, sym- ‘pathy, juidgment, self-control, initiative, cooperation. The list ean goon. What is important is that you select a few basic character tratts that provide a code of conduct based on your own personal values and an ultimate meaning of life for you. Belief Inorder forany football program to wark, you mustfirstbelieveinit. For example, the Nebraska football team believes that if they are the most physieal football team they will win games. Based on this belief, the offensive and defensive philosophies art 10 play a physical style of football called power foutball in which the offense is based on a very strong running game and the defense forces the action by attacking the opponent's offense. The players believe in this approach and fee! it will win any game before they even take the field. We are convinced that when an opponent gets physically beat, they start making mental mistakes, Theirexecution then breaks down, and they turn the ball over. Many programs fail because the athletes do nat believe in them. They question what the coach is trying tu accomplish or feel something else sill work better. The same is true with a conditioning programy if an_4 Complete Coneitoning for FooboR athlete docs not believe in the program he will not be motivated to put fall intensity into his workoat. Belief is best instilled in the players by coaches whose actions reflect what they communicate to the team. A ‘Coach with a strong belief has the ability to demonstrate his knowledge ond understanding of the program to the team. There is a consistency in the program that doesn’t change and is suocessful from year to year: It is not based on how maiy games are won, but on the success of each player in becoming the best he is capable of becoming. Unity “Unity” —a carnerstone of the performance pyramid—is the University of Nebraska football team’s motto. Some teams use intimidation, talk the game is on the line, the outcome is.not going to be based on these tacts; it's going to be based on the team’s unity. Ateam that has strong, tunity unleashes the greatest effort possible from each player and coor” dinatesit sotheteam works togetherasaunit. Ateam withouttnity may ‘get greateffort fom each player, but the efforts arenot in harmony with the rest of the team. Linity means putting your teammates first and yoursel! second. The success of the team depends on you doing your part. Determine what your strengths are and how yau can contribute tothe tears, This doesn’t ‘low every player to be in the limelight. You cannot worry about your teammate getting more ink than you. Respect your teammates, coaches teachers, and those against whom you compete. Sticeaxs doesnot always challenge the wnity of a team; often adversity does. Forexample, ifa team loses ora player is involved i an unfortu: rate ineident, i reflects on the whole team. ‘The team can respond by falling apartor by pulling togethez in spite of te adversity. Playing well under adversity 8 the true test of team unity. Resolve ‘After losing a heartbreaker to Florida State for the National Champion ship in the 199 Orange Bowl, the University of Nebraska coaches and feam resolved to win the National Championship the following year. ‘The rallying cry of resolve was, “Unfinished Business.” Resolve is a fixed purpose of mind to focus all actions on the accomplishment of a specific goal. The basic question asked was, what actions are we doing flow that are counterpreductive to winning the National Champion~Pertornonce Needs for Football & ship? Whatactions are we currently not doing that would be productive to winning the National Championship? A derision was made to stop theaetions that were counterproductive and replace them with procuc- tive actions. This resolve did not focus on winning the National Championship, but focused on what ittakes eachday toget thejobdone, This involved sacrificing certain comforts and making a commitment each day to prepare thoroughly and work hard. If everyone concen trated on doing hisparteach and every day, the National Championship ‘would take careof itself. To achieve this resoluition required a systematic approach. Everybody was on the same page in setting training, objec tives, procedures, and timetables. If anybody screwed up, there was a Price to pay; everybody knew they were in it topether. The team was maninded daily of their msolve during the long, hot summer months. A reminder was put on the scoreboard during each rumning session: 36 seconds on the lock and the slogan “Unfinished Business.” Thirty-six secands was the amount of time left when Florida State took the lead during the Orange Bowl. We had been that close to ‘winning the champlonship-now each player was responsible for reach- ing down deep within, giving it all hehad, and making sure itwouldn’t ‘happen again Discipline Dis ‘means following through on your resolve. Today there are ‘many young people who encounter litile tangible and consistent disc- plineintheirlives;athlelics provide beneficial disciplined structure for Inany young people. The simple disciplines of coming to practice ata certain timeevery day, doing certain workoutsin the weight roomin the offseason, and making a consistent effort on the playing field enable players to begin to gain some control over their lives and to become disciplined in other endeavors. Discipline is doing the right thing at the right time. Are you willing to ive up activities that are counterproductive—watching to0 much television, staying outlate, using alcohol and/or deugs—to become the best you can be? Are you willing to consistently push yourself through ful workouts, eat properly, and get plenty of sest to become the best you con be? Discipline is a matter of replacing bad habits with good habits. A signover thedoorway toourweightroomsays, “Yourworkout habits determine your future.” This sign reminds players that reaching their goals isn’t going to be accomplished in one workout. It takes disciptine tocome into the weight room day after day to work outuntil it becomes a habit.& Complete Conditioning for Footah Courage -Rveryonehaste deal with the problemsofevery day life. These problems ‘canhavea negative effect on performance if you do nat ceal with them. comecily. Because of fear sometry to deal witha problem by avoiding it find hoping it will go avray, The best way (o deal with fear is to face it esd on with courage, doing what you believe is right and notgivingin athe popular view of others, The first ime a problem is met face-to-face {you're not sure how you are going to measure up, For exemple, ittakes Couragetonol usesteroidsifall of your friendsaretaking (hem. Courage Caubles you (o conquer your fear. You can begist to understand more about yourself based on how you reactto fear. Do you run fromm #7 Do ‘you go with the flow? Do you meet it head-on? It you meet it head-on. Zeon the fear is conquered, the problem solved, and you discover that ‘yousohave courage, Eachtime aproblem is methead-on and defeated, Zourage is strengthened. Eventually, encountering problems is seen as "mopportunity to exercine and strengthen your courage. Perseverance Perscverance is theability tacontimue tobelieve in yourself when facing, adversity, There are a variety of adverse situations that can discourage jyouand cause you togive up on yourself Often inmajor college football the race decsn’t go to the swiftest, but to the one who is the most pavuisientand most determined in his pursuit of aspot on the team. We Consistently see players who come in as freshmen with less ability than ther players, but who eventually earn more playing time than their trove talented teammates. Some players get 2 scrious injury that sets them back far long periods of time. But through diligent rehabilitation, ‘they sicuggle step-by-step each day to make it back onthe field and compete again. Jared Tomich is an example of a player who worked hard and pers” ered. Jared's situation was unique in that he was a great player, but poor grades kept him from getting an athletic scholasship. He cout Fave let this discouragement defeat him and given up on footbell, Instead, he ensolledin classesat the University of Nebraska and paid his own way. During the first year he was diagnosed with = learning Ghosbility, He worked hard on his schoolwork, overcame the learning dlisability, and became scholastieally eligible to play football, The Fol Towing school year he walked on and became a sedshirt —meaning he spenthis time practicing as ascout team player runining the opponents) jlaysagainst the tp uns. His third year out ofhigh school hezeccivestascholarship and played in every game 5 an allermate. The next two (years he was selected. a first team all-American. and ding his senior yearnominatedasan' Outland and Lombardi Trophy sandidats He wae yoted by his teammates asthe 1996 Lifter of the Year and Team Captain. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the {1007 NFL. draft, But his greatest achievement was persevering in the “dassroom and graduating from college with a degree in communication, studies. ‘You need pesseverancein all aspects of your life, Inctuding condition: ing for football. Every player has reached a platean in his training in wvhich no further progress seems possible regardless of unselenting Tracavor. Don't become discouraged when you reacha training plateau; they are normal and necessary for your progress. Most of your (me goingto bespenton a plateau. Though the goslisseemingly impossible fyou must continue to persevere, because a burst of progres 15 Just beyond the horizon, There are no shortcuts or sectets toachieving your maximum performance potential. You must take one step ata tine, one stepbuilding to thenextstep. Sometimes you rmust take astep or several steps back and go around in order lo reach your gos!.8 Compicie Conditioning forfootball CONDITIONING ‘The performance pyramid usesthe basics of conditioning to buildon the character foundation. This book deals with this conditioning level of the pyramid, We give a brief description of conditioning here and 0 into greater detail in subsequent chapters. Conditioning is often confused with training, However, training is the entire process of improving and it has many components. Conditioning, an the other hand, is concemed with improving the body's force capability, energy utilization, and energy recovery: In order to optimally condition your body‘o play good football, you mustinclude stretching, lifting, unsung, proper nutrition, and ample rest in your training program. Performing specific exercises and drills with the correct volume, intensity, and ‘variation js crucial tomaximizing the effectiveness of your conditioning, Progra. Regardless of your natural speed and strength, you can become better through a good conditioning program, Adam Treu is an example of a player who made such tremendous physical progress that he was, drafted in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL draft. Hee came to Nebraska as a walk-on offensive lineman in 1992. He weighed 248 pounds, ran a 5.49-second_ 40-yard dash and had a 225-inch vertical jump. With ‘consistent effort using the program gutlined in this book he made tremendous improvement. During hislast year he weighed 305 pounds, rana5.10 40-yard dash, and had a 26.5-inch vertical jump. This type of progress is possible for anyone with the desiretobecome thebest he cant bie, Stretching In the past we frequently heard coaches complain about certain players “playing tight" and needing more stretching, so we focused on stretch- ing these players until they developed good flexibility. But the coaches later came back to us to say that the player was sill playing tight. This ‘causedus lo lakea closes lgokeat what we weredoing with ourstretching program. We learned that what these players werelacking was arobility: We were using primarily staticstretches, but these were not functional for football players’ dyramic activities on the field. So westarted doing “mobility drills,” or fanctionalstretching that takes thejeints ufthebedy through full ranges of motion while doing funetional, football-specific movements, These drills have proven successful in our program, and best of all, we don’t hear much complaining frven the coaches about players being tight anymore.“The basis of any football conditioning program sifting weights, which Jncludes using barbell, dumbbells, and exercise machines inthe weight oom, The purpose of lifting for football is aot to look like bodybuilder teto become brute strong like a power lifter, but to train your muscles to become more powerful and improve your speed to become a better Football player. We call this type of lifting stremgt training. "Analysing test data taken al the University of Nebraska supports the Inypothesis that inereasing muscle hypertrophy or size is highly cone Teed with improving speed and power. Improving muscle strengthalso hhas a significant correlation with improved speed and power. The Key voor heres improvement; strength and muscular size are relative to the individual. You probably have observed lange players who display tremendous strength, but out on the field have two left feet. Other layers have litle muscular hypertrophy and strength in the weight Prom but are tremendous football players. Grant Winstrom is current all-American on ourteam who, because ofhis lanky build, does nothave the ability to display great strength lifing weights. But his lang levers {arms and legs) give him a tremendaus strength advantage on the playing field Just remembce that improving muscular size ard strength [eurhat counts, nothaw strong you arerelative to other players on your team. Players who strengih train alao tend to have fewer injuries, Strength training strengthens the musele attachments and increases density of bonesat the sites of muscle origins and insertions. Ifan injury does occur to # player who has been conditioning with proper strength training, ‘vill probebly not be as serious andl will tend to heal faster Running “Afootball nmning:programshouldbe developedin accordance withthe demands of 2 football game. The running program should develop football-specific endurance using football-felated skills. Endurance af aethted tovlootbal is the ability to sustain maximum speed, agility, and poweroneach play foranentiregame. You wanttobeas{resiuon the Play as you were on the first. While endurance can be limited due to caper a nemomurcular or eardiovascular factor the limiting factor of Gndurance for football 4s neurmusculat fatigue rather than cardio~ GBecular failure. Therefore, building, an aerobicbaseisnotmecessary for football endurance. Furthermore, scientific research shows that long, slow distance running causes an athlete's muscles to take on aerobic Gheracteristics. This effect may be desirable for a long-distance runner,ss | 10. Compete Conettoning fer Foote butitis counterproductive todeveloping theexplosive, powerful muscle contractions needed for football ‘The running program in this book uses interval training, as opposed th continuous long-distance runs, to develap endurance. Interval train- ing ineorpocates work intervals followed by aspecific estinterval. The ‘Wwork-to-rest ratio should be specific to the game of football. A game consists of plays lasting an average of 5 seconds with an average rest Period of 50 scconds. Thats, football has a work-to-rest ratio of 10:1. To bespecific to football, therefore, the work intervals should last approxi mately 5 seconds with atest interval of suphly 50 seconds, "The work intervals consist of football-specific spead and agility drills, Getting into position ta block or tackle your opponent demands the baste motor skills of changing directions, starting, stopping, and jump- ing. Therefore, itis importanttu incosporale into your sunning program 2gilty ancl speed drills that utilize these basic motor skills. Throughout this book, interval training—utitizing speed and agility drills--makes up the running program to develop endurance, just as slength train- ing utiliringbarbells, dumbbells exercise machines and plyometrics makes up thé lifting program to develop power Eating Right Having enough energy to work outand practices aprimary concem of any athlete who wants to become a better player. Usually adecrease in Performance can be traced to improper nutrition; what yu eal deter mines how you supply energy to the body before workouts ancl prace tices Likewise, lospeed up recovery afier your workout or practice yin: ‘heed fo replenish the nutrients you have utilized, While nutrition plays a crucial part in achieving, maximum perfor- ‘ance potential. itis one area wheremost athleles are confused. You are bombarded every day with new nutrition products that claim to be the answer to maximum performance. You arc often willing to try anything ‘new that promises the slightest chance to improve your perfoninanor, and often waste money on products that do nothing. Itis important to educate yourself on how ta make proper healthy food selections and what products can actually improve performance. We provide a thive- ‘Step guide and shopping list in chapter § to help you eat right. Resting Any athlete who does not get enough rest is only fooling himself. Rest ‘#6 on a par with working out and diet in developing your maximumPerfomance Needs tor Football 11 performance potential. The body cannot recover between, workouts ‘without enowgh rest. Eventually, not getting enough rest leads to over~ training and injuries. Getting enough rest should be high on your priority list, especially during periods of physiesl and mental stress. ‘Theprimary context of restas itrelates to conditioningis regularsleep. ‘There are two primary principles of sleep: to sleep eight hours a day during times of hard conditioning and to wake up and go to bed the same time each day. Other aspects of rest to consider in conditioning are the lengths of time between workeuts to prevent overtraining, the rest periods between exercise sets, and activerest, Theseaspectsarceovered in peeater detail in chapter 2 ATHLETIC ABILITY ‘This book's primary mission is ta demonstrate how toimprove athletic ability through conditioning. To clearly understand a football player's conditioning rieeds we roust lack in lepth al what athletic abilities are importantin the game of football. Athlctic abilities are aset ufattributes thatan athlete has or achieves that relate to theability toperform during, a game, There aro aver 100 types of athletic abilities, but each sport has certain ones specific to it. Some of these athletic abilities include maxi- mum speed, acceleration, agility, balance, muscular strength, power, muscular endurance, aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance, and flexibility. Athletic abilities can be objectively measured using field tests, Several years ago we administered a battery of field tests that measured several of the athletic abilities mentioned above. By statistically analyzing the test data we determined which athletic abilities were most specific to football performance. We first had the players complete several ficld tests, then we divided players according to their actual ability to play football during a game. The players who played the mast were ranked number one. Players who played occasionally were ranked number twa. Players who played only when the outcome of the game was already decided ornol at all were ranked thee, The field tests were ten correlated with each player's assigned ranking, Players ranked number one (those who played the most in game situations) correlated highest with the athleticabilities of speed (10- and 40-yard dashes), agility (pro agility run), and power (vertical jump). Surprisingly, muscular strength (squat and bench press), muscular endurance (sit-ups, dips, pull-ups), aerobic endurance (1.3-mile run}, anaerobic endurance (30-yard shuttle run), Hexibility (sit and reach,112. Completa Conaitioning for Foote! shoulder elevation}, and upper body power (seated shot put) didn’t correlate as well with the number-one ranked players. ‘One test that we have been unable to develop is anendurance test thal correlates well ts the actual ability to play football. Theonly test wehave for endurance is the outcome of the football games. And we seem tobe doing preity well; we don’t get beat because of a lack of endurance conditioning. ‘The 10-yard dash, 40-yard dash, pro.agility ran, and verticaljump are used to determine the athletic abilities of each football player at the University of Nebraska. Therefore, our conditioning program is;geared to improving these parameters. Other tests do not seem as strongly t0 determinea football player’s performance potential;itwould becountes- productive to develop a conditioning program based on parameters, Suchaslong-distanceranning, that donotindicate football performance ‘potential. A player's goal is to improve these performance indicators tachandevery time he tests, Now let's investigate speed, agility, powes, ‘and endurance more closely. Speed. Speeds the ability to cover acertain distance from point Ato point B in the shortest time possible. “Agility. Agility is the ability to stop, start, and change directions ‘quickly while maintaining good body control. Power, Power refers to an athlete's ability to generate the greatest combination of strength and speed while executing a skill. Endurance. Endurance as related to football is the ability to sustain ‘maximum speed, agility, and power on each play for an entive game. Speed Speed, expressed in how many yards are covered per second, can be determined by dividing the distance run by time. For example, if 3 player runs a 40-yard dash in 46 seconds, he is running at an average speed of 8.7 yards per second Moyd 82 yd 4658 ‘That is, 87 yards per second is the average speed over a distance of 4oyards, This number doesn't indicate top speed or acceleration. A player who averages 87 yards per second runs at different speeds ‘uring the 40 yards, Let’stake acloserlook at the 40-yarddashand time it in S-yard splits, The first three columns of table 1.1 show that as aplayer runs 40 yards his speed is initially slower and gradually gets faster during the course of the run, ‘A graphic view of this 40-yard dash gives a different perspective (figure 12). Even though the player is getting faster andl faster, the ‘Table 11 Time, Speed, and Acceleration Over 40 Yards Interval (yd) Splittimets) Speed (ydls)—_Acceleratiom (yd/sis) 0 ooo 00 v.00 5 036 521 521 40 070 74 276 6 059 BAT 228 20 053 043 181 5 049 10.20 157 30 046 1087 us 35 og 1136 12 0 oss 1163 ost 12 44 1087, 10.20, +0 ak aay, 714, 52, Yandsisecond Figure £2 Accelerat14_Complete Conditioning for Foote! greatest gain in speed (grealest acceleration) is made at the beginning. Acceleration is therateof changeof speed: Its figured by subtracting the initial speed from the final speed and dividing by time. Sry SOS a pr 465 The final column of table 1.1 shows acceleration in $-yard segments. ‘You can see that acceleration is greatest at the initial portion of the run, and as the speed increases the acceleration decreases. So the greatest rate of change of speed happens during the initial stages of the 40-yard dash, As shown in figure 1.2, the sleeper the curve, the greater the acceleration. How important is acceleration when compared to tup speed? Let's look at figure 1.3, showing two athletes runing the 40-yard dash. One athlete suns itn 4.6seconds (dotted line). and the second athlete mans it in 4.5 seconds (solid line). You can sce that the athlete who ran 4.6 actually has greater top speed, but didn’t run the faster 40-yard dash, because the athlete who ran the 4.5 accelerated tv his top speed faster— -89-yd/sls te Yardsisecond 0 10 20 30 0 Figure 19 Acceleration versus speed in two athletes running 40 yards,Need for Fastball 15 shown by how stoop the curves the first 20 yards. So it isn’talways the athlete with the greatest top speed who wins the race. Therefore, speed is relative to the distance run, If the distance is short, such as 10 to 40-yard, the person with the greatest acceleration is going to have the greatest speed. As the distance getsfonger, 100 tr 400 yards, the athlete with the greatest top speed is going to have the greatest speed. Players with the greatest acceleration have speed that is relevant for most distances run during a football game, ‘Now let's compare what actually happens in a game situation to a player's 40-yard dash time. Figure 14 compares eur quarterbacks 40-yard time and a touchdown play eavering 40 yards. You can see that the player does not reach his top 40-yard speed (10.87) during the game play. Rather, the top speed he attains as he outrans the pursuit info the ‘end zone is 882 yards per second. Furthermore, the data points of the play show many periods of acceleration and deceleration. An average play for aoe! players covers atotal distance of 15 ta20 yards, though this distance might be shorter for a lineman and longer for a receiver or defensive back. Figure L4 makes it clear that being able to aceslerate 2 19 Yardaiseoond Figure 14 Compariuim of quarterboel’s d0-yard lime and aO-ya play: touchdown116 _ Complete Concttioning for Football quickly is more important than attaining top speed during a football game, Agility The reasons for the changes in speed during the play illustrated in figure 14 may be divided into the movements show int table 1.2. Tin the visual view of the play in figure 1.5, thedistance from the lineof scrimmage to the end zone is 22 yards, but the play covered an actual distance of at least 40 yards. Six changes of direction, one about every 7 yards, occurred during the play. ‘Table 12 Changes in Speed During 3 Play Yards Split Speed Description of play © 600 000 —Ballsnapped 5 120 417 Reverse pivot, nuns down the line of scrimmage 1 T0455 Sees hale, cuts up the field: breaks arm tackle 35) 093 536 Cuts back across the grain 20 163 44 Breaks arm tackle 25 073 6R2_—_Cutsback up the field and tums.on the jets 30083600 Cuts tothe outside, cuts back up the field 35083789 Outruns pursuit ” 052 882 Outruns pursuit so 0 9 2 w G Figure 5 Torty-yand touchdown play.Performance Needs fr Footboll 17 From the runnez’spoint of view, the ability toread adefensive player's movements determines whatdirection torun. When hesees anopening, the ability to react, change direction, and accelerate to the open field is crucial. Other timeshe must faketo get the defensive playertomoveone directionso thathe ear cut in the opposite direction. Regardless of what position you play, being able to change directions and accelerate is fundamental to football. The acceleration and agility drills (sce chapters, 6 and 7) will help you improve these skills. Power Toundeestand power you must first now what force is, Force(external or intemal) is defined as the cause or the agent that prosiuces or tends to ‘produce mation, External forces are those forees acting externally on the ‘body, such as friction caused by the resistance of motion between tro bodies, air resistance, and the pull of gravity. In strength training the external force is the weight thal is attempted or actually lifted. Internal forces are efforts or movements caused by muscular contractions. In strength training theintesnal force of musclecontractionmustovercome ‘the extemal force of the weight being lifted Net force is the sum of all forces involved. The net force is what determines the strength of the lifter. For example, if bench pressing 100 pounds, you need to generate at least 101 pounds of force through muscle contraction; thus, the net force of | pound enables you to lift the barbell, If you generate 100 pounds of force, the net force is zero and there is no movement. If your muscles can only generate 99 pounds of force, the net forceis~10 and you arenot able to lift the barbell. Strength 4s, therefore, the internal force of muscle contraction. ‘Often strength isconfused with power, Poweristhe sateat which work is done, Work ts the application of strength (force) through a distance, ‘Therefore power is strength times speed. Power is often referred to as explosive strength (strength that can be expressedin ashort timeframe). Work = Strength * Distance Speed = Distance/Time Power= Strength % Speed. Therefore: Power = Strength * Distance! Time = Work/Time Power ean be expressed infool-pounds persecond. That is. if amuscle can lift one pound one foot in ane second, itis said to have a power of one foob-pound per second, witli18_Compiete Conditioning for Footsall You may hear sportscaster say, forexample, thal acertain player can bench press 400 pounds. But, does this player have more power than fone who only bench presses 300) pounds? Let's compare the two athletes. The first athlete bench presses 300 pounds for a distance of two feet in two seconds, The second athlete bench presses 400 pounds for a distance of two feet in four seconds. athlete develops the most power? 300 ft/Ib/s aie pa 300Ib x2 ft = 2s Athlete#? p= 200 1b x? ft _ 800 _ 59 nbs 4s ’ From these examples you can see that strengthis different than power, Even though the second athlete lifted more weight or displayed more strength, he did not display more power than the first athlete, So the next time a television announcer says a particular player can bench press 400 pounds in tro seconds, you can be impressed. There- fore, strength is related to power, but strength isnot concemed with the Amount of tithe it takes to be expressed. Power is concerned with how much strength can be expressed within a specified period of time. Let’s take a closer look at strength and speed. There is an inverse relationship between the speed and the amountof strength needed todo a movement, As theneed forstrength decreases the speed of movement increases, For example, an athlete can throw a marble faster and farther thana16-pound shot. Because the weightof theshotis greater, itrequires grater strength to throw. It is impossible to use a great amount of to throw a marble, but it can be thrown with great speed. Figure L6 shows this strength-speed relationship. In football, the team or player wiho can block and tackle the best is usually the victor. These skills ane mast effective when executed with as much power (speed and strength) as possible. To develop maximum isometric strength (internal force ~ external force) takes approximately 6 to 8 second. At maximum isometric strength, no movement takes place, and the speed of movement is zero. Therefore no power is produced (zero multiplied by anything is zer0) even though maximum strength isbeing expressed. With movements at top speed, the ability to ‘use strength is minimal and the amount of power produced isinsignifi- cant. Looking at a power curve, the greatest power is at 30 to 50 percent of maximum strength (figure 1.7) Since it lakes approximately 6 sec ‘nds to develop maximum strength, maximum power is developed in 2second. The amountoof time to apply force (io extend thelegs) during. atblock or tackle is 2to.3 second. Therefore, the amount of time it takes‘Strength Senge Figure 14 The stengtpeed Figure 17 The srengeh-power relationship. relationship. toapply strength during a tackle or block correspondstothetime ittakes to produce maximum power. Intiming athletes with varying 10-yanddash times, wehavefound that the time st takes ta extend the legs and the amount of time the foot isin ‘contact with the ground is virtually the same. A fast runner does not extend his legs any faster or have a quicker fontstrike than a slower runner. The average time to extend the legs during the 10-yard dash is 3 second for the first step and .2 second for steps two and three. Again, ‘maximum power is developed during the acceleration phase ofsprinting. ‘Thesame is true with the vertical jump, which is a simple test of power. Every player extends the legs at the same rate, 2 second, but there is a differencein the height jumped. The limiting factorin these movements is not the speed of leg extension, but the amount of force that can be applied within 2 to 3 second. Therefore, the focus of the strength and conditioning programs to develop strength within this time frame to develop maximum power for football skills, exercises mustbe incorpo ited that require the expression of strength in 2 to 3 second. Chapter 5 describes these “explosive exercises.” Though in football we are more concerned with power than strength, the form of training used to develop power is still dlassified under strength training. When the term "strength training" isused in this book signifies training for maximum strengthand power explosivestrength. Endurance Whether playerisa running back acculerating through a hole. a guard pulling around end toblock, or alinebacker blitzing the quarterback, his,20 Complete Coniioning ferFeciben ~ success largely depends on speed, agility, and power. Still, it is not sufficient to be able to run fast and change direction quickly for only a few plays. Thal is, a player must be able to sustain maximum speed, agilily, and power on each play for anentire gam, Training the body to maintain maximum perfoetsance throughout the gameis where endur- ange comes in. To develop a better understanding of endurance and how it relates to football players, le’ take a closer look at energy and how itis supplied to the muscles. Energy is defined as the ability to perform work. As we have mentioned previously, workis the application of strength through distance, Muscular contraction is determined by the power needs {energy per unit time) or the work capacity (amount of energy avail- able) As you can see, power and energy are closely related. ‘The following is asimplelook atacomplex process that requiresmany enzymes and chemical reactions. Energy is initially supplied through the food weeat. This food cannotbe used immediately; rather itmust be broken down into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the immediate ‘energy source for all muscle contraction. ATP consists of an adenosine component and three phosphate bonds. Adenosine—P- P,P, When acted on by the enzyme adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), ATP is braken down into adenosine diphosphate (ADP), inorganic phosphate (P,}, and enengy is released to do work (muscle contraction), ATP + ATPase = ADP +P, + Energy ‘There isa limitedamountof ATP in themmascle cell at any one moment, and itis constantly being utilized and resynthesized. Frergy is requir to regenerate ATP for muscle contraction and is supplied by the inter~ action of three energy-yVielding systems. These energy systems ane represented in figure 18 as a hydraulic model of three interconnected storage tanks. ‘These “tanks” are found close to the contractile mecha- rnisms in each muscle fiber. The tank that directly provides energy to tht ‘contractile mechanism represents the phosphagen energy system. The other two tanks (lacticacid and oxygen) are connected to the phospha- gen tank. Therefore, the ATP supplied from the lactic acid and oxygen. fanks is first dumped into the phosphagen tank, which ultimately supplies the energy from the breakdown of ATP to the contractile mechanism. Which energy source the muscle uses to replenish ATP. depends upon the intensity (rate of ATP utilization) and duration {amount of ATP needed) of the work bout. “There is enough ATP stored in the phosphagen tank to supply about ‘one second worth of energy during high-intensity, short-durationFerlomonce Needs fr Footea 21 ‘Muscle fer Fore Figure 8 ade of he ve igy-yling syste: oxygen phowpgen and lactic ac activities such as the 40-yard dash or lifting heavy weights. As ATP is broken down during muscle contraction itis replenished immediately from energy supplied from the breakdown of the compound phospho- creatine (PC). When acted upon by theenzyme creatine kinase (CK), PC is broken down into creatine, P, PC4CK=C+P, + Energy ‘The energy released is then used to combine the P, toan ADP molecule tn regenerate an ATP molecule, Energy + ADP +P, = ATP Football demands a rapidly available supply, rather than a la amount, of ATE. The process of transferring energy from PC to form ATP occurs in less than 2second. [tis a simple one-step process and does nat require any special cellular functions. Without the phosphagen system, football players would not be able to perform explosive movements. ‘The amount of PC stored in the muscle exceeds that of ATP, but is also limited. During high-intensity exercise PC is depleted within six sec- onds. Thus, energy from the phosphagen system is utilized for only short maximum bursts of power (figure 19), If intense exercise is continued for more than six seconds, the energy is supplied from the lacticacid energy system (figure 1.10). The release! Figure 19 Fnergy fom the phoaphages system is utilize for short maximum furs of power such ns thow used i foal Musele for Figure i.10 ‘The loctc acid system helps supply encray after the phosphagen systen’s enengy is depicted (afer about 6 ceuncls uf maximal work). ‘of energy te the contractile mechanism is now slower because the ‘opening in this system’s oatlct is smaller than the phosphagen tank outlet. Therefore, the amount of force generated is reduced. ATP from this tank is released from thebreakdownol glycogen and glucose in thePerfomance Needs or Football 23 absence ofoxy genthrouygha praces called anaerobicglycolysis, Through this process a metabolic by-product called lactic acid accumulatesin the muscle. The highest accumulation of lactic acid is reached during high- intensity activities that last from one to three minutes. if this tank is emptied, too much lactic acid accumulates in the muscle causing, pain and sesulting in @ loss oF coordination and force production; this often happens at theend of 400+ orfi)-meter races. Because football plays last no more than eight seconds and there is adequale recovery between them, lactic acid does not accumnlate to a great degree. Thus, the lactic acid system plays a very small role in football ‘Another tank spresents the oxygen system. This system is more specific to activities requiring endurance over along duration at low Hert ‘After about three minutes of low-intensity exercise, AT almost completely from this tank (figure 1.11). The ATP’ tther two tankslovels off The diameter of the outlet from this third tank is very small, seducing the flow of ATP even more and generating less force. Each play ina football game involvesan effort of 100 percent intensity for roughly 5 seconds. Between each play there is an average of 50 sec- onds rest, including time-outs and penalties. The demand for ATP is high during. play, and asthe play ends, the phosphagen tank is almost Bae a PE from the oxygen (aerobic energy system) “tank.”Figure 142 The phosphagen energy system football play, but has a chance to ell Between plays. drained (refer to figure 19). The tank refilsto.almostmaximum capacity between plays, allowing maximum intensity for the next play (figure 1.12). Therefore, the energy supplied during a football game is predomi- nantly from the phosphagen energy system. The limiting factor of a player being able to give 100 percent effort for each play for an entire football game depends on how efficiently he is able to replenish the ‘phosphagen tank. The interval training described earlier in this chapter gives a briefoverview on how te train the phosphagen energy system. ‘The principal concept of interval training is to develop the ability to recover completely within the specified rest interval so that maxigwam intensity is possible with each work interval. A specific program to develop football endurance is covered in chapter 9. PRACTICE How well you play in a game depends an how well you practice. The ‘game is wen orlost by theend of Thursday's practice, because the game issimply executing what you have practiced during the week, The three covered in practice are Fundamentals, strategies, and mentalPerdormance Nese forFostboil 25 aspects, Practice also builds on your foundation of charactes, condition- ing, and athletic ability Fundamentals Every great coach isa firm believer in the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. Technique is the medium through which the power of these skills is expressed; the better a player's technique, the more power he can generate when executinga skill. Conversely, ifa player doesn’thave the ability lo effectively generate powerhis technique is limited. A great football player has the ability to generate high power and express it effectively through good technique. Strategies Strategy isa general gant plan based on your team’s offensive, defen- sive, and kicking philosophies; bath these philosophiesand strategy are ‘determined by the head coach and the type of players available on the ‘team. Plays are then devised to take advantage of the team’s strengths. ‘Then youdelermine your opponents’ weaknesses and attack them with your strengths, "The majority ofthe time the team that implementsits strategy with the fewest mistakes wins. To climinatemislakes each player must know his assignments until they become second nature. The team must also be prepared to adjust to different situations such as weather and field conditions. Repetition in practicing the plays is the key to a well- disciplined and well-prepared team, Mental Training ach time a team takes the field the team members musthavemo doubt that they are going to win the game, This confidence comes from knowing you have prepared your body well. that you have mentally conditioned yourselfto give 1) percentoneachand every play. that you know your assignments, and that your team is better conditioned than ‘your opponents Most great athletes aclmita great percentage of their success isdue to mental lactors. Recent research has shown that a mental training tech- nique called visualization can improve physical performance, as our sxibconscious is unable te distinguish between whats vividlyimagined ‘and what is real. For example, a former Nebraska player (old me of an.26_Compleie Conctioning for Footbal ‘experience he had ina gamein whicha long pass was throwntohim and everything seemed tomove inslow motion. Itfel ike ittook five munutes for theball to pet te him, He had plenty of timteto get himeelfinto the best ‘possible position to make the catch. As he watched the ball go into his, hands he could read the leltering, on it, He attributed this experience to visualizing himself over and over again in a game situation catching « Jong pass. The key to this technique is to get into a relaxed state of mind and visualize the game situation in detail. While specific visualization ‘and mental training techniques are not covered in this book, mental training sources include Charles Gaifield’s Peak Performance (1985), Dorothy Harris’ The Athlete's Guide to Sports Psychology (1984), George Leonard's Mastery (1991), Dan Millman’'s The Werrior Athlete, Body, Mind & Spirit (1979), and Kay Porter's Visual Athletics (1990). GAME How an individual plays in a game situation depends on factors that can‘tbe ubjectively measured with a stopwatch or tape measure. The intangibles separile who plays in the game and who doesn’t. The two basic criteria that Coach Tom Osborne and his statfat the University of Nebraska look for when recruiting a player are skill and effort ‘Skill “Aplayermayhave the basic alhleticabilities ofspeed, power agility, and endurance, but this doesn’t guarantee success in football. Athletic aili- tiesareonly the underlying parameters of being « skillful football player. Learning football techniques through practice combined with athletic ability enhances. player's skill evel. A coach is not concerned with how fost or powerful a player is, but how fast and powerfully he plays. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, ome playersmay lack the genetic ‘bilities to execute football skills properly. Body control, hand-eye coor ‘dination, concentration, timing, and reactions are someof the intangibles that can’t always be coached. For example, no matter how much you throw and catch the football, chances are you're not going to be able to throw with the accuracy of Steve Young or make catches like Jerry Rice. Effort Effort comes from giving 100 percent oncachand every play, Neversave ‘yourself for later in the game, Take oneplay ata time. When thingsdon'tPerformance Neods for Football 27 ge your way, never give up, Play the next play with all you have, from thetime theball is snapped until the whistle isblown. Play from sideline to sideline. Once your block is made, look downfield for someone else to block. Effort is a common thread throughout all the levels of the id. Ittakes effort to improve character, to condition yourself, and topracticeeffectively. Give 100percent effort during practice in order for it to be carried over into a game situation. ‘Combine effortwith ability to execute your assignment. A100 percent effort doesn't do much goed if you blow your assignment: Mental mistakes in a crucial situation can hurt the team’s momentum. Effort doesn’t mean fighting; show composure and keep your head in the game, fan opposing player starts swiryging, are you able to walk away without fighting back? Tris usually the one who retaliates who gets the flag, anda penalty against your team ina crucial situation could lose the game. PERFORMANCE ‘The apex of football performance (and the pyramid) is the ability to miake the play. Making the play means making more tackles, rushing for more yards, intercepting more passes, making atore pancake blocks, causing more fumbles, and scoring more touchdowits. If you are able to nvake more of these kinds of plays you help your team win more games. Making the play isthe culmination ofa player's character conditioning, athleticability, practice habits, skilllevel, andl effort. LF you can maketh play, your future in football is promisi (Our primary mission in this book is to show you how to improve athletic ability through strength and conditioning. If you can become more agile, faster, more powerful, and develop endurance you will becomea better football player. Thenext chapterdeals withstrengihand conditioning guidelines and principles to enhance your athletic ability. ‘The rest of the book describes drills and exercises andl argaitizes them into daily programs thataremosteffective in developing athletic ability. Character developmentis described bricfly in chapter8. There are many books that cover character development in greater detail at your local library and bookstore. This book will not cover the details of practice, games, and performance shown on the test of the pyramid. This is the responsibility of the football coach and not the strength and condition- ing coach. Again, there are plenty of books that cover these levels of the Dyraasid This book concenteaes on conditioning to improve athlete ability.orares In chapter 1 we established what you need to became the best football player you possibly can be. This ‘chapler guides you in developing and implementinga progam te allow {you to peak the four athletic indicators of speed, agility, power, and endurance. “Thousands of conditioning programs have been developed over the Scientific facts formulate the basis of some of these programs, and Jomeclicit initial gains that may be—in the end—detrimental to sports performance. Many-coaches and athletes adopt a system because @ Ehampion sprinter or weightlifter was successful with it. While these develop speed and strength, they often do not have in mind, the goals of a football player. The best alternative takes the basic concepts developed by sprinters and ‘weightlifters and applies them ‘specifically to improving football performance.ADAPTATION The pritiary principle in any conditioning program is the principle of ‘utaptation —thebody’sability to change according to the demands ofthe shysical environment. ‘The primary focus of strength training, and ‘interval training is to cause adaptations to the nervous, muscular, and energy systems. The body adapts to strength training by increasing muscle sive and strength, and ultimately power speed. and agility: The adaptations brought oit by interval training are increases in power, speed, agility, and endurance capacity. However, it is important to temper the demands of training with moderation (and rest) so that maximum adaptation takes place with the leastexpenditure of timeand energy. Unnecessary demands on the body can lead to overtrainingand possible injury, You can read more about overtraining in chapter 8. As scientific breakthroughs bring more insight as to how the body adapis to different programs, they also raise more questions. The program werecommengd tocay will most likely bedifferentinthe frture, We pravide you with guidelines here, but you must modify them to fit your situation and each athlete's potential. We hope our guidelines ‘stimulate you toevaluate what you are currently daingin yourprogram and to open your minds and ask yourselves why you are doing what you're doing. We feel that applying the following principles together unlocks a player's potential fo achieve peak performance. ‘This chapter introduces three basic principles of adaptation: ‘Specificity. How much of the training adaptation is transferred to a gain in competitive performance? What is the correct selection of exercises and drills togeta high transfer of training? The primary focus is the adaptation of the nervous system. ‘Overload, Adaptation takes place when the magnitude of training is greater than normal, and is achieved by prescribing the cosrvct num- ber of sets, repetitions, and intensity of effort. The primary focus is the muscular and energy systems’ adaptation to the overload. Periodization. Training phasesrmustbe planned so that speed. agility, power, and enduraitce will peak duzing the most important competi- tions. ‘SPECIFICITY We detetinined in chapter 1 that speed, agility, power, and endurance are theathletic abilities important for football. A training program must30 Compiste Conditioning fer Football not only allow the body to adapt to the loads placed upon it in order to become better conditioned, it must also adapt the body specifically for playing football. Swimming or bicycling long distances donot duplicate the requirements needed to play football. Of course, the most specific sway to become a better football player is by playing football, but most coaches and athletes understand that other modes of training can improve the abilities af athlctes to become better football players. ‘Thekey todetermining what training is best for football is to ask: Does an exercise or drill improve the athlete's ability to perform better in his sport? Coaches often confuse the difference between physiological (Gtrength and endurance) and performance improvement. Exercises and drills must specifically match the biomechamtieal needs of football. ‘The sequential activation of musele groups must be timed in the proper motor unit recruitment patterns, with the proper force production, 50 that movements can bedane powerfully with coordination and balance. For example, a player who does lot of leg extensions or leg curls may improve his strength in these movements, but there is little transfer of training specific to the proper motorunitreeruitment patlernsof sprint ing and jumping performance. Many athictes are more concemed with haw they look on the beach than how they perform on the field. Exercises done in front of a mirror that isolate and pump the arms, chest, and shoulders become the facus ‘of these athletes’ strength programs. However, there is no single best exercise ordrill: rather, variety of exercisesand drillseomplementeach other in onder to make the best training progress, The goal of any ‘program is to get the greatest return (performance improvement) on. ‘your investment (properselection of exercisesand drills) The fallowing, biomechanical guidelines determine the core exercises and drills of the strength and interval training programs used in this book. Pe a ‘The most important prinsiple to remember when selecting lifting exer- cises and running drills is that they should allow you to apply force against the ground with your feet. This principle carries through to the other principles described in this chapter. The first step in analyzing a movemientis to determine the position of the feet and hands. Do this by determining whether the movement is an open or closed chain move- ment. In anopenchain movement thehandsor fectoan move freely, such as the feet moving forward when punting a foutball oc the movementof the hand when throwing a football. In aclosed chain mavement the feet orhands ae fixed, such as the hands when doing a push-up orthe feet pushing against the ground during sprinting ar jumping,Conamaning Pineipiat 3t No athletic movement is a totally closed or open chain movement, but a combination of the two. Most movements start with a closed chain movement and finish with an open chain movement. Mavement of the body is impossible without first applying force against the ground (dosed chain movement). Exerting force against the ground with the foctcauses an equal and opposite reaction in the direction of movement (figure 2.1). Any exercise or drill initiated by a closed chain movement is called a ground-based exerci Football skills such as sprinting, blocking, tackling. and throwing are ground-based exercises. Depending on the skill, hehandsactin anopen ‘hain or combination open / closed chain movement. With sprinting the ‘feet are closed chain when applying force against the ground, bul the “movement is apen chain during the swing phase when the feet mave forward. Thehandsare apen chain because they swing freely during the ‘entire sprinting action. During tackling and blocking the hands age at times nioving freely, and at other times their movement is closed chain ‘because they become somewhat fixed when contact is made with the opponent. Figure 2.1 Excrting force against the groond slows the body lo move._32_Complate Gonemening ter Footer — Ty this experiment. First throw the football as you nermally would with your feet on the ground. Next jump straight up in the air, as high asyou ean, and throw the football. Which method allows you te throw the greatest distance? ‘Did you find that you could throw much farther with your feet on the ground? You must have your feet on the ground to express maximum force. The more foree you apply against the ground, the faster you run and the more effectively you block and tackle. “The body's ability to stabilize joint actions contributes to. proper neuromuscular coordination of the multiple joint actions needed. for football. For example, the initial action of throwing football originates from the muscular contractions of the hips and legs exerting a force against the ground ina backward direction. The earth, being more stable because of its large mass, does not move, and the Teaction to this force is exerted through the athlete in a forward direction. .As the athlete extends his legs against the ground his ankle, knee, and hip joints stabilize as the reaction force transfezs to the torso (stomach and lawer back). The torso rotates and then stabilizes as the muscular forse is relayed to the chest and shoulders, and then tethe arms and wrist, which, display the greatest motion. The force applied to the football is possible because the muscles effectively stabilize the joints as they sequentially contract. Thus, jumping in the airand throwing the ball, asillustrated in the experiment, does not allow the leg and hip joints to effectively stabilize. Let’s now look at groufid-bated activities in relation to joist actions, stnuscle actions, and contractions. Multiple Joint Actions If a tug-of-war contest pitted three strong men against one man, who would you pick to wir the contest? The summation of forces produced by three men pulling in the same direction exceeds the force penerated by one man pulling inthe opposite direction. Thesameis true with joint ‘actions. The greater the number of joint actions working together, the greater the force development. Football skills involve multiple joint actions of the hips, knexs, and ankles, with the muscular forces added together. Thismultiplejoin! action of the hips, kices, and ankles working inconcert is knowns the triple extension, the most powerful movement ofthe body. Two conditions must be met for the summation of farce tebe effective. First, as mentioned earlien each joint action must be firmly stabilized for the force to be conducted through the body. Second, the forces frum each joint action mustbe timed inthe correct neuromuscular‘Conditioning Principles 33 recruitment patterns. Not as much force can be developed when doing single joint actions such as the leg extension of leg curls, and the timing cof muscle recruitment patterns cannot be developed. Therefore, there is little transfer of training in performance improvement. Figure 22 shows the acceleration phase of the 40-yard dash, When executed correctly, the body is positioned in a straight line at the anide, knee, aiid hip joints, resulting in thetriple extension. Compare this body position with that of anathlete doing a power clean (figure 2.3). During the extension phase the body is also positioned in a straight line at the ankles, knees, and hips. Both of these movements are powerful because of the amount of force produced by the triple extension. Notice the similarities between the two skills if you change the angle ofthe lifting Figure (Figure 2.4), Multiple Plane Movements Football skills involve movements in several planes simultaneously. For example, the hipand shoulderjoints allow forward, backward, rotational, and side-to-side movements, while a sprint action is primarily done in one plane—forward. But as we discussed in chapter 1, football is not Figure 22 The acceleration phase of th 40-yard dach #24_Compiete Conditioning tor Faotbat C3 Figure The correct body position while performing the power clean. C Figuct 24 Notice the similarities in body position between the acceleration phase of running the 40-yard dach and the power len. j |poe ee played simply by moving forward, but requires changes of direction in Wwhich cutting maneuvers (side steps or crassover steps) are used Making @ cut requires movements in three planes at the hip joint (forward, rotational, and sideways), two planes at the knee joint (for- award and rotational), and two planes at the ankle joint (forward and sotational). Therefore itisimportant toincludeexercises in yourstrength program that ineosporate multiple plane movements. Chapter ‘Gucles several exercises that meet the needs of multiple plane move ‘nents. Your running program should alse incorporate a combination of movements including changes of direction, Chapter 7 deseribesagility deills that wtilize multiple plane movements. Multiple plane move- mentsareonly possible with ground-based exercises. Open chain single joint actions restrict movement in one plane only. Synergism Synergism occurs when several muscles act together to produce = ‘coordinated jointactionby neutralizing each other’ sindividualsecondary ‘activity, Only exercises using free weights allow synergism. For ex- ample, when doing power presses (see chapter 5) the shoulder joint muscles musteontrol and balance the barbell. Many stnaller synergistic muscle groupsol theshaulder girdle assist in coordinating joint aclions and preventing unwanted movements. Muscle synergism istequired as the body constantly changes position relative to an opponent during, cd tackling and blocking. Fhe synergistic muscles allow for split seco: adjustments during movements so that maximum force can be appl to the opponent. Only free weight exerciscs allow muscle synergistt 10 regulate and coordinate the movement of the resistance, Weight ma- chines, on the other hand, use lever arms, guide rods, and pulleys to dictate the path of movement and balance the resistance; requiring the muscleonly toprovide the farce. Therefore, aiachines limitthe develop- ment of muscle synergism. ‘All speed! and agility diills allow for synergism by the asture of their movements. No outside forees ate required to change the movement pattems of the body during speed and agility drills. Only the intemal Adjustment of synergetic muscles assists movement changes and Keeps the body in balanced positions to allow maximum force development. The multiple plane mevernents of free weights also help prevent major joint injuries. The balancing aclion of synergisticrmuscles develops joint integrity bettor than machines. For example, exercises using benches or seats as support restrict the body from stabilizing properly; when doing. leg presses the adjustable board substitutes as the stabilirer. The back34_Comploie Conditioning Foot _ and stomach muscles are not required to stabilize the action, as when blocking and tackling. However, squatting using free weights requires the back and stomach muscles to stabilize the torso-isometzically: This ineed to stabilize the body allowsthe legs and hipsto work with theback and stomach muscles as a unit to perform the lift ‘Stretch-Shortening Cycle Botheccentriccontractions (stretching amusele)and concentriccontrac- tons Ghorteninga muscle) accur when executing many sportskills that require a maximum rate of force development. An eccentric contraction followed by a concentric contraction is known as the stretch-shortening cycle. When the musde is stretched, itbuilds clasticenergy: The muscle then fights to retam toits normal resting length (similarto the stretching ofa rubber band). If the muscle shortens immediately after the stzetch, greater force and power can be generated. For example, a your foot Strikes the ground when sprinting, the museles of the hips and lees feccentrically contract and then concentrically contract, accelerating ‘your body in the direction of the applied forse. Acceleration _Accustding to Newton's second law-ifa given period isavailabletoappty Joree to an object, the acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the amount of force applied. In other words the greater the force applica, the greater the acceleration. Acceleration of a joint action is 8 keey factor in the proper execution of Blocking, tackling. sprinting, and throwing, The body's ability to exert force depends upon its position. For example, you can exert more force at the finish of afull squat than at the bottom (sce chapter 5 for description of squat). The body pusition hen executing the triple extension during football movements is the ame position as the finish of a squat action As the muscles contract during a triple extension, the body has better leverage to apply force, ‘allowing greater acceleration of the joint actions. ‘As discussed in chapter 1 the amount of time to apply force (toextend the legs) during a block of tackle is 2 to 3 second. Therefore, a foutball ‘program must include exercises that extend the legs 2 second. Trad tional lifts like heavy squats. and the bench press don’t allow. acceleration o take place at the end of the exercise. The bar must be decelerated oF ‘slowed as it comes to.a complete stop at the finish of the lift. You can’t faccelerateatthe end oF these lifts, even though you arestrongerand have the greatest capability to develop acceleration.Conattioning Principles 37. You can avercome the problem of deceleration by using light weights and jumping into the air as high as possible at the end of a squat. This allows acceleration to take place throughout the range of motion Similarly with the bench press, if you use a light weight and the bar is thrust as highas possible, acceleration takes place throughoutthe range of motion. The practice of jumping with weights on your back or throwing weight upwardand catching it on theway down is dangerous and not recommended. The speed and agility drills avoid this problem by allowing theathlete to explode orapply maximum force through the fullrangeof motion. Butan effective forcecannotbe applied when doing speed and agility drills. Explosive oc Olympic-style lifts such as hang dleansand power presses (sce chapter) allaw acceleration to take place at the finish of the movement. The greatest benefit of the Olympic lifts is that the triple extension matches the time frame of 2 second, Many machines designed with cams, lever arms, and pulley systems don’tallow acceleration during thefull range of motion, These machines accommodate by inercasing the resistance as the body goes through favorable leverage positions. The body adapts tothese machines only by increases in muscular size and strength. Isokinetic machines allow only constant velocity movements. If the velocity does not increase during_38. Complote Conetioning for Footbal! the:movement, acceleration is not possible, While these machines may have some application im exercise testing, there is little transfer of training to foatball skills. Only explosive exercises such as the Olympic lifts and speed and agility deils allow acceleration through a full range of movement Specialty Exercises Single-jointed exercises, such as biceps curls, leg curls, or! Contribute litte a improvinig alhletic performance, but they do meet the specific needs of the program. They are primarily used as specialty ‘exercises because of their ability to isolate muscle groups, They areused by bodybuilders to build muscle mass and are included! in this program {help build musclesize. Single-jointed exercises may be used toeustect specific muscle weaknesses or to rehabilitate an injured muscle. ‘Single-jointed eaczcises ean play a major role in maintaining muscle ‘palance. Your body is arranged so there are muscles an both sides of a joint —where two bones join together and work like hinges so move- ment can occur. Allmuseles work in pairs, one flexing or pulling. toward thebody, the other extending or pulling away from thebody. Therefore, it is important that your conditioning program includes exercises that work both sides of ajointor both muscles working a9 pais and net just one of them. Some common muscle groups that work in pairs are the quadciceps (frontof thigh) andl hamstrings (back ofthigh), aswell asthe chest and back muscles. A balanced conditioning, program such as the one provided in this book includes st least one exercise for each major ‘muscle group in your body. OVERLOAD In order to facilitate optimal teaining adaptation, imposed overloads must be of a magnitude to force the body to adap! and must be consistently applied and gradually intensified over an extended period tf time, How the loaal is applied determines the type of adaptation. In this program we apply overload through strength training and interval training, Strength training increases Tmascular size and strength (and therefore power capability) through a resistance overload. Interval ing overloads the energy syslem (and therefore increases endure ance capacity) by controlling the work-to-rest interval.Load Variables ‘The variables of strength and interval training lnads include intensity, volume, duration, rest periods, and frequency. Different combinations ofthe load variables translate into different adaptations by the body. As discussed in chapter 1, the primary conditioning objectives for football are to develop muscular size, strength, power and endurance. Follow= are-examples that show how load variables can be manipulated to boring about these desired adaptations for both strength training and Interval training, Strength Training ‘The load variables for stungth training are intonsit reps), and the amount of rest between sets. volume (sets and Intensity. Intensity is expressed as the percentage of the maximum muscular performance. The units to measure the load intensity vary depending on the type of training. When lifiing. intensity isthe amount of weight lifted relative to the maximum weight one is able to lit. ln plyometrics intensity is expressed as the height or distance achieved relative to maximum height ar distance jumped, The percentage of a one-repetition maximum (IRM) is the most common method to figure intensity for strength training, Onehundred pereant intensity is the maximum load that a person can lift for onc repetition (rep). The percentage of the 1KM determines the weight prescribed for a workout. So if 300-pounds is the maximum load that a person can lift, 75 percent intensity is 225 pounds, 50 percent intensity is 150 pounds, and soon. ‘An XRM is a maximum Inad that can be executed for X number of repetitions. A 10-repetition maximum (10KM) is load that ean be lifted no more than 10 times. The firstnine repsof a 10-repetition set are not of sufficient foree to cause a maximal muscular ellozt. It is only the last repetition, even though it may not generate as much force as when a muscle is fresh, that causesa maximum muscular effort. Sos the load. becomes heavier, fewer repetitions are possible. Increase the intensity of speed, apility, and jumpsby adding resistance tothe athlete using hamesses, weightjackets and pants, parachules,ele Running hillsand stadium steps is another way to increase the intensity. Volume. Volume is 2 quantitative gauge of training load. Measure voluine depending on the typeof training, In strength training the most common way to determine volume is by counting the total number of repetitions and multiplying, it by the poundage of each exercise.40. Complete Conditioning for Foorbait ‘The volume of the training load plays an important zole in the long- {ett planning of a strenuth program. Excessive load volume can cause drops instrength gains and eventually lead to potential injury. Remem- ber that volume has limitations; stay within 4 proper range to get the ‘maximum benefits. The correct volume is related to the intensity of the workout. “The number af repetitions per set varies depending on the skill level ofan exercise. For example, the snatch exercise requiresa high skill level, so the number of repetitions should not exceed three. Doing more than three repetitions causes a breakdown in technique. The hang clean does notinvolveas muchskill asthe snatch, soas many as fiverepetitions can bbe done. Biceps curls require a low level of skill, and 10 repetitions can be safely achieved. Relative Volume and Total Repetitions a Relative volumes figured by multiplying the number of repeti- tions by the number of sets, Repetitions (Reps) = The number of times you repeat an exercise movement Seis = Exercise bouts specified by a given number of reps Example: 3 sets of 10 repetitions Volume = (3 x 10) = 30 repetitions ———— Absolute Volume or Total Poundage | a Absolute volumeis figured by multiplying the numberof repeti- tions by the number of sets by the poundage. | Poundage = Resistance used for each set Volume =Sets x Reps x Load Example: 3 sets of 101repetitions a! 300 pounds on the squat Volume = @ * 10) % 300 = 9,000 poundsConaitioning Panciptes 41 Rest Periods. For strength and power development at least three minutes of rest between sets is required at intensities aver 70 percent of the IRM. To maximize the release of growth hormone, the primary stimulus for muscle size, a one-minute rest period at intensities of 50 to ‘60 percent is more effective than longer rest periods, Strength Training Adaptations. Strength training uses barbells, dumbbells, exercise machines, and ‘plyametricsto do lifting exercises specificto football. The numberof sets ‘and reps, the intensity, and the length of rest periods have a profound slfect on the desired adaptations Muscle size increases through the process of tearing down and re- building muscle tissue. Strength training stresses individual muscle fibersand causcsalbreakdawnof the contractile proteins. Thebody then adapts through the addition of a greater number of new contractile ‘proteins, and the muscle increases its cross-sectional size te meet the ‘demands of the future Workouls, As your muscles increase in size, you ane able‘to train thenext time with greaterloads. Your muscles respond. againby growing larger yet. This process continues in small increments until you reach your pik, ‘There is a positive correlation between the cross-sectional size of a smuscle and the amount of force it can apply. Therefore, the larger the ‘muscle fibers become through strength training, the greater their capa- Dility toapply force. Musclesizecan be accomplished only by increasing, ‘the size, not the number, of muscle fibers. However, certain individuals ane born with more muscle fibers than others, and the more fibers a ‘person has, the greater the potential (a inerease the cross-sectismal size cof the muscle. Bodybuildershaye developed very large muscles, and maybe we can lea something from theit. They do high-volume workouts with shortrest periods —workouts that scientificstudies support asthe best method for building muscle mass. However, high-volume workouts won't stimulate muscle geowth unless the intensity is adequate. Three sets of 10 repetitions is the standard protocol for attaining muscle size. Programs that utilize S-repelition sets are not as effectiveas doing sets of 10. Remember that the last few repetitions of the set must cause maximum muscular effort. As you become stronger, increase the weight and not the number of repetitions. A rest period of ane minute ‘is the optimal time between sets and exercises to elicit a muscle size adaptation.£2 Complete Conestioning fot Football ‘Strength Strength is not only improved by increasing the size of the fibers, but also by theability ofthe nervous system te reerait more motor units, A motor unitis the basicfunctional unit of skeletal muscle. Asingle motor nerveandall themusele fibersil innczvates eonstitutea moter unit. The human body has approximately 500,000 motor units, and the demand ef everyday activities requires only a small number of these motor units. The number of motor units required for any given activity depends on theamountof force required to get the job done. When the load placed on muscles ig greater than normal, the body adapts by recruiting more motor units, making the body capable of producing more forte, An individual's imitial strength gains are due to the nervous system activating new motor units. Further strength gains areinduced through ‘musclesize. Thus, itis important to develop initial conditioning levels by learning proper lifting and running techniques for each exercise and ll. The motor units recruited are specific to the movement. The motor units recruited white performing incormect movernent patterns becoune ingrained in the nervous system. Unsound movement patterns are difficultto correct and can lead io potential injuries, Begina program by keeping theoverload light, and gradually increase'tas proper technique patterns become instilled in the nervous system Two types of motor units —fast- and slow-twiteh—vary in haw force is generated, and thus regulate fore required for a given activity: Constant low-level force production for endurance activities (sitting, standing, walking, jogging, etc )isthemain characteristicofstow-twitch fibers, while speed of force levelopment for power activites (sprinting, lifting heavy weights, etc.) is mainly suppliad by fast-twitch muscle bers. Themanipulationol Volumwanulintensity isdifferentforbasicstrength development than ils for stimulating size- Power lifters are the strang- estathleles when il comes to lifting maximum loads. Most power lifters agree that threc to five sels of fouriwaix repetitions work best to develop. maximum strength, Mast of the rpetitions should be in the range of 80 to 85 percent infensity. To develop maximum strength, res! periods of three to five minutes or until you feel you are completely rested ave best before doing a new set Power As discussed in chapter 1, power is the combination af speed and. strength. Recall how movement speed and load relate to each other: AsCConaltioning Pincipies. 43 the load increases, the speed of movement decreases. For example, if executing ajumping squat, use different loads, starting with the weight ofthe bar and finishing, with the maximum possible weight. Place the barbell on your shoulders, lower your body to aquarter-squat position, and jump inte the air as high as possible. Jumping with the bar is the fasiestmovernentbecause the load is thelowest (45 pounds). As theload ‘becomes heavier the mavementbecomes slows (figure 25). Eventually the load becomes so heavy you cannot move the bar. “The power developed at thedifferentloadscan be figured by multiply ing the amount of the load by the speed of movement. Figure 2.6 shows the variousloads plotted on agraph comparing power (foot- pounds per second) tointensity ofthe lead. The highest power outpurtsare al the top of the curve at about 30 peivent.of the load maximum (IRM). At lighter Toads under 15 percent of IRM, the velocity of themovementis very fast, bul the power generated is low. This is because the load is too light to ‘generate effective power. As the intonsity goes over 65 percent, power tlecreases rapidty. The load becomes so heavy that the speed uf move- [ment istooslow to generate power: Thereforethe highest power outputs ate in the range of 15 to 65 percent of a person's IRM, and intensity is elated to the velocity at which the load can be lifted to develop ‘naximarm power. Thus, to develop power the intensity of training must be atljusted to the speed of moveent, ‘Te develop power using the explosive lifts (see chapter 5) such as the power clean and snatch, 75 to 83 percent intensity for three tw five repetitionsisbest. Doslower multiplejoin! movementssuch asthe squat 2 ol (yontaeacbn) eu eee 2 a 11 0 200 400 00 800 Losd (pounds) Figere 25 The relationship Betwean load and velocity44 _Complote Conattioning for Football 000 200 “4 a) i 700 = m0 28 s00 EF 0 a= 20 160 ol + 5 + a ee ee en) ‘mtenity (poreant of MD Figuie 26 The elationchip between intensity and power. and bench press at 50 to 60 percent for three fo five sets af three to five repetitions. Do jump squats at 30 percent intensity for thice to five sees of three to five repetitions, Use body weight for the resistance in plyometric exercises for three to five sets of three to five repetitions. To develop maximum power, rest periods of three to five minutes or until you feel you are completely rested are best before doing a new set. Interval Training ‘The load variables for interval training are the intensity and volume of work intervals and the rest intervals Intensity Interval training is concerned with the intensity of the work interval. Intensity is a percentage of an individual's maximum muscular perfor- mance determined by the rate of energy utilization (refer to chapter 1)- ‘Mostinterval training programs are interested in doing thedrills within a percentage of your best time by controlling the distance end durstion of the run. With this program the agility and speed drills dictate the distance of the work interval; each drill has a recommended distance to run (sce chapters6and7}, Donotbe concemed with your duration of the work interval but do each spocdl and agility drill at maximum speed in the shortest period of time possible. Every drill can be completed in less than six seconds, Work bouts longer than sfx seconels are only possible ‘ata submaximal intensity.Volume In interval training, repetitions are the aumber of work intervals (ie, speed or agility drills) to be completed. The number of repetitions determines the length of a ranning workout. Chapter 9 discusses the required number of repetitions to do for each drill, based on your position and the time of the year. Rest Intervals ‘Maximum muscular performance is only possible when you are com- pletely rested. You aren't capable of running as fast when fatigued as whet you are fresh. Dusing inierval training an adequate rest interval must follow each work bout to allow maximus intensity during the ‘next work interval. A common training error coaches make in running programs is making rest inlervals too short, which allows players to ‘become fatigued and incapable of running as fast as when completely recovered. IF the rest period is 100 short, the amount of AT-PC replen- ished is not sufficient to meet the demands of the next maximum- intensity effort, and force output willbe reduced. Coaches who makethe rest interval too short are reducing, the force and training slow-twitch muele fibers rather than fast-twitch fibers. Yet, to develop football- specific endurance you want to train the fast-twitch fibers to be able to perform throughout the game. With too little rst, players start to pace themselves so they can survive the workout, This workout might develop mental toughness but does littie to:improve performance. At the University of Nebraska, the principle cancept is to develop the ability to recover as completely as possible within the specified rest interval to allow maximum intensity foreach work interval. The players then have the ability to recover completely between plays in a game. ‘The amountofrest between sets plays a oleinhow the load isapplied and how the body adapts. The purpose of rest between scts is to restore energy stores thathavebeen depleted during the previous exercisebout. ‘The length of the rest period following. an exercise bout determines the intensity of the following bout. High-intensity bouts can deplete the ATP-PC stores of a muscle in less than 10 seconds, and it takes approximately 10 to 12 seconds of rest per each second of work to replenish those stores. Each drill in chapters 6.and7 includes a recom mended rest interval. Interval Training Adaptations Intorval training uses speed andl agility drills specific to the movement patterns and skills used for football. The volume, intensity, duration,and length of rest periods are not only critical to developing speed and agility, butare also endurance-specific to 2 football game. 0 farwe have discussed the muscle and neural adaptations thatoccur in response to the demands placed on the body. Whether the demands are met also depends upon the supply of energy necessary for muscle contraction so that mavement takes place. Tf the energy demands of the body exceed the energy supply, fatigue results, This energy sapply can snake a real difference in the fourth quarter. A football player's endur- ance capacity to supply energy without fatigue depends directly onhow ‘overload is applied. Many studies show that a continuous maximum ‘everload (work interval) can only be tolerated a few minutes before fatigue sets in. If the same overload is applied far short periods of fime with est intervals, it can be tolerated much longer, and the body adapts 40 this overload by improving its endurance specific to football, PERIODIZATION If there is no variation in the training stimulus, performance gradually levels off and leads to overtraining. Anapproach to offset this problem is a system of training called periodizzation, Periodization adds varietyConettoning Pinetnies 47 to the program by using different combinations of intensity, volamé, exercises, anddrills throughout the training season. This variationhelps avoid overtsaining and stimulates peak performance. “The general adaptation syndrome (GAS), which depicts how the body adapts to stress, supports periodization, There are three distinct stages ‘of adaptation during the long-term application of the training load. 1. Alan stage: This stage occurs during the first couple of weeks of astrength training program. Themostnoticesble consequence is muscle soreness Which may cause a temporary decrease in performance. 2. Resistance stage: During this stage the body beginsto adaptto the stress of the strength and conditioning program by increasing muscular size, becoming stronger and more powerful, and achieving greater endurance, Performance begins to improve 3, Exhaustion stage: Performance eventually plateaus and dimin- shes when the same strength and conditioning regimen is used over an extended period (figure 27). The neuromuscular system simply be- ‘comes accustomed tn the same stimulus and becomes stale, Confusion ‘of what to do often causes the athlete to never reach his performance potential. Annual Plan ‘Training for football is a year-round process. Lifting and running. programs must be combined systematically to improve the powes, speed, agility, ated endurance necessary to play championship football. Recistance erlormance: é etinusion Sean (evreanieg) Time Figure27 The three stages of adaptation.