Saturday, June 25, 2011

Intensity Or Insanity? 'hmmm....'

What is Intensity and How does it apply to my strength and conditioning program?

I don't get this kind of question a lot, but I wish I did. This could be the key component to your winning on the field this season.
It is not an easy concept to convey but we can start with the 'all knowing' Wikepedia short definitions:
Physical ability

    * Physical strength, as in people or animals
    * Superhuman strength, as in fictional characters
    * A common character attribute in role-playing games

Conflict between persons or groups:

    * Virtue and moral uprightness
    * Courage or fortitude in the face of moral or social pressure
    * Persuasiveness of an argument
    * Military strength

 Politics

    * Party strengths. See political party

 Physics

    * Strength of materials, ability to withstand an applied stress without failure
          o Compressive strength, capacity to withstand axially directed pushing forces
          o Tensile strength, maximum stress while being stretched or pulled before necking
          o Shear strength, the ability to withstand shearing
    * Strength (explosive), the ability of an explosive to move surrounding material
    * Field strength, the magnitude of a field's vector
    * Signal strength, the magnitude of an electric field at a reference point
Okay that is getting a little brainy. Let me put it this way:
Intensity is when you are doing a heavy barbell squat and you don't think you can do any more reps and do one more rep.
Intensity is when you have to muster that little extra energy that causes a lift, a little more burst of speed, a little higher vertical that you didn't even know you had.

Intensity is hitting harder in the 4th quarter than you do in the 1st quarter of a close game.

In essence intensity is giving everything you got in every workout, every practice, every film study, every class, every exam, every relationship, every day. Maybe this is what Charlie Sheen meant by: "Winning"

Now you can't be very intense on the field if you consider playing Madden all day, all summer long your preparation off the field. Don't give your opponents the decided advantage this season. If a personal trainer or strength coach is not an affordable option, then think again. The US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System starts at $25 per month! Train online save money, save time, and most of all; be ready to play! Click on the banner below to get started.


Monday, June 13, 2011

O-linemen, Lose the Fat Not Weight

"My QB Is Safe!"
Age old debate here. Would you rather have bunch of athletic 'hogs' or a Panzer Division protecting your QB and making holes for the horses in the backfield.

Well the answer is already on the field. Offensive linemen do not look that offensive anymore in modern football. They are leaner, faster and quicker while still weighing in on average over 300 lbs.

So how do you big boys train in the off season to achieve this level of performance? As there are days of our lives, there are many ways to go here, but the basic answer is: Much like the rest of your team. Here is a sample of the NFL Combine Workout from the Us Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System:

Week 12 - Day 3 (Thursday) of Billy Dee Arnez's Program Week Difficulty: Very Hard
  View Printer Friendly Version

Click on an Exercise Name to view a description of that exercise


SelectExercise Name Set and Rep Combinations
1
Warmup and Stretch

8 minutes 
2
   Video
Power Clean

5 reps @ 125 lbs,4 reps @ 150 lbs,
3 reps @ 175 lbs,1 reps @ 200 lbs,
1 reps @ 225 lbs,1 reps @ 235 lbs,
1 reps @ 225 lbs,1 reps @ 225 lbs,
2 reps @ 210 lbs 
3
   Video
Reverse Hypers

8 reps @ 70 lbs,8 reps @ 70 lbs,
8 reps @ 70 lbs 
4
   Video
Close Grip Pull Ups

17 reps,17 reps,
13 reps 
5
   Video
Cable Close Grip Row (Low Pulley)

10 reps @ 175 lbs,10 reps @ 175 lbs,
10 reps @ 175 lbs 
6
Keiser Hip Extension

10 reps @ 195 lbs,10 reps @ 195 lbs,
15 reps @ 165 lbs 
7
Keiser Hip Flexion

10 reps @ 130 lbs,10 reps @ 130 lbs,
15 reps @ 110 lbs 

As always don't try any program without consulting your physician first. So big boys...Get Lean before camp and you are that much closer to securing a starting position in September.