The Ultimate Offseason Football Workout Guide
Offseason workouts for football players can vary by position. A quarterback would want to keep their throwing arm flexible and strong while offensive and defensive linemen, who must push people, could focus on bulking up. The average weight of an NFL offensive lineman is 314 pounds. Skilled offensive players, like wide receivers and running backs, want to focus on speed, strength, and endurance. They need to change directions quickly.
No matter what position you play, there are fundamental training and conditioning exercises that can lift your in-season performance. Let’s look at some offseason workouts that can take your football skills to a new level. Remember to always consult with a physician before starting a new workout routine.
The History of Strength and Conditioning Training in Football
Perhaps more than any sport, football relies on strength for maximum performance. Football players start lifting weights as early as middle school. It wasn’t always that way. Aside from a few exceptions, coaches didn’t consistently implement weight training until the 1960s. Then, the prevailing thought was excessive muscle would interfere with a player’s speed and flexibility. Off-season conditioning for players in the early days of football was up to the players. Many professional players had to work other jobs to support themselves. Formal conditioning started with training camp, which usually began about a month before the season started. Louisiana State University changed the way teams prepared for regular season games. In 1958, after 3 straight losing seasons, LSU coach Paul Dietzel instituted a weight training program at the urging of a local gym owner. The Tigers went undefeated and won the national championship that year.
Other schools followed LSU’s lead. In 1969, Nebraska hired the first full-time strength and conditioning coach and, by the 1970s, the NFL had had dedicated strength and conditioning trainers. Professional and college football teams invest heavily in strength and conditioning because it’s such a critical part of overall success. Today, even some high school football teams employ a full-time weightlifting coach.
Strength Training for Football
The average NFL game has 153 plays, which last about 4 seconds each. This compressed amount of action means football players need explosive strength. Each play is a sprint, not a marathon. Football players need to focus their workouts on what can make them better in the few critical seconds of a play. There are fundamental strength and speed and agility exercises that all players must make as part of their routine. There are dozens of strength training and speed and agility exercises you can do to train for football. Below are some drills:
Strength Exercises
Squats: Squats, where you lower your bottom to be parallel to the floor with a wide base and your back straight and then raise back up, works your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and your core.
Sled Pull/Push: A sled pull is when you pull a heavy sled with a bar attached to it with a rope. A push is when you push the sled. These are the movements that offensive linemen make when they block players. Defensive players must try to push the offensive players away to try to get to the ball carriers.
Deadlift: A deadlift is when you lift a barbell with weights on it off the floor to your waist with your back straight and your chest pushed out. Lowering the barbell to the floor after it’s lifted counts as 1 repetition. This exercise works your back, lower body, and abdomen.
Bench Press: Lying on a bench, grab a loaded barbell and lower it to your chest. Raise it back to the rack for a repetition.
Pull-Up: Grab an overhead bar with both hands and lift your chin above the bar. Lower back down to a hanging position for 1 complete pull-up. You can do a wide pull-up, where your hands are placed on the bars wider than your shoulders or a narrow pull-up, where your hands are placed inside your shoulders. This exercise works your shoulders, biceps, and back.
Speed and Agility Drills
Mini Hurdle Hop: Set up a mini hurdle that’s between 18 to 24 inches high. Hop over the hurdle laterally, landing on one foot with each hop for the first set of repetitions. Jump over the hurdles laterally with both feet for the next set.
Lateral Hurdle Shuffle: Set up 2 mini hurdles about 3 feet apart. Jump and land in the space between the hurdles and then jump again, landing on the other side of the second hurdle. Do these quick feet drills as quickly as possible.
1-2-3 Back: With a partner, set up 1 cone on one side. On the other side, set up 3 cones that are 5 yards away. Run and touch the cones and return to the original cone. Each time your partner yells, “Back,” you stop and shuffle backwards to the original cone. This is a change of direction drill.
Resistance Band Drill: Have a partner stand behind you holding a resistance band that’s wrapped around your chest. With your body leaning forward, march as fast as possible for 10 yards. Your partner should be pulling you back with the band while you’re moving. This drill increases your power and speed.
Bleacher Drill: This is a classic endurance and speed drill. Run up and down a set of bleachers. This builds lower body power and endurance. If you don’t have access to bleachers, using a Stair Master is just as effective.
Essential Training Gear
Consider wearing baselayers for your offseason training sessions. You can choose either baselayers for hot or cold weather. They should be breathable and sweat wicking. Sleeveless heat gear tops are good for warm weather. Long sleeve shirts are good for wintry weather.
There are dozens of strength conditioning and cardio exercises to choose from for out-of-season conditioning. Find a plan that combines all 3 elements and get to work. It can be an 8, 12, or 16-week plan. Recovery and rest are a crucial part of getting stronger and faster. Overtraining can lead to injuries and fatigue. Typically, strength training is 3 days per week and speed agility would be 2 days per week with 2 off-days scheduled for recovery.
The offseason is the only dedicated time football players have to improve their physical conditioning and to get stronger and faster, which affects their success in football.