good times

Optioncoach; Let me check some sources for you on those specific tests. However, let me encourage you to test your own athletes, re-test at specific intervals ( 6 weeks is ideal) and compare the times for YOUR players. After all that's what really counts.

If you find improvement, then you know you are training with good results. Who really cares what others do? It's what you can accomplish withh your players that counts!!!!

Coach vogt

Optioncoach;

It is proven through research and practical applicaion that 40 times can be improved from 0,10 to 0.30 tenths of seconds after 6-8 weeks of speed and quickness training. These are big improvements over 40 yards. Working on running mechanics and leg strength can greatly increase athletes efficiency while running and thus increase their speed times significantly.

Times for 10 and 20 yard sprints can also be improved, but emphasis needs to be on starts and explosion for such a short distances.

Keep workn',

Coach Vogt

Optioncoach,
I personally would put more emphasis on their 5/10/5 shuttle times than I would 40 times. All too often, the 40 is used as an indicator of a football player's ability to produce results. Now, don't get me wrong, linear speed is important in the game of football, however, a shuttle time will be a much better indicator of how fast a player's "football speed" is. Having to sprint, decelerate, change directions and sprint again is what a skill player will be doing 95% of the time during a play. Therefore, that is why I put more into a shuttle time than a 40 time. A good time to shoot for is .5 seconds less than a players 40 time. For example, if a player runs a 5.0 forty, a good shuttle time would be a 4.5...this means the athlete plays at approx. 4.5 speed, which isnt bad.

For optimum results, ensure that in the early offseason, your athletes are using a sound strength program focusing on maximum strength 1st, as well as power/explosiveness and as the season approaches switch gears and increase the focus of the explosive lifts and plyos. One cannot be explosive without first being strong.

Secondly, make sure any athletes that are "overfat" begin a diet focused on fat loss/strength maintenance as well as energy system work to increase fat loss. If bodyfat is a problem for some of your athletes, I have several suggestions that will help. Bottom line, if you have any athletes that are fat and weak they will NOT be fast.

Good luck to you, Coach.

Kel Coach,
Id be glad to help. First off, your athletes must realize that in order to lose bodyfat and retain muscle they will need to be strict with their diet and training.

I like to follow Christian Thibaudeau's approaches to fat loss. Interval sprints are great for fat loss (ex. sprint 15 sec./jog 60 sec. = 1 rep). However, depending on how good of shape your lineman are in, they may not be able to do this just yet. Coach Thibaudeau suggests that out of shape athletes start out by running short sprints followed by walking. (example: 15-20 reps of 40 yd sprints followed by 60 secs of walking). The walking time decreases each week until you reach 30 secs of walking time. When the players are able to do this, move on to interval sprinting.


As far as diet goes, if your guys are over 20% bf, then they need to cut down severely on carbs (down to about 100 per day, this coming post work-out).

If the guys are around 17-20%, they can have a protein/low glycemic carb for breakfast (all bran and protien shake) and the rest coming post work out.

At ~15%, the guys can go with 3 protein/carb meals and 3 protein/fat meals (John Berardi).

Fats should come from a mixture of saturated/monos/polys (about a 1/3 of each) equaling ~30% of total intake. Just don't combine fats and carbs together.

Protein should be taken in at close to 1-1.5 gms/lb of bodyweight to ensure that no muscle is lost, just fat.

Strength Training should be aimed at maintaining strength (or possibly gaining strength), so low rep/high intensity lifts should be performed. The idea of high rep/low intensity while losing fat is not very effective at all. Due to the restriction in carbs, the body will not be able to replenish the glycogen stores and strength will eventually be compromised.

Good Luck, Coach.

Kel_Coach,
Pretty much any thing that involves pushing, pulling or squatting is what you want to look at doing for these guys. While they are losing BF, youwant to ensure that that the guys are at least maintaining their current strength levels.

That being said, a routine should be structured around lower rep range/higher intensity range lifting.

Upper body lifts should include heavy bench presses and inclines, overhead pressing (push press, etc.), and rowing (Bent over, seated to neck, etc).

Lower body should be centered around squats, deadlift variations (regular, snatch-grip, sumo, Romanian, etc.), good mornings, etc.

You could use a 3 day total body routine, using a couple upper body and a couple lower body exercises, 1 or 2 assistance lifts to bring up bigger lifts and increase muscle hypertrophy (tricep extension, glute-ham raise, etc.), and finish up with the neck and a couple of torso exercises (bending, twisting, etc.). Cycle your lifts (or the reps) every 3-4 weeks to avoid adaptation. Keep the body guessing.

This along with proper energy system work (interval sprinting, etc) and of course, proper nutrition. Speaking of nutrition, I should have added that when deciding protein intake, I use 1-1.5 gms/lb of LEAN body weight. So if your guy is 265 lbs and 22% BF, then his lean body weight is ~207. You would then take 207 x 1.5 gms of protein (not 265 x 1.5).

Fat can be calculated by multiplying .5 x LBM. In the case above, .5 x 207=~103 grams of fat.

With carbs, most carb intake should be taken within 6 hours after the workout. The body will be primed to use the carbs as muscle replenishment and energy at this time.

Another thing, Coach, remember that you can only help a person so much...they will HAVE to be willing to help themselves as well. It will also take participation from the parents. If the guys want to be successful in changing their body composition, they will have to put forth and show tremendous effort and dedicaton.

I would say good luck, but luck has nothing to do with it, its HARD work! Hope it turns out well for you and your athletes.

Kel Coach,
Sorry for the late response...

Running needs to be done 1st, ideally at least 4-5 hours before lifting. Since its offseason, maybe have the team show up before school around 6:30 am (depending on school times). Then lift the kids either during weight training class or after school.

*Monday
Sprint (A.M.)
Muscular warm up
Bench
Bent Over Row
Heavy Good Morning
Lunge
1 or 2 assistance
Neck
ABS


*Wednsday
Agility/Quickness (A.M.)
Muscular warm up
Incline Bench
Pull up
Snatch grip DL
Step up
1 or 2 assistance
Neck
ABS


*Friday
Sprint (A.M.)
Muscular warm up
Speed Bench
Push press
Speed Box Squat
Snatch high pulls
1 or 2 assistance
Neck
ABS

That was JUST an example...For muscular warm up, I will usually work the rotator cuffs and posterior chain. For assistance lifts, I will hit my my weakest bodyparts. Hit abs from all different angles.

Do sprint work on the same day as weightlifting so that the CNS can get some rest on T, TH, SA, Sun. Agilities need to be done at full speed, so use Wed. for these. Tempo runs (<75%) can be done on off days as recovery.