The NFL Free Agency period is on and the Draft approaches. Teams are getting their rosters ready for the 2013 season. Come September, every Sunday men around the country will be glued to their TV’s watching the modern day gladiators battle it out, usually in awe of the physical prowess of the guys on the screen. So, you wanna be more like the guys you watch every Sunday? Well then you need to train like one. Trust me, no one paying football on Sundays spends any time on a treadmill, elliptical or a stationary bike. Ditch the steady state cardio workouts and start a structured strength, power and anaerobic fitness routine.
Translation: You need to start lifting heavy and working out hard for short bursts of time, pushing your body harder but for short duration. In order to gain maximal strength and muscle gain, you need to move heavy weight, increase the load and intensity of the workouts. Cardio is necessary but instead of slow steady state it should be intensive cardio that gets the heart rate high and keeps it there for a short time followed by equal amount of recovery time.
Now I’m not saying that you should go out and try to bench press 225lbs like the football players do at The Combine, but I would suggest using the heaviest weight that you could manage to lift WITH CORRECT FORM for a total of 5 repetitions. Focus on the large muscle groups that function as prime movers, such as quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, back. Pay less attention to smaller muscles such as biceps, triceps and calves. Alternate with cardio days with sprint intervals at 85% of you Max Heart Rate (220 – your age). Use a heart rate monitor to ensure you’re working at the correct intensity.
Here’s a sample Strength Workout and Cardio Workout to get started.
Strength Workout:
Power cleans – 5 sets of 3 reps
Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps
Bench press – 5 sets of 5 reps
DB rows – 5 sets of 5 reps
Dead lifts – 5 sets of 5 reps
DB overhead press – 5 sets of 5 reps
Pull ups – 5 sets of 5 reps
Sprints 10 reps of 60 yards at max speed with 30 second rest between each sprint
Burpees 5 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds between sets
Core plank for 1 minute
Crunches on SB using band for resistance
Plate twists
Cardio Workout:
Perform list below once.
Endurance Sprints: Two 150-meter sprints. Run each in less than 17 seconds. Rest three minutes. Three 200-meter sprints. Run each in less than 24 seconds. Rest three minutes. One 300-meter sprint. Run in less than 41 seconds.
Rest five minutes.
Stadium Stairs: Sprint up stairs and walk down, do 10 repetitions with 10 seconds rest between each rep.
Rest five minutes.
Sled Drag: load a drag sled with 90lbs, sprint with the sled for 30 yards then rest for 30 seconds. Do 8 reps.
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