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We here at MuscleDog have heard the demand for football-specific information, and we have answered. This series, entitled “Building a Football Foundation”, will give you workouts to build the tools you need to succeed as a football player--broken down into a position specific format. Even if you aren’t a football player, you can use these tips from the coaches at California Strength Academy, one of the premier athletic training centers in the nation, to build a body like your favorite football players (if you have a similar body type of course). We’ll start with the big guys, the offensive and defensive linemen.

 

"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four." - Dan Birdwell

 

Despite the fact that the game of football has become faster paced, higher scoring, and spread-offense oriented these days, most coaches will tell you that the game is won “in the trenches” by the big men. More often than not, the team that wins the battle at the line of scrimmage wins the game, like in the Super Bowl XLII Giant’s victory over the Patriots. The movie “The Blindside” also highlighted the importance of the big guys who make a living at the line of scrimmage. The second highest paid position in the NFL is offensive tackle (behind only quarterback), and center is the position making the highest pay raise over the past few years. If you need further proof, just look at this year’s draft in which linemen comprised over a third of 1st round picks (13 out of 31) and over half of the first 15 picks (eight).

 

Becoming an elite offensive lineman in the NFL does certainly take some genetic luck because you have to be born as a mountain of a man and still have a great deal of athletic ability. It also requires a specific skill-set. You have to be strong enough to plough over smaller guys on the defensive side of the ball, clearing a path for your teammates, but also agile and quick enough to force faster defensive ends outside in pass protection. Defensive players need similar skill-sets, including strength to bull-rush a mammoth tackle and collapse the pocket, and a quick first step to fill gaps and get to the quarterback dropping back for a pass. For this reason, being a lineman requires excellent size, strength, balance, agility and initial quickness/explosiveness. The combine tests that carry a lot of weight for lineman include the 3-cone drill, the bench press, the broad jump, and the 10-second split (time at the first 10 yards) of the 40-yard dash. Training to excel at one of these positions should focus on managing mass, initial burst, pressing strength, lateral quickness and core and leg strength.

 

The majority of big guys that come to California Strength looking to become elite linemen are usually lacking in one important area: they aren’t strong enough. Linemen on both sides of the ball have to push and force guys back on every single play. For this reason, we build our routines around strength building, making sure to integrate some form of press exercise every day. We put a premium on fixing individual imbalances and weaknesses in important areas, addressing problems that their coaches might not fix, but that depends on each individual’s needs. We also place a premium on explosive exercises like snatches and cleans, because football is a game of inches and seconds, and the more explosive guy usually wins. Since guys are hammered with energy systems work by their coaches, we will leave that for you to take care of. Here is a 3-day routine that we use with our lineman to make them strong and explosive to win the war at the line. We start each workout with the fastest movements (snatch and clean), move on to the strength building exercises and finish with alternating core work and supplemental exercises.

 

Day 1: Strength Day

Light Power Snatch 5 x 2 (up to 70-80 % of max)

Heavy Power Clean 4 x 1 (up to 85-90 % of max)

Back Squats 5-8 set pyramid up to max, then 2-3 drop sets of 3 reps (90 % of max)

Military Press 3 x 10

A1. Planks – 2 minute intervals, 3 sets

A2. Skull Crushers 3 x 10

 

Day 2: Repetition Day

Complex - Light Hang Snatch x 2 to Overhead Squats x 5, 3 sets

Full Cleans 3 x 3

Front Squats 3 x 5 (75-85% of max)

Bench Press 6-10 set pyramid to max, with 2-3 drop sets of 3 reps (90 % of max)

A1. Supine Leg Raises x 3

A2. Arnold Press x 3

 

Day 3: Plyometric Day

Power Snatch 10 x 1 (80-85 % of max)

Light Back Squat 3 x 3 (75 % of max, to condition the legs for explosive movements)

Box jumps 3 x 5 working up to highest box you have

Box jump from sitting position, 3 x 5

Weighted Box Jumps, 6-8 x 3

Bench Press 3 x 5

Plyo Pushups 3 x 10

Lying Medicine Ball Catch & Throw with partner standing on a box 3 x 10

 

David Spitz – David is the founder of California Strength Academy in San Ramon. This former high school football player was also a USA Junior National Team thrower in track and field. He is currently working towards his CSCS certification. Clients he has recently trained include Chris Cooper (just resigned with the Oakland Raiders), TJ Ward (second round 2009 / 2010 NFL Draft pick) and Cameron Colvin (former Oregon Ducks and San Francisco 49ers player).