Just looking for some advice on this program. I play defensive line and offensive tackle and been seriously working out for over a year now. I’ve based this program off the principles of 5/3/1 and have it’s 3 days in the gym, 1 day field.
Day 1: Lower Body Strength & Power (5/3/1 Squat)
Warm-up:
5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility (hip circles, lunges, leg swings).
Main Lift: 5/3/1 Squat
Accessory Work (Lower Body Focus):
Deadlift: 3 sets x 5 reps
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets x 8-10 reps each leg
Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Calf Raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps
Core Work:
Planks (weighted if needed): 3 sets x 45-60 seconds
Russian Twists (weighted): 3 sets x 20 reps
Day 2: Upper Body Strength & Power (5/3/1 Bench Press)
Warm-up:
5-10 minutes of dynamic upper body stretching (band pull-aparts, arm circles).
Main Lift: 5/3/1 Bench Press
Accessory Work:
Military Press: 3 sets x 6-8 reps
Weighted Dips: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Pull-ups: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
Barbell/Cable Rows: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
Face Pulls: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Core Work:
Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets x 12 reps
Cable Woodchoppers: 3 sets x 12 reps each side
Day 3: 5/3/1 Deadlift & Overhead Press Combo
Warm-up:
5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching and quick feet drills.
Main Lift: 5/3/1 Deadlift
Main Lift: 5/3/1 Overhead Press
Accessory Work (Explosive Power & Conditioning):
Power Cleans: 4 sets x 3 reps (explosive)
Box Jumps: 3 sets x 6 reps
DB or KB Swings: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Farmer’s Carry: 4 sets x 40 meters (heavy)
Conditioning/Finisher:
Farmers Walk
Medicine Ball Slams: 3 sets x 15 reps
Speed/Agility Day
Warm-up:
10 minutes of dynamic stretching (leg swings, high knees, butt kicks).
Speed Drills:
40-yard Sprints: 5 sets, max effort with full recovery
10-yard Sprints: 5 sets, max effort (focus on explosive start)
Shuttle Runs (5-10-5 drill): 4 sets
Agility Drills:
Cone Drills: 3-4 sets of L-Drill or T-Drill
Ladder Drills: 3 sets (quick feet, lateral movements)
Conditioning/Finisher:
Bear Crawls: 3 sets x 40 meters
Medicine Ball Slams: 3 sets x 15 reps
I feel that the issue in the upper-body day but I’m not sure
That looks like a whole lot of “stuff” in some weird orders. Everytime i’ve tried workout structures like that, i end up phoning in half the session and doing too much easy stuff and not enough hard stuff.
If i were to do this program, i’d probably think about the following changes:
Cut the dedicated “power” day and do one explosive lift or movement at the start of every session so i can attack it with the least fatigue and actually train power output.
Add in some supplemental work on each of the big lifts, or at least 3 of them.
Limit accessory exercises to 3 per session at most, and consider super setting/giant setting them if you feel you need conditioning.
Basically, what i’m saying is to do 531 Krypteia Redux from Jims blog, a program specifically designed for American Football players.
I like that first link, i’ll prolly use it. The fact that it’s only for 5 sets as well means I can my plyos in pretty easily. What should/can I do instead of Kirk rows and db incline row?
This has just popped back into my head as it occured to me that you didn’t specify how you intended to use plyos. Remember that if you’re training maximum power and explosiveness, you should be training it early in a session when muscles aren’t fatigued.
I’ll do my plyos at the start after the warm-up. It’ll look something like this:
5 x 5 Kneeling into Jumps
3 x 8 Squats into jumps
4 x 8 Lunges into jumps
4 x 10 Box Jumps
Yeah pretty much. We’ve had a few camps so few and our first match is Nov 1st, but regular practice doesnt start until mid November as our season starts a little later. I do have a rest day, which is my cardio day, which is basically me playing basketbalm with my friends for 2hrs
I agree with others. You’re using the “more is more” approach. If you are training for athleticism and power, you’re better off with less volume so you can hit the workouts with max effort and actually recover for your sport. Personally, I’d find a program and run it exactly as is, which will remove your reflex of finding one you kinda like and adding more to it.
I’m a senior in highschool so this is my final season. My aspiration is to play football at a higher level. I don’t really mind whether it’s NFL, UFL or even the European league, I just want to play it professionally. I’ve got two JUCO offers and one D3 so I’m gonna go down the JUCO route or a prep school or something like that. Again, wdym by where do I play? Like school or position?
Nice ! I wrestled and played baseball in HS. Learn from the older guys… We gotta know when to reel it in with training. We love to train but too much only sends you backwards.