College Football Muscle

springbok · September 2, 2005, 2:51pm

I put on ESPN recently and was watching some of the reviews for this year’s college football season. During some of the player profiles I noticed that these guys, and many of them are still kids, are getting huge. Look at the arms on USC’s Reggie Bush.

What are they doing now in the weight room to get like this? I know there are some possible other aids that may around, but still these are upcoming bodybuilders on the football field. Does anyone know how USC and these other big programs, and for that matter small programs too, are training these animals?

Nate_Dogg · September 2, 2005, 4:01pm

The University of Florida Gators, under Coach Urban Meyer, have a strength coach that incorporates strongman training, Olympic lifts and free weights to build strength, size, speed and power, in addition to all the sprinting and other drills they perform.

JNeves · September 2, 2005, 4:01pm

most division I players are good sized before the get to college

if you havent noticed football is huge so division I college ball is stacked with americas geneticly gifted youngsters.

chubs108 · September 2, 2005, 5:26pm

Or stacked with lots of hard workers. I remember a clip I think at USC’s website that shows them doing some of the typical athletic lifts- no not endless curls lol

Cowboy92 · September 2, 2005, 5:46pm

Most programs do basic lifts. The coach may put a couple bells and whistles in there, but most revolve around bench, squat, clean.

The big differences between a college player and a regular student is genetics and also that workouts are required. A player may come in right after high school graduation and start training with the team.

OKLAHOMA_STATE · September 2, 2005, 7:00pm

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/7/4/744268.1125702144983.Reggie_Bush_Pic

I played college football for a year at Oklahoma State as a walk-on. The scholarship players are INCREDIBLE natural athletes. My freshmen class included RW McQuarters, the All-Pro CB. RW had never lifted weights seriously in his life, yet could easily bench at least 275 as an 18-year old and could easily do sets of 5 with 315 on the squat. Again, this is someone who had never lifted before. Oh, and he ran a legit 4.4.

Most college football guys are natural mesomorphs, guys who were muscular before they ever lifted.

Our off-season program was 4 days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We had conditioning every morning at 6 AM. On lower-body lifting days the conditioning consisted mainly of agility-type drills, while on upper-body lifting days the conditioning revolved around speed work (harness pulls, explosive starts, etc…). Of course every morning we also ran at least 25 40-yard dashes. The lifting was a basic lower/upper split, built around compound movements. Lots of squats, cleans, hang cleans, benches, incline etc…

Oh yeah, here’s a picture of Reggie Bush as a high school senior, before he really ever lifted seriously. See how naturally muscular he is?

OKLAHOMA_STATE · September 2, 2005, 7:05pm

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/7/4/744274.1125702455861.Jamar_Ransom_Pic

Here’s a pic of Jamar Ransom, one of our senior LBers this year. This pic was taken the summer before his senior year of high school. Right now, at a weight of 225, he squats about 650 and his benches 390.

bluecollarjock · September 3, 2005, 12:25am

there are tons of books that have sample programs of what colleges do…“Complete Conditioning For Football” Michael Arthur/Bryan Bailey outlines the old Nebraska system…good stuff…“The Strongest Shall Survive” by Bill Starr is the original “bible” for S&C in football which will never be outdated…“Renegade Training for Football” by John Davies is a newer book that has tons of lifting as well as warm up/cool down/agility stuff in it…

You have basically two schools of thought, the HIT crowd and the periodization crowd that uses a mix of power and olympic movements, with speed and agility sessions…and remember, many athletes are great DESPITE their training not because of it due to their natural ability…a school like Penn State was successful on HIT but they were pulling some of the best athletes in the nation at the time…and looks do not always equate performance as well is something to keep in mind…Ive always wanted to see some pro bodybuilders try to hang in a S&C workout with high caliber athletes, or get in the ring with some top MMA fighters, or play a pick up game of hoops or some other sport with college athletes…they might look sweet, but can they perform? As well in my playing and coaching days Ive seen some super stud athletes who had incredible PR’s, FAST 40’s, good change of direction and lateral speed, and just stink the bed on the field and never get game time…

Squat, deads, cleans, snatches, push press, jerks, bench, chins/rows, and variations of these lifts, with some speed/agility/conditioning sessions done in interval fashion, you cant go wrong…and you dont need to get fancy either…consistency, disipline, and hard work with the basics will get you farther than all the research in the world for the miracle workout or exercises and magic pills, and changing up all the time…

Live strong brothers

Bauer97 · September 3, 2005, 1:29am

Ah, a reference to Penn State’s HIT… my stomach is churning already.

I just got done playing 4 years as a Penn State defensive end, and their weight training program is the worst I have ever seen.

For example, dropping from 265 @ 8% bodyfat, down to 238 at 16% bodyfat… within the first 9 months of being there.

How is this possible, under a division 1 lifting program? Try never touching a barbell or dumbbell for the first 2 years I was there. Oh, and on the machines, which is all we did besides manual resistance, try going 8 seconds concentric, follwed by 8 seconds eccentric.

Any PSU player with a physique resembling somebody who lifts weights is the result of unbelievable genetics that would respond to anything.

Just try taking a comparison of the body structure, specifically lower, of PSU lineman vs. Ohio State lineman when they play this year.

I love my alma mater, but that lifting program is ruining one of the best football traditions in America. Machine based HIT should be reserved for Octogenarians, if anybody.

jeep69 · September 3, 2005, 4:03am

[quote]OKLAHOMA STATE wrote:
Here’s a pic of Jamar Ransom, one of our senior LBers this year. This pic was taken the summer before his senior year of high school. Right now, at a weight of 225, he squats about 650 and his benches 390.[/quote]

OK STATE- are you a student there now??? or are you a coach?

OKLAHOMA_STATE · September 5, 2005, 12:57pm

Jeep69-

I’m no longer a student there and not a coach. Just a huge fan now. I have tons of OSU pics on my computer.

nosebone · September 5, 2005, 8:26pm

Right on, Go Cowboys! Good to see a fellow O-State Fan.

I spent most of Saturday night with my stomach in my throat though. They had me worried…

[quote]OKLAHOMA STATE wrote:
Jeep69-

I’m no longer a student there and not a coach. Just a huge fan now. I have tons of OSU pics on my computer.[/quote]

Xfactor88 · September 5, 2005, 8:27pm

Hey Guys. I was wondering if any of you had a hold of any recent college football workouts (USC. and any other big name football colleges). Any sites that might have them? What does football trainig look like in college?

Thanks!

OKLAHOMA_STATE · September 7, 2005, 4:03pm

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/7/4/748754.1126123516916.Bobbie_Reid

Above is a picture of our superstar-in-the-making redshirt freshmen QB Bobbie Reid. 6’4, 225 and runs a true 4.4 and is shredded.

cccp21 · September 7, 2005, 4:07pm

[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
Ah, a reference to Penn State’s HIT… my stomach is churning already.

I just got done playing 4 years as a Penn State defensive end, and their weight training program is the worst I have ever seen.

For example, dropping from 265 @ 8% bodyfat, down to 238 at 16% bodyfat… within the first 9 months of being there.

How is this possible, under a division 1 lifting program? Try never touching a barbell or dumbbell for the first 2 years I was there. Oh, and on the machines, which is all we did besides manual resistance, try going 8 seconds concentric, follwed by 8 seconds eccentric.

Any PSU player with a physique resembling somebody who lifts weights is the result of unbelievable genetics that would respond to anything.

Just try taking a comparison of the body structure, specifically lower, of PSU lineman vs. Ohio State lineman when they play this year.

I love my alma mater, but that lifting program is ruining one of the best football traditions in America. Machine based HIT should be reserved for Octogenarians, if anybody.[/quote]
And i wanted to be a strength coach! Please.
Brandon Green

Panther1015 · September 7, 2005, 4:18pm

[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
Ah, a reference to Penn State’s HIT… my stomach is churning already.

I just got done playing 4 years as a Penn State defensive end, and their weight training program is the worst I have ever seen.

For example, dropping from 265 @ 8% bodyfat, down to 238 at 16% bodyfat… within the first 9 months of being there.

How is this possible, under a division 1 lifting program? Try never touching a barbell or dumbbell for the first 2 years I was there. Oh, and on the machines, which is all we did besides manual resistance, try going 8 seconds concentric, follwed by 8 seconds eccentric.

Any PSU player with a physique resembling somebody who lifts weights is the result of unbelievable genetics that would respond to anything.

Just try taking a comparison of the body structure, specifically lower, of PSU lineman vs. Ohio State lineman when they play this year.

I love my alma mater, but that lifting program is ruining one of the best football traditions in America. Machine based HIT should be reserved for Octogenarians, if anybody.[/quote]

PSU used to get away with this because they brought in so many uber talented players. Now that their overall recruiting has taken a nosedive, the HIT program is catching up to them. It’s sad, really. As much as I don’t like PSU, I think it’s inexcusable to see young players wasting away and not achieving their true potential.

Michigan is another HIT culprit. Unlike PSU though, they still bring in a ton of talented kids that will be good in spite of their poor training. Imagine how much better Michigan would be if their S&C program was of the same caliber of a Texas or USC?

bigpump23 · September 8, 2005, 4:13pm

[quote]Xfactor88 wrote:
Hey Guys. I was wondering if any of you had a hold of any recent college football workouts (USC. and any other big name football colleges). What does football trainig look like in college?

Thanks![/quote]

huge bump I’m very interestedin seeing any of these

bigpump23 · September 8, 2005, 4:14pm

[quote]Panther1015 wrote:
Bauer97 wrote:
Ah, a reference to Penn State’s HIT… my stomach is churning already.