Sup T-men, i know theres been a lot written in the past about explosive strength and i’ve done my best to read up on it but I find that I’d like some advice that i can specifically relate for myself its thats cool. I’m 20, 5’10, 218lbs and I’m playing Fullback for football, i need explosive speed from a standing or near-still position and explosive strength in my arms when i block (bench press type motion). Can anyone help me outline a workout I can use to develop these atributes that will fit in with my regular bodybuilding/strength style workouts? thanks a lot
Well, I have been focusing a great deal on trying that is tremendously applicable to football. There are some obvious limitations in the forum, such as agility training but within strength training we are not limited. If you have specific questions, I will be pleased to answer. You can also find a good bit of info on the “renegade” thread. In faith, Coach Davies
I’ve read most of the renegade threads and the one thing that I’m still not sure on is how i can achieve maximum speed/strength from my hands. I know for my legs i can do box jumps, agility sprints and other plyometrics but for my blocking, it seems a little more complex.
I’m kind of out of my league here, but maybe you should try some clapping pushups, where you push yourself up off the ground, clap your hands while you’re in the air, and then do the next one. You mentioned it was a bench press type motion, so that may help. Let me know if the explanation is unclear. Also, speed benching might help for explosiveness. - PJ
For upper body try push presses, incline bench (using CAT), medicine ball throws, and explosive pushups.
Strict form Power Cleans, plyos, short burst sprints, Power Snatch, C and J’s…
For lower body explosiveness, I’ve seen great success with a plyometric device known as a Russian Leaper, also known to some as the ‘velocity builder’. You stand on a fixed platform and anchor yourself to it with thick surgical tubing attached to a belt. Then you jump, and the tubing not only provides resistance on the way up (you only jump a few inches off the board), but it also snaps you back down so you are resisting an explosive eccentric motion. I increased my explosiveness tremendously using this technique…my standing vertical leap probably increased from about 24 inches to 30 or more inches–vertical leap with an approach was 39 inches. I’ve seen similar results with athletes I have trained and trained with. If you are genetically predisposed to being explosive, the results are much more dramatic. We’ve had some slow-twich ogre types who haven’t seen such great results. You can employ similar types of training for your upper body using bands, medicine balls, or other creative movements. People will say there is a higher incidence of injury with this type of training, but if you have a good training base and healthy joints and you are smart about the training, you should be fine. My friend was a D-I sprinter and he swears by the russian leaper as well.
within the RENEGADE program you will find plenty of plyometric pushups and med ball work regarding the upper body movements you questioned. In faith, Coach Davies