Hi, I’m a high school junior who has hopes of playing division 1 college football. I am getting interest from a few of schools and I am trying to do everything in my power to prove myself. I’m a little undersized for the positions i play which is Center and Defensive Tacke.
My stats are about 6 foot or a shade under and weight fluctuates between 246 and 254. March 1st whichis almost a month from now there is a Nike Football Combine. There are four events two of which are new. The 40 and 5-10-5 drill are the basics, and the new additions are the kneeling power ball toss, and the peak power jump. I have been training thinking about the old set up…
Bench (185) - 23
40 - 4.95
5-10-5 - forgot the actual time
VJ: 27
I have a URL of what the events look like under here:
But i know there is no better place than T-Nation for athletic performance knowledge and i was sondering if you guys could give me some advice on what to do to progress for these events…
Training tips,raining structure, routines, nutrition , all things are welcome…and please anyones suggestions because i’m not just some another naive teen 90% of everyone on here knows more about sport performance than i do so please hold back… ( especially on the kneeling power ball toss)
[quote]Bert205 wrote:
i’m not just some another naive teen 90% of everyone on here knows more about sport performance than i do so please hold back… ( especially on the kneeling power ball toss)[/quote]
Actually, it’s probably the opposite, the fact that you play and train for sports probably means you know more than 90% of everyone here. Have you heard of Joe Defranco? He makes a living training athletes, many specifically for the NFL combine. Check out his website, you might find his training templates helpful.
You need to give more information about where you are currently. How much can you squat, bench? Is the 27" from a standstill or a running start? If not, what is your running start vj?
[quote]AlexM wrote:
Is the 27" from a standstill or a running start? [/quote]
Combines do the Vertical Jump from a standstill.
Overall you a pretty athletic (I wish I could run a 4.9). Just the fact that you were invited to a Nike Combine says a lot. Once it is over concentrate on getting as strong as possible. In the end you will be given a scholarship biased on your ability to play football. Your senior film will be 10x more important than any combine.
Check out Joe DeFranco, he is one of the best strength trainers in the world.
thanks to the advice i am checking out his website as we speak, and for anyone else wishing to post here are some other total stats
Bench:320
Power Clean: 280
Push Jerk: 275
Squat:415 X 4 ( haven’t done a one rep max in a while but it was higher before i went on a semi- low carb diet and high fat and now i feel like i have sphagetti legs)
Vertical Jump is standing at 27 inches and the new sparq score (their way of gaging the better athletes) weight comes into play along with height)
5-10-5 : I believe it is 4.31
bodyfat : not sure if you need but id say hovering around 20 and id love to lower it but you get one shot at being in the 99% to have the honor of playing football at the net level so i think i can hack a little fat but trying to take it down as well…
Who recommended that you go low carb? At your age and activity level, I wouldn’t think it would be a good idea. Remember, not only do you need extra calories to support your weight training and football, but you’re probably still growing vertically as well.
Keep us updated and let us know how the combines go.
Since you have less than a month, I would focus for the next few weeks on your Explosive strength, trying to peak for the combine, whie still maintaining your max strength. I would also focus big tme on your technique for all of the tests on the days in between your training days, like working on your start, figuring out what way works best for you in jumping etc. Just off the top of my head, for someone of your size, I would do something like this, with a day off between each session:
Day 1
Depth Jumps 4x2-3
Speed Squats 6x2
Lunges2-3x8
Calves
Day 2
Sprints (focusing on your acceleration, keeping it under 250 yards total)
Explosive Med Ball throws
Bench-working up to 3-5rm
Pulldowns or rows
arms/shoulders
Day 3
6-10x10 yard starts
Box Jumps 4x3
Step-ups-3x8-10
Incline Db bench 3x8
Rows or pulldowns
shoulders
bis/tris
something like that. make sure your nutrition is sparkling and your getting at least 8 hours a night, warming up properly and stretching out after. contrast showers or cold tubs are an added plus. i can’t say how much time to take off before the combine, but for most people, 3-5 days of light activity, not inactivity, is usually right on. you have to listen to your body and act accordingly.
all this sounds good i like the workouts of alex of course ill have to alter it to a school workout schedule (mandatory) monday through thursday
Monday- power clean, hang clean, PushJerk
Tuesday-Bench, Squat, Circuit
Wednesday- Same as monday
thursday- same as tuesday
Friday- Boxing MMA
Saturday- Boxing MMA
Sunday- off
no excuses though ill figure out how to schedule this (all advice helps) just don’t want to over train, i don’t care about getting up befre school anything as long as its not deproductive, and for anyone wondering my diet is currently like this
Breakfast
1 cup of oatmeal
handful of blueberries
3 whole eggs
2 slices of bacon
glass of milk
shake 1 (sipped on throughout morning to mid afternoon)
2 cups milk
1 scoop Metabolic Drive
1 scoop syntha 6
4 tbsp of peanut butter
Lunch
Hot lunch at school
(usually healthy not much protein
grapes
bowl of chilly
Shake 2 (mid-afternoon through night)
2 cups of milk
1 scoop Metabolic Drive
1 scoop syntha 6 just cause don’t let waste
4 tbsp of peanut butter
During and Post workout
15 BCAA
10g creatine
10g glutamine
3 scoops of Surge
Dinner
Whatever mom cooks if we got out always order something relatively clean to my goals
but i tried to divide my time using the knowledge i acquire on here and being a teenager as far as nutrition
Bed-time
If hungry usually get a glass of milk and a fruit or same raisins
Drink alot of water around a gallon a day, sometimes diet cokes (try to avoid but i like variety, and sometimes low carb monsters, and diet green tea) don’t know if its the caffeine or its a placebo but if it doesn’t work at least i think im wired… trying to figure out schedule , still all suggestions on trainign and nutrition needed… not trying to keep bumping this just trying to sort it out…
[quote]Bert205 wrote:
… not trying to keep bumping this just trying to sort it out…
[/quote]
No, go ahead and bump it. Plenty of people post their training logs here. You’re an actual athlete so this is interesting.
What do you think you need to work on most for the Combines?
If it’s your speed and verticle talk to your coach about adding a day for sprinting and jumping, or work on it yourself on Saturday, using a Dynamic Effort lower body Day from Defranco’s template. Is the MMA something you have to do for the team, or something you choose to do on your own time? If it’s something you choose to do on your own, and you’re worried about overtraining, you might want to drop it for now, just until the combines are over with. You could probably also work in a few sprints on Monday morning.
As far as nutrition goes, it looks pretty damn good for someone your age. To add some protein to lunch, get some of those foil pouches of Tuna, eat one with your school lunch, feel free to stir in some mayonnaise to help it go down easier. Don’t worry about the diet drinks, those aren’t a problem.
Count the daily calories every now and then to make sure you’re on track, and break things down by grams of Protein Fat and Carbs, that’ll keep you honest and if you decide you need to add calories you’ll know what kind you should add.