You don't want to lose any of your progress from off-season training.
Which is why we do in-season conditioning.
7 days are factored in so that we are intentional about everything.
Let's start at the end and work back.
High School game days are on Friday, JV’s are on Thursday, etc..
Here’s the schedule breakdown (remember it’s a sliding schedule so match it with your game day and work from there)
Day 1: Stride Training
Day 2: Anaerobic Training
Day 3: Time Run
Day 4: Jog and Stretch
Day 5: Game Day
Day 6: Active Recovery
Day 7: Off Day
This schedule includes long anaerobic training, short burst training, and active recovery.
The goal is to maximize gameday and prevent mid and late-season fatigue.
110's are amazing, and much more beneficial than 100s. (Insert the reasoning behind this)
How to Perform:
The amount of these will depend on the time of the season. Follow this breakdown:
14 110's - Training Camp/ Pre-Season
12 110's - Weeks 1-4
10 110's - Remainder of the season
Alternate 50-yard sprints and Crossfires.
Workout: 50 Yard Sprints (50's)
Why:
The average football play is around 3-4 seconds. Double the time to 6-7 seconds because that equals the output needed to complete that play with pads and everything. It should take a player around 6-7 seconds to sprint 50 yards, which is where the drill comes from.
How to Perform:
The rest interval is based on the football play clock.
2 sets of 12
25 seconds rest
6-7 seconds to complete.
Workout: Crossfires
Why:
Crossfires are straight conditioning, which will help with lactic acid buildup/ tolerance. This is important because it helps the body grow used to that feeling and work against it, which will be crucial in the 4th quarter, and for recovery days going into the following week.
The lactic acid tolerance build is why we want to alternate this through Week 7 of the season. This helps maintain momentum throughout the season so you don’t hit a wall at the end of the season due to fatigue.
Complete them in the below schedule:
Week 1: 50's
Week 2: Crossfires
Week 3: 50's
Week 4: Crossfires
Week 5: 50's
Week 6: Crossfires
Week 7+ 50's
What I like to call the 6-1-2 Drill:
6-minute jog
1 minute rest
2-minute jog
Great for the end of practice.
Why?
Even after a 2 hour practice, most players can still run an 8-minute mile.
The challenge with this drill comes with starting - stopping - and starting again.
Adding this element of arhythmic training prepares the central nervous system for fatigue.
This drill does a good job of simulating a player having to come off the bench and go back into the game.
The goal of this day is to loosen up before game day and elevate core temperature. This is where as a coach, you can decide what your team needs.
Something like jogging a lap around the field and a good stretch would be enough.
Game Day competition is 100% Max effort.
Active Recovery has two parts depending on what kind of player they are.
Part 1: Starters/Varsity
You want to get them moving a little, but give them and their bodies recovery time.
I would recommend something like jogging 2 laps.
Part 2: Reserves/ JV
Their training can be more aggressive to keep them sharp and ready, but that is up to your discretion.
I would recommend something like off-season weight training or 50-yard sprints.
You can find an example off-season lifting workout here or follow the below cadence for 50-yard sprints.
(One per minute/quarter)
High School - 12
Junior Varsity - 10
Middle School - 8
Players need to get off their feet and watch some NFL football.
You don’t want to overtrain your athletes, so I recommend something along the following for weight training in-season:
3 days of weight training with an active recovery day. These days will coordinate with
Day 1: Chest, Back and Legs (30 mins)
Day 2: Olympics (15 mins)
Day 3: Incline, Back Row, Light Legs (singles) (30 mins)
Day 6: Active Recovery Circuits (30 mins)
Day 1, 3, and 6 should be 20-30 minute workouts (link article here?), Day 2 is Olympics, so you should be in and out of the gym within 15 minutes.
If you have issues with numbers in your weight room, divide and conquer and you can split and swap the different training days, with starters getting priority.
The order can look like this:
Starters:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Junior Varsity / Bench:
Day 3
Day 1
Day 2
Remember, this is a sliding schedule that can fit into your program and modify.
If you need more training or specific workouts, check out our program finder.
Happy Training!
