Gridiron Domination in Season Training

GRIDIRON DOMINATION

IN-SEASON TRAINING

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Copyright 2012 Grow Stronger Productions Inc.All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without permission in writing from the publisher.The techniques, ideas, and suggestions in this document are not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice. Consult your physician or health care professional before performing any new exercise or exercise technique particularly if you have any chronic or recurring conditions. Any application of the techniques, ideas, and suggestions in this document is at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.The author’s and publisher of this document make no warranty of any kind in regard to the content in this document, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The author’s and publisher of this document are not liable or responsible to any person or entity for any errors contained in this document, or for any special, incidental, or consequential damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this document

Grow Stronger Productions 2012. All Rights Reserved. www.footballstrengthprogram.com

http://www.footballstrengthprogram.com/

http://www.footballstrengthprogram.com/

http://www.footballstrengthprogram.com


Welcome to Gridiron Domination In-Season Training. Here we will touch base on our objectives for the following season.

It doesn’t matter if you are the star of the team or ride the bench, you should be training within the season. We get so many stud players that train with us in off-season and then when season starts they think they don’t have time or they don’t want to be sore or it will mess up their on-field play. Then when the season ends they come back losing up to 20 lbs. of hard earned muscle and huge strength gains.

So now we make it known to the athletes if they don’t plan on working with us in-season don’t bother in the off-season, unless it’s college or pros when they have to leave.

We ran into an instance like this a few years back. An elite defensive end was training here at Strength Camp with offers to numerous schools and was preparing for his senior season.

He came to us that off-season and made drastic gains in every aspect of his game. He gained size, improved every combine test, and his on-field play improved drastically due to his new found explosive power.

As season came we strongly encouraged him to remain training even if it was for one day. Not for purposes of collecting a check but for the sake of this athlete. You see his parents were so caught up in the recruitment process they took the “back-seat safe route” and tried to avoid injury within season by thinking cutting out training would help him recover better and keep him “fresh”.

Well long story short as the season went on his performance went down and his risk of injury went up.

This is due to the atrophy of important muscles. Although he was “football-strong” and could run

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and hit, he lacked some of the foundation we built to get him there. His core and postural muscles became weak which lead to injury. And as these foundation muscles atrophied he fell back to his original (wrong) techniques and relied back on his old “sloppy” coordinated ways.

Beyond this he shrunk 20 lbs which is huge for a defensive end and lost all his strength/speed gains.

When he came back to us after season it was a longer uphill challenge but to say the least we learned the major lesson as a team.

Your goal is to balance your in-season training to maintain high level of play from game 1 through game 12+ and avoid injury by performing the right movements. These movements are designed and placed in specific order to help you become the best player you can in-season.

During in-season we wish to accomplish 3 things throughout the course of your training. First, we want to reduce the chances of injury by reducing muscle imbalances throughout the body. Second, we want to make sure we preserve the strength and muscle mass that was obtained during the off-season. Third, we want to fully recover the body each and every week to help with the pounding each athlete takes on a weekly basis.

Through this manual you will find 3 sections pertaining to each of the 3 objectives. Follow the program to its entirety and have a good season.




Principles of In-Season

Gridiron Domination




Principles of In-Season

Principle 1 - Corrective Stretching (Flexibility)Muscle imbalances are the leading cause of injury in elite athletes.Each athlete must complete the corrective stretches to avoid muscle imbalances before the Dynamic Warm-Up and all training, which is found in the videos. Corrective stretching is one of the most important aspects of in-season training due to the pattern overload you tend to see within the athlete. We want to make sure that the athlete maintains a good posture and is prepared for performance week by week. Find the Corrective stretches video here.

Dynamic WarmupMake sure the Dynamic Warm-up from the video is performed before every Lifting & Speed Session. This will allow to place the body through full ranges of motion and prep the body to train. Find the Dynamic Warmup Video here.

Principle 2 - Power, Strength, & Mass TrainingDuring the season is when you will see the most decrease in weight and strength if you do not train. We want to achieve an even balance between resistance training and prep for game time. This can be done by manipulating the way we train, stretch, and recover. Let’s go over some of the parameters for you in-season training while by helping you understand each parameter.

Frequency - We suggest training no more than 2 days a week and no less than 1. This is because the constant demand of your body on the football field. Our suggestion is that you recover fully the day after the game.

As Ray Lewis once said, “I work so hard and give so much during the game that I can’t lift myself out of bed the next day”. In our opinion, you should play so hard that you too should have the same mindset. Then the following day you


http://strengthcamp.wistia.com/medias/dc56c81b74




http://strengthcamp.wistia.com/medias/0c35609dca






should train, as well as 2 days after the first. I broke down a schedule here for you to follow

Gameday Lifting Sessions

Friday (High School) Sunday & Tuesday

Saturday (College) Monday & Wednesday

Sunday (Pros) Tuesday & Thursday

Intensity/Load - We want to maintain the strength and mass that was built in the off-season so we encourage keeping the load heavy. We manipulate the reps & sets for you so that you are not as sore the next day.

Rest Intervals - We suggest that you allow full recovery between sets. General - 2-3 Minutes.

Volume - We will be keeping the working sets very low compared to off-season. This is because we are keeping the intensity high as well as wanting the athlete to reduce the amount of DOMS (delayed onset muscles soreness) so they can continue to perform without discomfort.

Principle 3 - Rest & RecoveryRecovery during season is a very important element in regards to your performance. Our goal is to make sure the body is not inhibited in any way when you need to perform day in and day out whether it be practice or game. We will accomplish by our methods explained in the recovery section.

RestOur suggestion is that you reach between 8-10 hours of sleep per night. This is crucial because as you sleep and




are able to reach REM, which is Rapid eye movement, a common stage in humans sleep. In this stage your body can release Human Growth Hormone and with the proper nutrition it will be able to metabolize this hormone and help you grow. In addition to this it aids in the recovery of your body and especially nervous system.

NutritionFollow nutrition the same way you did in the off-season program from Gridiron Domination. Your time is pressed and may not be able to achieve the amount of meals desired. So if you have less meals make sure to eat more each sitting so you can achieve the optimal caloric intake so your body does not lose the weight.

Basically put if during season you can only eat 3 meals instead of 5 or 6, make sure that those 3 meals contain roughly the same amount of calories at the end of the day as you did with the 6 meals.

6 meals - 3500 calories off-season3 meals - 3500 calories in-season

Also in-season it is extremely important to maintain the water consumption that you were intaking in the off-season and more when you practice.


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The Program




Week 1Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Box Jump 2x 2x 1x

2.Deadlift 5x 5x 5x

3.a.Barbell Row 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.Band Push Ups 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.Chin Ups 15x 15x 15x

4.Windshields 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Tire Flip or Hang Clean2x 2x 1x

2.Box Squat5x 5x 5x

3.a.Scarecrows8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.Hammer Curl to Overhead Press8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.c.Tricep Pushdown15x 15x 15x




Week 2Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Broad Jump 2x 2x 1x

2.Front Squat 5x 5x 5x

3.a.Chin Up Variation 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.DB Floor Press 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.Upright Rows 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

4.Knees to Bows 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Forward Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x

2.Bench Press5x 5x 5x

3.a.Farmer Walks (light)50ft 50ft 50ft

3.b.DB Military Press 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.c.Barbell Curls15x 15x 15x




Week 3Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Hurdle Jumps 2x 2x 1x

2.Trap Bar Deadlift 5x 5x 5x

3.a.Chin Up (Narrow) 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.DB Incline Press 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.Face Pulls 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

4.Russian Twists 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Tire Fights or Power Jerk10/2x 10/2x 10/1x

2.Back Squat5x 5x 5x

3.a.Inverted Rows8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.Lateral Raises 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.c.DB Skull Crushers8-12x 8-12x 8-12x




Week 4Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.ESS Jumps 2x 2x 1x

2.Band or Chain Squat 5x 5x 5x

3.a.1 Arm Rows 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.DB Bench Press 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.Pull Downs 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

4.Weighted Sit-Ups 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Backwards Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x

2.Military Press5x 5x 5x

3.a.Keg Carries 50ft 50ft 50ft

3.b.Dips 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.c.Front Plate Raise8-12x 8-12x 8-12x




Week 5Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Box Jump 2x 2x 1x

2.Deadlift 4x 4x 4x




4.Windshields 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Tire Flip or Hang Clean2x 2x 1x

2.Box Squat4x 4x 4x







Week 6Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Broad Jump 2x 2x 1x

2.Front Squat 4x 4x 4x




4.Knees to Bows 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Forward Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x

2.Bench Press4x 4x 4x







Week 7Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Hurdle Jumps 2x 2x 1x

2.Trap Bar Deadlift 4x 4x 4x




4.Russian Twists 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Tire Fights or Power Jerk10/2x 10/2x 10/1x

2.Back Squat4x 4x 4x







Week 8Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.ESS Jumps 2x 2x 1x

2.Band or Chain Squat 4x 4x 4x

3.a.1 Arm Rows 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x



4.Weighted Sit-Ups 10x 10x 10x

Day 2

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

1.Backwards Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x

2.Military Press4x 4x 4x


3.b.Dips 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x





Week 9Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4

1.Box Jump 2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Deadlift 3x 3x 3x 3x




4.Windshields 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Tire Flip or Hang Clean2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Box Squat3x 3x 3x 3x







Week 10Day 1


1.Broad Jump 2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Front Squat 3x 3x 3x 3x




4.Knees to Bows 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Forward Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Bench Press3x 3x 3x 3x







Week 11Day 1


1.Hurdle Jumps 2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Trap Bar Deadlift 3x 3x 3x 3x




4.Russian Twists 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Tire Fights or Power Jerk10/2x 10/2x 10/1x 10/1x

2.Back Squat3x 3x 3x 3x







Week 12Day 1


1.ESS Jumps 2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Band or Chain Squat 3x 3x 3x 3x

3.a.1 Arm Rows 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x



4.Weighted Sit-Ups 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Backwards Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x 1x

2.Military Press3x 3x 3x 3x


3.b.Dips 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x





Week 13Day 1

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5

1.Box Jump 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Deadlift 2x 2x 2x 2x 2x




4.Windshields 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Tire Flip or Hang Clean2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Box Squat2x 2x 2x 2x 2x







Week 14Day 1


1.Broad Jump 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Front Squat 2x 2x 2x 2x 2x

3.a.Chin Up Variation8-12x 8-12x 8-12x



4.Knees to Bows 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Forward Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Bench Press2x 2x 2x 2x 2x







Week 15Day 1


1.Hurdle Jumps 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Trap Bar Deadlift2x 2x 2x 2x 2x

3.a.Chin Up (Narrow)8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.DB Incline Press8-12x 8-12x 8-12x


4.Russian Twists 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Tire Fights or Power Jerk10/2x 10/2x 10/1x 10/1x 5/1x

2.Back Squat2x 2x 2x 2x 2x







Week 16Day 1


1.ESS Jumps 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Band or Chain Squat2x 2x 2x 2x 2x

3.a.1 Arm Rows 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x

3.b.DB Bench Press8-12x 8-12x 8-12x


4.Weighted Sit-Ups 10x 10x 10x 10x

Day 2


1.Backwards Med Ball Toss2x 2x 1x 1x 1x

2.Military Press2x 2x 2x 2x 2x


3.b.Dips 8-12x 8-12x 8-12x





Recovery

Each athlete will be held accountable to recover their body to the best of their ability. You need to understand that recovery is one of the most important aspects of training for performance as a whole along with the proper nutrition and the resistance training. Remember training is just the stimulus to the body, in order to grow and perform better you must take the steps to recover and get the most out of the training.

Here are the methods we suggest for recovery. These should be done immediately after both training sessions of the week and after the game in order.

Time Method Description

15-20Minutes

Foam Rolling Refer to video Here

Foam Rolling Video

10-15Minutes

Static Stretching

Refer to video HereStatic Stretching Video

10Minutes

Ice Bath or

Epsom Salt Bath in tepid water

Roughly 500g or 2 cups of salt in an average size bath.

Ice bath should be roughly 60 degrees Fahrenheit

Let’s take the time to go over each method of recovery...

Foam Rolling This self-myofascial release technique is mainly done before training but helps aid in the relaxation and break


http://youtu.be/bte6rg995ZI

http://youtu.be/bte6rg995ZI





up of soft tissue after strenuous activity. By foam rolling each main component muscles, from origin to insertion, aids tremendously in recovery, releases knotted up toxins within, and obviously provides passive elongation of the particular muscle.

Static StretchingAfter the foam rolling this will allow a greater stretch is some muscles that were over active and some that were inhibited. Allowing your body to passively elongate tonic muscles aids in the recruitment or “wake-up” of the muscles your body is not using as much or phasic muscles. Which tends to be highly involved postural muscles that help your performance.

Ice Bath or Epsom Salt BathThis will allow the body to rejuvenate and help aid in the recovery of muscle tissue. Although Ice baths are not fully scientifically backed like epsom salt both have been effective for use in the recovery of athletes. Ice bath is common to muscle tissue damage in the same sense that you would place ice on a limb after bruising. In addition, it is said that ice baths or contrast baths/showers can “stimulate the nervous system” by submerging the body entirely in the cold water it reaches the areas of our solar plexus where massive amounts of nerve endings are. The cold stimulates them and makes them stronger. (see Siff, SuperTraining)

Epsom Salt which is basically magnesium sulfate is used as a soaking agent in hot water. When the body absorbs magnesium sulfate it rids toxins, sedates the nervous system, naturally relaxes muscles and reduces the swelling caused from the training stimulus. Be cautious and consult a doctor before using if you have any sort of condition.




Final Thoughts

“It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”Bear Bryant

If you invested your time in this in-season program then you are a serious football player. You wish to climb the levels and one day play for the National Football League, a league of their own. But you already are in a league of your own. You have separated yourself from all other players because you have put forth the goal to become and you are putting in the work. Prepare to win your goals. Train as if you are already there. Train even if you are there. Train to become the Strongest Version of yourself no matter what that looks like to the world.

Use this training as tools to your arsenal and become your own greatness.

Your Coaches CHris & Elliott







Documents

Gridiron Domination in Season Training