If you're a football player, then you understand the importance of keeping fit during the summer. You want to take the summer break to build mass and strength. Once the season starts you will be running drills, learning new plays, and getting lots of coaching. You won't have as much time to put in heavy strength training sessions, so it's important to gain as much strength and mass as you can during the summer. Here is a quick breakdown on what you should do.
Upper Body Workout
Incline Bench Press and Flat Bench Press
The bench press is an excellent workout for building chest muscle. It specifically targets the pectoral muscles. The pectoral muscles are very large and bodybuilders refer to them as having an upper and lower region. The incline press will help to hit the upper areas of the pecs that don't get a maximum workout when you are doing a flat bench press.
Shrugs
It's important to have very well developed traps. These are the thick muscles that run from your neck to your shoulder. They also extend down from your neck on your upper back. They help to protect your neck and upper spine when you are tackling or when you get tackled.
To do shrugs take to heavy dumbbells and hold them at your side. Then shrug and pull the weights up with your trap muscles.
Core Workout
Deadlift
The deadlift is a powerful lift because it hits so many different muscles. The lift targets your lower arms, glutes, abs, quads, and also your erector spinae. This last muscle is actually a group of different muscles that surround your spine. A strong erector spinae is vital when playing a contact sport such as football because it surrounds your spine, which is an area you want protected.
Lower Body Workout
Squats
The deadlift will give you a great core workout and does hit your leg muscles, but if you want to really isolate your legs, then you should load up the squat rack and get busy. These lifts will build the massive quads you need for lightening fast speed on the field.
Calf Raises
The calf muscle is used when you are jumping to catch a ball, or when you are pushing off when running downfield after the snap. If you have weak and underdeveloped calf muscles, then you can end up with a tear or a sprain. One way to avoid this is to build the calf muscles up by doing seated calf raises.
Share