I am a wide receiver in a flag football league that starts play in the first weekend of October. I thus have about four months to prepare for the season. I have spent the last couple of months training as follows:
Monday: AM - Plyos, PM - Weights: Back & Biceps
Tuesday: AM - Tempo work (5X200, pyramids/shuttle sprints)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: AM - Plyos/Sprint work, PM - Weights: Legs & shoulders
Friday: AM - Tempo (Same as Tues)
Sat.: AM - Weights: Chest & Triceps
Sun: AM - Flag Football game
Prior to the last three months, I used to lift based on what I read in M&F and run 3 miles 3 times a week, so I am still pretty new to track work and powerlifting
I am trying to figure out how to plan out the next four months so that when October 4 hits, I am ready to go.
My goals are: increase speed, increase agility, increase strength - especially “core/posterior chain” and chest, and come into the season lean (8% BF or less). Ideally, I’d like to trade 5-7 lbs of fat for 5-7 lbs. of muscle.
I am 6’0 about 190, probably 10-12% BF. I most recently deadlifted 335 for 3, squatted 275 for 5, and my bench sucks, probably about 225 for one.
Any suggestions for how to plan out a workout & diet regime, or critiques of my current regime? In particular, I am interested in what XLR8 and nightmare4d think - as well as anyone else who has some ideas on how to train for the WR position.
I am not a football person, so you can take this post with a grain of salt. However, i think that splitting up the body parts like a bodybuilder would (back and bi’s etc) is not really necessary. From what most people on this forum like (anyone speak up if butcher this ) Stick with large compound movements on the high CNS days.
I would might add an agility workout on Mondays…
You might want to check the Combine post too…
I know that there are some footballers around…Xlr8?
How much lifting experience do you have? It looks like you have been pretty much working in a accumulation phase. Good. However, like quark said, it’s probably a good idea to drop the bodybuilder’s split routine as you move out of this phase.
You should probably next hit a max strength phase arranged as a 3-1-3. You will keep the reps at less than six and hit full body weights after your sprint work (2 or 3 x per week)
Since you are in the off season and don’t have to worry about competing on Sundays, you can arrange your schedule like this:
Monday: speed, plyos, full body weights
Tues: Tempo 15 - 20 x 100 @ <75% (for recovery…don’t do the pyramids/shuttle sprints!)
Wednesday: Agility, plyos, full body weights
Thurs: Tempo
Friday: speed, plyos, full body weights
Sat: Tempo
Sun: off
You will vary the intensity and volume of the speed work, plyos and weights based on your training phase. As you get closer to the season, you may want to do more agility work and drop down to one pure speed/track session. Although note that your agility sessions should have a acceleration/speed component in them. Also, get full recovery between reps and don’t turn them into conditioning drills.
Thanks for the response, XLR8. I have four follow-up questions:
What would a speed/plyos workout look like?
what would an agility/plyos workout look like?
What would a sample full body weight session look like? (I have been doing workouts built around deads on Mondays, Squats on Thursdays, and Bench on Saturday - how would this change under your protocol?
Does the conditioning work take place in the tempo sessions, and in those sessions, what work/rest intervals are recommended?
Thanks ESPN3 - I borrowed a bunch of agility and top speed workouts from XLR8’s journal. Thanks also to XLR8 for all the good info on your combine thread - by the way, what is a “scramble out”?
scramble out - start out laying flat on your stomach, scramble to your feet and sprint. you want to try to get up as fast as possible while getting out at the same time so your departure angle will be similar to the same as coming out of the blocks.
) Stick with large compound movements on the high CNS days.