How to Design Your Own Football Training Workout

Effective football training workouts require time and dedication.

Football is a grueling and intense sport. To be successful, you must allocate significant time and effort to training. Football is a multifaceted game, requiring speed, agility, and strength. A successful football training workout must address each of these areas in order to make you a complete player.

Instructions

1. Set up your training schedule. Without definite time frames for exercise, it's easy to skip training days. Allocate six days a week for training and leave one for rest. For your training days, select a two-hour period during each day when you can train. It is not important which exercises you decide to do each day as long as you train for two hours at high intensity. Follow these guidelines strictly to develop your skills quickly.

2. Incorporate strength training into your workout. Football players need to be exceptionally strong to withstand physical contact and power through opponents. Strength training will prepare your muscles for the physical demands of the game. Train your upper body and lower body. Your body strives for balance. If you only train the upper half, your body will force you to plateau at a lower level to prevent the top from becoming too large for the lower body. Train each muscle group to attain peak results.

3. Add speed drills to your routine to increase your acceleration. Football players rely on speed to avoid defenders and score touchdowns. Specifically, they require sudden bursts of speed, rather than long-distance running. A popular exercise involves performing a 50-yard sprint while dragging a weight attached by a rope to your waist. This exercise should be performed at full intensity and with proper running technique. Keep your arms bent at a 90-degree angle and tuck your toes as close to your buttocks as possible on the backswing of the leg.

4. Run several miles before each workout. Running will warm up your muscles and get your heart rate up to burn more calories and produce a better aerobic workout. Football games are long and demand plenty of endurance. By running prior to each workout, you will condition your body to become accustomed to constant motion and increase your lung capacity. Increase your running distance by one mile each week in order to continue to challenge your body.

5. Eat a high-calorie diet. Football training workouts are highly intensive and cause you to burn lots of calories. Eat five or six meals per day to replenish your body. Eat a light meal 30 minutes before your workout and a heavier meal 30 minutes after your workout. The post-workout meal should contain complex carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein. Avoid junk food and don't eat foods high in fat during any meal. Fat slows the transfer of protein to your cells and will prevent you from maximizing your training routine.

Tips & Warnings

• Stretch before each workout. Stretching will prevent injury by preparing your muscles for the stress of the workout.

• Rest when you become fatigued. Muscles will fatigue over time. If you feel exhausted, take a day off to allow your body to recover.

• Get at least eight hours of sleep. Sleep allows your muscles to heal fully and provides you with enough energy and motivation to perform your workouts.

References

• Football Drills: Running Back Agility Drills
• Exercise Goals: Football Weight Training
• Texas Football: Drills for Speed Development