Spring Football Workouts

An old adage in college football is that a conference championship is won during spring ball. It is during these 15 NCAA-allotted practices (on the Division I level) that teams train exhaustively to improve their overall strength, speed and agility. Most workouts start early in the morning and often continue later in the afternoon, in between classes and football-related activities like meetings, film sessions and practices. Many high schools hold similar workouts during the spring, though not with such frequency.

  1. Warm-ups

    • Players' warm-ups generally consist of a series of runs to loosen up various muscle groups, followed by other movements like high-knee runs, carioca and side shuffles. Players also do static stretches, further preparing their muscles for strenuous exercise, while helping to improve their overall flexibility. A popular stretch among many strength coaches is the hurdle stretch: a series of hurdles is set up in a line, alternating between a high and low position. Players must make their way through the hurdles by either stepping over them or ducking underneath, thereby loosening their hip flexors in the process.

    Plyometrics

    • Plyometric exercises are powerful, yet controlled, movements that help players develop explosive power. For example, many players do plyometric push-ups by lowering their bodies and then violently pushing themselves up so that their hands leave the ground. Similar exercises, such as depth and box jumps, develop lower-body power. These exercises are generally only done a couple times per week.

    Core Exercises

    • High school and college football strength coaches stress the importance of strength training and core training in developing players' explosiveness and agility on the field. Players do core exercises such as straight and side planks, sit-ups, toe touches and Russian twist crunches throughout the week.

    Conditioning

    • During the spring offseason strength coaches work on building up their players' endurance by having them run countless gassers and ladders on the field. Players may also run up inclines (i.e. hills) and in sand pits to provide a greater challenge. Coaches also set up drills that replicate on-the-field movements. For example, skill players will focus on their change of direction speeds. After their runs, players often do cool-down and light stretching exercises before moving on to the next part of their workout.

    Weight Lifting

    • Most strength coaches employ traditional Olympic-style lifts, such as squats and hang cleans, to develop explosive lower-body power. For upper-body work, many coaches favor the bench press (at various incline levels) and various shoulder exercises. Some teams incorporate bands into their workouts: players use thick elastic bands instead of barbells and dumbbells, which place more strain on athletes' joints. While high school lifting programs are generally not as advanced as those at the college level, many high school players work out several times a week, usually in the morning before school or practice.