ShapeFit.com

[timtimtimmah19]

My football season ends on Halloween this year and I have until January before organized team lifts begin, during which the college sport trainer sets up a program for us. Over these two months, I'm going to be on my own as far as what to do is concerned. I'm already one of the strongest, fastest kids on the team, but I want to come back next year as [i]the[/i] strongest and [i]the[/i] fastest. My only problem right now is a lingering back injury that has healed and I haven't had trouble with in a while, but that has kept me from heavy leg work (squats, deads) for probably around two to three months at this point :-\. Here is what I'm thinking for my offseason program during those two months. My goals are to simply gain strength and mass. I play in a weight restricted league at 172 lb and I am currently 170. My goal in the total offseason is to be at about 180 lb, cut before the initial hydrated weigh in in August, and then get back to 180 for the season. (I'm 5'11" by the way) I play quarterback in a spread option offense, which means I do a lot of overhead throwing but I also run the ball as much as a back, if that will impact my program. Here is what I've thought of as far as lifting goes so far:

Day 1) Power Clean 3x3
Bench Press 4x6
Squat 4x6
Chin Ups 3x8
Shoulder Press 3x8
Curls 3x8
Landmines 3x6ps
Opposite Leg/Arm Bridges 3 sets

Day 2) Deadlift 4x5
Rows 4x6
Lunges 3x8
Inclined Bench Press 3x8
Face Pulls 3x12
Skull Crushers 3x8
Pallof Press 3x12ps
Side Bridge 3 sets

Day 3) Snatch 3x3
Dumbbell Bench Press 3x8
Front Squats 4x6
Barbell Rows 3x8
External/Internal rotations 3x12 ps
Barbell Rollouts 3 sets
Reverse Crunches 3 sets

I also want to try to fit in sprints and speed work. I worry about excessive fatigue in my legs however. I'm thinking of using a schedule that looks like the following:

Day 1) Lift
Day 2) Stadiums/Footwork Drills
Day 3) Lift
Day 4) Agility Drills/Footwork Drills
Day 5) Lift
Day 6) Sprints
Day 7) Recovery

Stadiums are running up and down the stadium steps down the field (it's a medium sized college football stadium). Agility drills will be a lot of cone drills, start and stop/acceleration focused drills. Sprints will be 50's and then half as many 100's. Footwork drills will be ladder work and dot drills.

I was wondering what you guys think of this idea. I'm wondering if maybe I should switch to a different split besides a three full-body split. However, I used to do a body part split, and have by far gotten my best results from a three day full body split. My concern however is still fitting in running with leg work happening three times a week. Any advice is appreciated.

[swanso5]

- what seems to hurt the back?
- if you do a ot of overhead throwing then we'll can the shoulder presses of all kinds
- how don't power cleans hurt the back but deads do?? it's basically the same movement
- definatley don't clean and squat in the same session with your back
- curls?? no room for that shit here
- do glute activation before cleans, deads etc not at the end (leg/arm bridge etc)
- skul crushers?? refer to curls...not great for the elbow either coupled with your throwing
- cut out snatch (overhead work)
- you'll need a 4 day program i'd say
- not sure if you (quarterback) need to do 100's, you only run 20 meters at a time
- you may need to train 2/day some days to fit the conditioning in...i wouldn't do the stairs though
- for speed all you need is to do 20 meters at most, the faster you start the faster you'll be overall
- you should invest in eric cressey off season manual, i've got it and it's superb...well worth it

[timtimtimmah19]

-My back seems to hurt mainly after any compound heavy leg lifting. With squats it's a delayed ache that sets in after the workout or later on in it, deadlifts are more immediate. I tried leg press the other day to see if that help, and it also hurt.
-Power cleans hurt my back too, I just assumed they'd fall under the category since as you said it's the same movement.
-I feel like my back problem is something that with a couple weeks of concentrated PT without playing through it for football will be totally cleared up and able to handle a full load.
-I worry about doing core exercises before heavy compound lifts though, especially with my back. I worry that if i fatigue the muscles it'll compromise my ability to avoid injuring myself.
-For four days a week, are you suggesting an upper/lower split then or what would you suggest for me to do probably?
-2/days are okay, I'm thinking morning running session then night would be my lift?
-I'm looking into the manual for sure.

Thanks!

[timtimtimmah19]

Is the manual you're talking about the 99.99 one btw? I ask because I'm in college currently and with the way the economy is i dunno if i can afford it right now :-\

[swanso5]

it seems like you might need to lay off heavy loading for a while, ecspecially deads and squats

what are you doing for rehab for it?

i bet they're a bit off what you should be doing anyway...

not sure if it's the right one but there's only one by eric cresey

[timtimtimmah19]

I think it's the one, it's the only offseason thing I found by him, so I'm going to think about it.

I'm actually getting really frustrated with the trainers and my injury. I've had this thing since July pretty much and I haven't heavy deadlifted or squatted in probably over a month...

They've had me doing basically core activation work (I'm assuming the muscle they have me clench is the TA or something along those lines) and just little movement with it, working up to standing movements and then just holding it for light squats and such. I'm also icing regularly...

Do you think I should be doing anything else in addition, or is there anythign else i can to strengthen it and prevent this from recurring as it has?

[swanso5]

get to tell you what is actually wrong with it...core is part of the problem but ask them what they are doing for ankle mobility, hip mobility and glute activation and if they aren't doing anything for them, ask why not...you've really gotta drill them, with questions and get actual answers

[timtimtimmah19]

They actually said when I asked them before what it was exactly that I have that it was a strain of my lower back

[swanso5]

a strain of the lower back is rather general, there's plenty of muscles down there...which one is actually sprained?

it sounds like you'll need a lot retraining anyway before you'll get back to any decent deadlift/squatting numbers and i'd lay off the squats longer then deads too to avoid compression adding in plenty of single leg work

[timtimtimmah19]

I dunno, and honestly, I doubt that theyr eally know....if it helps you the pain is around where my back muscle kind of attaches to my bone in my butt if that makes any sense.

So would you say I'm okay still for lunges and things along those lines then? i just hate being that guy at the gym who never works his legs, injury or no injury :-\

[swanso5]

here are my "suggestions":

i'm assuming your upper days are fine or whaterevr you do for it so here is what you can do for legs

search "cressey performance foam roller series" on youtube as well as searching google for 'feel better for 10 bucks" for explainations:
- glutes (with a tennis ball)
- itb/tfl
- quads
- adductors
- calves/peroneals (with a tennis ball)

*while you're on eric's page watch recoiled medidcne ball throws, fuck he can throw hard!!!

there's also a youtube video from eric cressey (author of article) that shows you...pop "foam roll eric cressey" and hopefully you get something or i'll find it

search "hardcore stretching" and do these ones:
- hip flexor
- seated 90/90 stretch (not in there but search google)
- 90/90 stretch on the floor
- quad
- calf

go to youtube, pop in "bowler squats' and the 1st one that comes up should be a bloke on a green track, user name "HurstTony", click on his name and all these should come up"
- wall ankle mobilisations
- 3d stetching frontal / transverse / sagittal
- x band walk
- wall glute march

then search youtube for:
- walking lunge
- overhead walking lunge (without wt though)
- walking lunge with torso twist
- spiderman walks
- knee hug walsk
- pull back butt kick walks

this is just your warm up...

now...

try rack pulls from mid shin height where you don't need to get down as low to get the bar but still lift decent wt and in fact might be heavier then you were doing because of the short range of motion...let me know how these go, don't go beserk on them...you'll know straight away if they'll hurt or not

also test out stiuff legged dedlifts, cable pull throughs and single leg stuff such as single leg stiff legged deadlifts, step ups, lunge variations, glute ham raises and even sprinting

let me know how you go

[timtimtimmah19]

Will do, I'm going to try and give this a go later today possibly. Thank you so much, this sounds like exactly what I need.

[timtimtimmah19]

So I gave the exercises you recommended a go today.

Warmups were fine, no problem there

Tray Rack Pulls-135x8 No troubles or pain
Stiff Leg DL- 135x8 No pain, did feel some stiffness coming later
Single Leg DL-No pain, but definate stiffness coming on
Lunges- No problems
Step Ups-No problems

I sprint and cut every day at football so that's not an issue. The only problem with me sprinting and the single leg stuff right now is I actually recently sprained my ankle and am also recovering from that lol...

I took thing pretty light I know, but I have a game Friday and don't want to ruin myself for that. Come Sunday I'll be able to give myself a better test, I just wanted to see if I was capable of supporting any weight at this point for now. To give a baseline, my previous best deadlift without use of a belt before my injury was 350 for 1.

Afterwards I did feel some tightness, so I'm icing right now in hopes of alleviating any possible swelling.

[swanso5]

is this your sore spot - lower back stiffness or general musckle stiffness??

[timtimtimmah19]

Lower back stiffness, and actually after icing I'm totally fine right now three hours later