Sports Training Videos - 4th Quarter Drill For Power and Stamina

The 4th quarter drill is a great conditioning workout used primarily in football training and practice sessions to help condition the athlete for overall endurance and stamina which is critical late in the game when it really counts to have extra energy to win. The 4th quarter drill is composed of three different stages. Start off by taking three sports cones and place them at a distance of between 10 to 20 yards from each other. It is best to use a football field, open park or anywhere soft with grass and enough room to perform the workout. If you do not have cones, just use anything that can act as a good marker. Its important to perform each stage of the workout as fast as possible for optimal results. The exercises at each stage should consist of a repetition range of around 20-25 reps for each exercise.

The exercises that make up the different stages of this workout include push-ups, sit-ups, and gut busters. Push-ups are performed at the first cone and once the athlete finishes them they will proceed to sprinting to the second cone. At the second cone, the athlete performs sit-ups and then sprints to the last cone. At the last cone, gut busters will be performed. Push-ups and sit-ups are common exercises and should need no explanation. Gut busters on the other hand are less common, so follow these instructions for performing them. The athlete will run in place for about 10-20 seconds and then will drop to the ground and perform a quick push up in the process. Gut busters are very similar to burpees except for the portion of the exercise where the athlete runs in place during the transition phase. This is important for building additional stamina and endurance. Gut busters are tough, so try your best to bust out at least 10-15 of these before completing your first full set of the 4th quarter drill workout. Walk back to the first cone and rest for about 2-3 minutes to catch your breath between sets. Shoot for around 3-5 full sets of this workout which should be completed in about 20-25 minutes. This is a high intensity style training workout, so give it 100% effort and try to complete each set (3 stages) in the fastest time possible.

The 4th quarter drill workout is beneficial to the athlete since it targets major muscle groups and also trains the cardiovascular system at the same time. The push-ups performed train the chest muscles along with the deltoids and triceps. The sprinting portion between the cones is good for increasing lung capacity, increasing leg muscle strength and energy output. The sit-ups performed train the abdominal muscles. Running in place during the gut busters stage is good for training the leg muscles, building lung capacity, and overall conditioning. Gut busters are also a great overall body exercise which works your entire physique including your arms, chest, legs, abs and core.

The great thing about the 4th quarter drill is that its a high intensity workout that increases muscle energy output in short durations. This is what is termed explosive training. The repetitions performed enable the body to release more energy within a short period of time. It also helps to build strength and power in all of the major muscle groups. Including short explosive bursts of energy between the different stages helps to increase stamina and endurance. This workout improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system and helps to increase lung capacity and overall conditioning which is critical late in the game when it really counts. This workout is designed for athletes in many sports that need explosive energy along with sustained endurance.

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