Off-season Rugby and NLF Football Training

NFL Football and rugby are both definitely sports which require a well balanced combination of specific skills and athletic ability. This is why it is so important to develop a football conditioning program that would help you improve in every aspect of the game. These aspects include: strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility training. All of these areas need to be improved upon and directed towards skill improvement that mimics what takes place on the football field. Football players often require endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, and explosive speed and acceleration. If you want a strong defence, then you need to be committed and workout off-season. The likes of The Steeler’s safety Troy Polamalu, and Arizona’s quarterback Kurt Warner and receiver Larry Fitzgerald, won’t be found laying around off season. If you want to be fit and strong like these guys, then you need to follow a routine like this.

The purpose of this article is not to give you a blueprint of an exact conditioning program but instead to give you what you need to know to design one for yourself. This is because one program will not necessarily work for everyone. Schedules sometimes need to be adjusted and programs need to be flexible when necessary. Details of exercises can be found throughout the rest of this site.

A good pre-season football conditioning program should begin 8-10 weeks before the season and should take place six days a week. The seventh day should be used for resting and recovery. If you train too hard and do not rest your muscles you will almost certainly receive an injury. Over training is one of the major causes of injury for athletes. During the course of your workout stretching is one of the most important things you can do to avoid injury. This will also help you promote muscle growth and flexibility if done over a period of time. Ideally your should stretch for 10 minutes before the workout, and then incorporate stretching into a cooldown routine after the main workout. Now let’s look at a basic football training schedule.

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Day 1: Run 3-5 miles

On day one you should run three to five miles in order to improve cardiovascular endurance. Start each week of training with a three-mile run. If this is not enough then do an extra mile or two but do not exceed this, as you need to concentrate on circuit training and interval training also.

Day 2, 4, and 6: Work on Speed Training

On these days your focus should be on speed and acceleration. The best way to work on speed and acceleration is doing some form of sprinting. Remember to stretch between sprints and at the end of your work out. Incorporating sprints into a jog, a form of interval training, is a good way to improve speed. Also performing sprints as part of a circuit training routine can work well.

Day 3 and 5: Work on skills that are specific to your position and strength training

You can develop position specific skills by doing a variety of practice drills. Obviously because each position has different skills we cannot go over them all here. If for example you are a running back, you want a practice run blocking, ball handling, receiving, pass blocking, and agility drills.

After position specific training, focus on strength training. Focus on those areas which are specifically needed for your position. For best results compound exercises with free weights are recommended, concentrating on squats, deadlifts, bench and shoulder presses, rows and curls. Finish off with a gentle three-mile jog. Remember to take a protein supplement to help aid muscle recovery and growth after training. Ideally supplements should be taken within 30 minutes of training, soa quick protein shake is generally the best option.

Your football/rugby conditioning program should be approached with caution. If you overwork your body you may end up injured and not able to play at all during the season.

Therefore is important to take it slow and do plenty of stretching. Recent recommendations are 20 minutes of stretching after a workout. Generally a longer warmup and initinal stretch is required as you get older. Finally it is always important to your diet high in protein and carbohydrates to keep yourself energized. This will also help your body perform at its best. By following a strict football conditioning program you should have a great season.

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