KEY POINTS

• Speed is the most important physical characteristic for success in football. Although body size is important, reaction time and strength can overcome differences in size.
• To build strength, football players should concentrate on performing squats, leg presses, bench presses, dead lifts, power cleans, and other resisted exercises that improve strength of large muscle groups of the trunk and legs.
• Improving physical fitness and educating athletes on the need to drink fluids before, during, and after exercise are important in preparing football players for practice and competition in hot weather. Sports drinks provide carbohydrate energy and sodium, which can help minimize cramping. All players should emphasize salty foods in their diets during hot weather, and cramp-prone players may need to add salt to their sports drinks.
• Contusions, "stingers," muscle strains, and sprains of the ankle and knee are the most common injuries in football. Year-round training for strength and skill is the best preventive measure.
• In general, recommended diets for football players, as with other athletes, emphasize carbohydrates. Large players obviously require more calories, and players at certain positions and with specific nutritional goals may require individual dietary modifications.

INTRODUCTION
We all know that great football players are big and fast, but those of us who have no direct experience playing or coaching football typically know little about what other characteristics are important to success in football. Likewise, most of us are unaware of how coaches condition their players, what the most common injuries to players are, and how diets for football players differ from diets of other athletes. To address these issues, we assembled a panel of experts to respond to questions that we thought may be of interest to our readers. Elizabeth Joy is an expert in sports medicine and is a team physician at the University of Utah; William Prentice is a Professor of Exercise and Sport Science and Coordinator of the Sports Medicine Program at the University of North Carolina; Suzanne Nelson-Steen is Director of the Husky Sports Nutrition Services of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Washington; and Brent Steuerwald, named Coach of the Year in 1995 by the National Football Coaches Association, is Head Football Coach at Shenendehowa High School in Albany, NY.

What three physical characteristics are most useful in predicting which high-school athletes might become successful interior linemen, running backs, linebackers, or defensive backs? Is bigger always better?

Steuerwald: The single most important characteristic is speed. If other physical attributes are at least average, speed will determine which athletes will advance to the elite level. Other critical factors include reaction time (an important component of agility), vertical jumping ability (as a marker for power of the lower body), and upper body strength. All things being equal, in a contact sport like football, a larger player generally has an advantage over a smaller one, but in the real world, especially at the high school level, bigger is not necessarily better. The high school lineman often has to play both sides of the ball, and a player with better quickness and skill can often overcome a larger opponent.

Prentice: I agree with Coach Steuerwald. Speed in general — and specifically the ability to accelerate quickly — is without question the single most important physical factor, regardless of position. Speed can make up for deficits in either strength or skill. Certainly strength and vertical jumping ability are also important for all positions.

Joy: Let me add my voice to the chorus singing the praises of speed. Upper-body strength and reaction time are two other characteristics that are necessary to be a successful football player, especially at the positions of interior lineman, running back, and defensive back. Bigger isn’t necessarily better if the athlete excels in the other characteristics.

What are the most important strength exercises that should be emphasized for football players? How important are “weight-room” exercises compared to on-field “football-specific” exercises such as blocking-sled drills?

Prentice: Those exercises that improve strength in the “core” muscle group are the most important ones. The core is defined as the lumbar-pelvic-hip complex and consists of the gluteals, abdominals, hip flexors, and spinal muscles. The core is where our center of gravity is located and where all power movements begin. Squats, dead lifts, leg presses, abdominal curls against resistance, and leg raises are excellent exercises for developing the core musculature. Of course, upper body strengthening with bench presses, military presses, and various exercises to strengthen elbow flexors and extensors are also important for football players.

The combination of developing a good strength base in the weight room and developing the technical ability to execute a skilled movement at a high speed during field drills is the key to successfully enhancing performance of a power movement. Without speed, strength will not allow the athlete to generate adequate power.

Steuerwald: I believe the most important strength exercises are the power clean, parallel squat, push press, and bench-press. These exercises all carry over to the athlete’s ability to produce and transfer power throughout the body. Properly performed strength and power movements can have a dramatic effect on an athlete’s performance. Weight room exercises should be used to prepare a foundation of strength, whereas football-specific drills should be used to “fine tune” the strength of the muscles used in football.

Joy: Time spent in the weight room building core strength is essential for the successful football athlete. Other more sport-specific drills are also important but are probably not as efficient for building sheer strength and power.

What are your two most favorite on-field conditioning drills for football players? Why do you think these drills are important?

Steuerwald: Pre-practice drills are very important to teach proper technique. We begin practice with a moderately long run to raise body temperature and follow this with static stretching of all major muscle groups. Next, the players perform a series of sprints, stride stretches, and plyometric rebound jumps on one and two legs. These drills do a fantastic job of preparing the athlete’s body, particularly the joints, for the rigors of practice and competition. During the first five days of practice before heavy contact work, our players also perform agility circuits. We set up 10 stations with various drills: plyometrics with resistance, grass drills, running against elastic ropes for resistance, jumping ropes, and one-legged running. At each station, players work for one minute at high intensity before moving on to the next station. We try to design these drills to be as specific as possible to football. During the main part of the season, we select from a menu of high-intensity intervals (repeat 40-yard sprints), long slow distance runs, and a variety of football-specific agility drills.

Prentice: I like the plyometric training drills as well. I feel strongly that they help to enhance power movements. I also think that short-distance acceleration drills (10 yards or less) are important because a large part of a football game is played within about 10 yards of the football as it is being snapped to the quarterback.

What approach do you take to conditioning your players for training and competition in hot weather?

Prentice: The single most important factor is to make certain that the athletes are physically fit. Certainly they must be appropriately hydrated and gradually acclimatized to exercising in extreme environmental conditions, but if they are not fit to begin with, they will be more likely to experience heat-related problems.

Joy: We must educate the players about the importance of avoiding dehydration and its detrimental effects on performance and health, and we must cajole, beg, and insist that they drink enough fluids during hot and/or humid conditions.

Steuerwald: I agree with Dr. Joy that it is crucial to educate players on the importance of hydration before, during, and after practice and games.

How do you try to prevent and/or treat dehydration and muscle cramps in football players?

Joy: Contrary to what some people think, there is no way to train to withstand the adverse effects of dehydration. Players should be offered both water and an electrolyte replacement drink during practice and competition, and in hot weather they should be encouraged to drink frequently. Athletes prone to muscle cramps may need to take in more sodium and potassium in salted sports drinks and in their daily diets.

Steen: I encourage players to consume a sports drink like Gatorade before, during, and after practice. Guidelines are: 16-20 oz (450-600 ml) 1-2 hours before exercise, 7-10 oz (200-300 ml) every 15-20 minutes during exercise, and at least 24 oz (720 ml) after exercise for each pound lost. Players should be weighed before and after practice to assess average fluid losses. They should be reminded to drink before they are thirsty and to drink on a schedule. Players should carry a squeeze bottle with them during the day so that they can drink between workouts, classes, and practice. They should know the warning signs of dehydration: dizziness or lightheadedness, cramping, nausea, fatigue, and dark-colored urine.

Some players are cramp-prone. These players tend to sweat early and very heavily. They typically have a history of cramping and produce sweat that tastes salty. Some are following a low-salt diet due to a family history of high blood pressure. They also tend to be the most fit and athletic players at their positions. Although Gatorade has twice the amount of sodium than do other popular sports drinks and is better than water at keeping plasma sodium levels normal during exercise, it provides too little sodium for cramp-prone players. For these players, we add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt to 16 oz of Gatorade and encourage them to eat more salt in their daily diets. Specifically, our cramp–prone players do the following: Salt food at the training table; eat 2-3 salty snacks (popcorn, pretzels, crackers) each day; drink 20 oz of salted Gatorade before games and practices; and drink Gatorade during the game, at the half, and after the competition.

Prentice: I think the key is to try to make certain that the athlete is normally hydrated before practice, continues to replace fluids being lost during practice, and replenishes depleted fluids between practices. Monitoring body weight before and after each practice provides physical evidence that the athletes are taking personal responsibility for controlling their hydration levels.

Steuerwald: We build hydration breaks into our practice plans, and we have more frequent breaks when the weather is particularly hot, during early season before the players are in top condition, and whenever the practice is especially intense. During pre-season training, we ask each of our players to fill a one-gallon milk container half full of water or a sports drink and to freeze it overnight. The next morning, the player fills the container to the top and writes his name on it. Our athletic trainer also has iced fluids and cups available for all players. Moreover, we ask our athletes to gradually acclimate themselves to the heat during the summer by working out for short periods of time during the warmest part of the day.

What are the most common injuries to football players? What are the best approaches to preventing these injuries?

Joy: In the upper body, we see stingers or burners. These are either stretch or compression injuries to the nerves of the brachial plexus or the spinal nerve roots, respectively. In the lower body, knee and ankle sprains are most common. Strength training and skill training are the best approaches to preventing these injuries. Strength training protects the joints from trauma, and skill training can help prevent injury by improving the athlete’s proprioception, i.e., his ability to judge the position of his body and its parts in space.

Prentice: In my experience, the most common injuries are contusions, followed by muscle strains (e.g., hamstrings, quadriceps, calf), muscle cramps, ankle sprains, and knee sprains. The likelihood of injury can be reduced by making certain the athlete engages in a well-organized and supervised year round training and conditioning program at an appropriate level of intensity and occasionally under extreme environmental conditions.

Steuerwald: Muscle strains are the most common injuries our players experience. I feel that proper strength training throughout the full range of motion is the best way to avoid these injuries.

Do football players typically need diets that are different from those for most other sports? If so, how are football diets different?

Steen: Football players competing at the college level have extraordinary energy and fluid needs. They also have very busy schedules and must balance training, practice, competition, classes, and homework. The challenge is to keep them fueled and hydrated. Overall energy (calorie) needs and specific nutrient requirements vary depending on time of season, body weight, maturity, personal food preferences, and position played. For example, an offensive lineman is focused on strength and power, whereas a running back is more concerned with quickness and agility. I develop meal plans accordingly to meet the individual nutrition and performance goals of the athlete.

The timing of calorie intake is important. The ideal eating pattern for athletes is grazing, i.e., eating small meals throughout the day, to maximize energy intake for training and recovery. Quick recovery is especially important for football players because they often work out more than once per day. Calorie needs should be met with high-energy, nutrient-dense foods. Consuming enough carbohydrate (8-9 g/kg or 4 g/lb of body weight) from foods such as fruit, cereals, breads, rice, pasta, vegetables, and some dairy foods each day will minimize fatigue and maximize training. Protein needs (1.6-1.7 g/kg or 0.8 g/lb body weight) can be met with lean protein sources, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy foods, eggs, legumes, and nuts. Getting enough protein on a daily basis can be a challenge for college players due to budget constraints. Often, college athletes simply do not have the financial resources to buy the amount of food they need to meet overall energy and nutrient needs.

Prentice: The main difference in diets between football players and other athletes is the greater quantity of food energy that must be consumed by large players to maintain body weight. All of the other rules of nutrition still apply.

Joy: Our nutritionist works with the football players to assist those athletes who desire either weight gain or weight loss. Large players need to take in more total calories than do most other athletes. Sometimes the sheer volume of food necessary to achieve this can be overwhelming for the athlete. This is where nutritional supplements such as carbohydrate energy drinks and meal replacement beverages can be useful.

Do you recommend nutritional supplements for football players? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Steen: Football players are interested in supplements that are marketed to increase mass, enhance recovery, provide energy, and burn fat. Most players mistakenly believe that if a supplement is available over the counter it must be safe, legal, and effective.

College athletic departments are particularly concerned about supplement use among athletes because of the potential for these supplements to be contaminated with banned substances. Any student who tests positive for a banned substance such as anabolic steroids or ephedrine is ineligible for participation in regular season and postseason competition for one year. Institutions may not provide substances such as amino acids, chondroitin, creatine, glucosamine, l-carnitine, and protein powders to athletes, but the athletes may use these supplements on a personal basis.

Players need to know and want to know what dietary supplements they can use and how to use them appropriately. An important role of the sports nutritionist is to help athletes make informed decisions. I believe that a team approach is essential for determining supplement policy and procedure because each team member — administrator, nutritionist, physician, trainer, coach, strength coach — looks at the issue a little bit differently. Supplements are evaluated in terms of their safety, effectiveness, potency, dosage, and risk-benefit ratio.

We use sports drinks, energy bars, and calorie replacement drinks that are compliant with NCAA regulations. For example, to maximize recovery after lifting, players are given a high carbohydrate beverage (Gatorade Energy Drink) or energy bar immediately after exercise and a Gatorade Nutrition Shake 30 minutes later. We also provide players with a daily multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement.

Prentice: Exercise increases the need for energy, but most athletes already consume more than adequate quantities of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. However, if the athlete is not eating a normal balanced diet, some supplementation may be necessary. In most circumstances, about the only supplement that I might recommend would be a multiple vitamin pill.

Steuerwald: Football coaches should not be in the business of recommending supplements to athletes — for legal reasons in addition to others. However, if a parent asked, I would recommend that athletes use a multi-vitamin supplement. I do not recommend use of creatine supplements by high school athletes. Coaches should counsel their athletes on the dangers of steroid use and other perceived shortcuts to success.

SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL READING:

Balsom, P.D., K. Wood, P. Olsson, and B. Ekblom (1999). Carbohydrate intake and multiple sprint sports: with special reference to football (soccer). Int. J. Sports Med. 20: 48-52.

Feinberg, J.H. (2000). Burners and stingers. Phys. Med. Rehabil. Clin. N. Am.11: 771-784.

Krumbach C.J., D.R. Ellis, and J.A. Driskell (1999). A report of vitamin and mineral supplement use among university athletes in a division I institution. Int. J. Sport Nutr. 9: 416-425.

Metzl, J.D. (1999). Sports-specific concerns in the young athlete: football. Pediatr. Emerg. Care 15: 363-367.

© 2001 Gatorade Sports Science Institute

This article may be reproduced for non-profit, educational purposes only.

PRE-SEASON STRENGTH TRAINING FOR FOOTBALL
Roundtable #44 Supplement Volume 12 (2001) - Number 2

Getting ready for football season means achieving excellent physical condition so those wind sprints, pushups, and collisions in pads scarcely make you breathe hard. Moreover, by increasing the strength of the muscles that surround your hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows before the season starts, you will be less likely to suffer muscle strains and joint sprains.

The following tables outline a basic training program designed to build a foundation of strength, muscle endurance, and power. (For descriptions of exercises, see Suggested Readings and Websites.) The program alternates light and heavy training of each body part, which is worked to fatigue once every two weeks. Use Table 1 in week 1 and all subsequent odd-numbered weeks; use Table 2 in week 2 and all subsequent even-numbered weeks. As training progresses, increase loads in proportion to strength gains.

Exercises used for heavy training are highlighted in bold. A load of 1 RM — 1 Repetition Maximum — is the maximal weight that can be lifted correctly once, but not twice. 10 RM is the maximal weight that can be lifted correctly 10 times, but no more. Rest periods between sets should last 30-120 s on light days, 3-5 min on heavy days. Weights used on light days should allow for all sets to be completed with moderate effort, not to momentary failure. This is very important for adequate recovery.

The tables describe working sets only and do not include warm-up lifts for each exercise. In general, the first core exercise (e.g., Bench Press, Parallel Squat, Shoulder Press) should include a greater number of warm-up sets than exercises for the same body part that follow. However, warm-up sets should not be fatiguing. For example, if an athlete is to parallel squat 315 lbs for 10 repetitions (reps) in a working set, warm-up sets might consist of 8 reps with the bar only, 8 reps with 135 lbs, 3 reps each at 185, 225, and 275 lbs, and perhaps a single lift with 315 lbs.; there should be about 1 min of rest between warm-up sets. If leg presses follow the parallel squats, only 2-3 warm-up sets for leg presses would be used. Warm-up for leg extensions or curls might include a single set of 5-7 reps to establish coordination patterns for those movements. Other helpful hints:

• To avoid injury, make certain you warm up properly and use correct form and technique during the lifts.
• Use a spotter to assist you if the load may be too heavy for you to complete your sets safely.
• Don’t show off and risk injury by performing single maximal lifts, especially in the early stages of training.
• Sleep at least 8 h every night.
• Consume enough calories, carbohydrate, and protein to help build muscle and perform optimally.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and its negative effects on health and on training efficiency.

Footnotes

¹ 10 min easy cycling or running followed by 5 min static stretching of all large muscle groups and 15 min of various abdominal exercises, e.g., bent knee sit-ups, pulley crunches and bent knee-ups.

² Use different set/rep schemes with these movements and rotate every heavy day. For example, one session might employ 3 sets of 8-10 RM, the next session (2 wk later) might use 4 sets of 6 RM, and the third session might employ speed sets, e.g., 9 sets of 3 reps (roughly 80% of 1RM load) per formed explosively (but controlled) with 30-s rest breaks between sets. Regardless of what routine is used, it is important to change it each heavy session so the same routine is not used again for several weeks.

³ 50 total reps divided into groups of 25, 15 and 10 reps with 20-s rest breaks between groups. Weight selected should allow athlete to barely complete 50 reps. Athletes not accustomed to high-intensity work should begin with a relatively light weight to avoid nausea.

⁴ If the athlete cannot perform at least 6 complete chin-ups without assistance, a training partner should assist in the upward phase of the movement. If the athlete cannot perform at least 3 chin-ups unassisted, he should substitute a pronated-grip lat pulldown exercise for the chin-ups.

⁵ Forearms: Use wrist curls with a bar or dumbbell and/or wrist rollers using a 2 inch tube with a rope attached and 10-15 lb weight hanging from the rope. Finally, hold a 25-lb plate by your fingertips until fatigue for several repetitions. Neck: If a neck machine is not available, the athlete can simply lie on a bench and place a weight plate with padding on his/her forehead as resistance for flexion and lateral flexion movements.

⁶ Choose a weight that allows 10 heel raises to be performed, then reduce weight to allow another 10 reps and so on for a total of 50-60 reps.

SUGGESTED READINGS AND WEBSITES:

Bompa, T., and L.J. Cornacchia (1998). Serious Strength Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.(www.humankinetics.com)

Chu, D.A. (1996). Explosive Power & Strength. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.(www.humankinetics.com)

Faigenbaum, A., and W. Westcott (2000). Strength and Power Training for Young Athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. (www.humankinetics.com)

http://www.betterbodz.com

http://www.theministryoffitness.com/exercises.htm

© 2001 Gatorade Sports Science Institute

This article may be reproduced for non-profit, educational purposes only.