BFW Conditioning
Conditioning is the second of seven components that make up your fitness profile. The energy used to play football is provided by two primary energy systems. They are the aerobic systems and the anaerobic system. The term aerobic means with oxygen and the term anaerobic means without oxygen. The aerobic system draws its energy from the air that you breathe. Aerobic exercise improves the ability of the cardio respiratory system to transfer oxygen (fuel) to the working muscles. The anaerobic system draws its energy from energy stored in your muscles which comes from the food you eat. Your body is like a car engine and the food that you eat is your fuel to go. A proper diet improves your muscles ability to replenish its energy storage whenever you exert energy. The act of lifting heavy is meaningless to a football player. The process of depleting your energy during a weightlift is the goal of the exercise. The lifting process allows a player to store more energy for a play while playing the game for four quarters. Heavy lifting is more suited for a competitive lifter, however it is not designed to play the game of football.
Try sprinting up a 400‐yard steep incline as fast as you can. You will fatigue rapidly and won’t make it very far. After a short distance your legs will buckle and you will be gasping for air. You’ve just exhausted all of your muscle energy, also known as “ATP”, which stands for adenosine triphosphate, but we will just use ATP for simplicity. After you run the incline, if you rest your body immediately and wait long enough you will be able to sprint the incline again. If you were to jog slowly instead of sprinting, you will be able to make it all the way to the top without stopping. This is because the majority of your fuel is coming from your oxygen while you breathe. Your ability to use oxygen can be increased with aerobic training.
Aerobic exercise
1. The activity of continuous and rhythmic movement (running, jogging, rowing, bicycling, dancing)
2. The activity involves larger muscle groups
3. The activity is usually 12 minutes or longer
4. The activity is usually performed at a level of intensity between 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate (for more information on your maximum heart rate click here)
Anaerobic exercise
1. The duration of the exercise is from 1‐60 seconds
2. The rest between interval is enough to allow the heart rate to drop and replenish the body of its energy (usually 60‐90 seconds)
3. The activity is performed at 90% ‐ 100% of your maximum heart rate
4. Interval training is the most effective exercise to develop the anaerobic system
Be sure to track your time each time that you run. If you do not you will not be able to track your progress and will not be able to tell if you are improving.
Please warm up before running. Moderate jogging or drills are suggested for AT LEAST 10 minutes prior to any interval training.
WORKOUTS – Alternate workouts on conditioning days to add variety to training and to keep from getting bored. THESE ARE TO BE COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR UPPER BODY STRENGTH TRAINING DAYS (2x a week) Please contact us at bestfootballworkouts@gmail.com if you have questions.
S (400 yards)
• This workout can be performed running outside, or on a treadmill. The description below provides the guidelines for running 400’s on a treadmill.
• Equipment used: Treadmill
• Exercise time: 60 seconds
• Rest time: 2 minutes 30 seconds
• Speed: determined by your fitness level
• Number of reps: 6
• For safety, the fastest speed should not be higher than 15mph. After you complete a 60 seconds set please get off the treadmill. Use the 2 minutes 30 seconds to fully recover.
Continue this process until you have completed 6 reps. Cool down at 3mph for 3 minutes.
S (200 yards)
• This workout can be performed running outside, on a treadmill or on a stationary bike. The description below provides the guidelines for running 400’s on a treadmill.
• Equipment used: Treadmill
• Exercise time: 30 seconds
• Rest time: 1 minutes 15 seconds
• Speed: determined by your fitness level
• Incline: determined by your fitness level
• Number of reps: 10
• For safety, the fastest speed should not be higher than 15mph. After you complete a 30 seconds set please get off the treadmill. Use the 1 minutes 15 seconds to fully recover.
Continue this process until you have completed 10 reps. Cool down at 3mph for 3 minutes.
Hills on the Mills
• Equipment used: Treadmill
• Exercise time: 15 seconds
• Speed: fastest sprint
• Grade: 15%
• Rest time: 1 minute 30 seconds
• Number of reps: 10
• PLEASE SPRINT WHILE HANDS STILL HOLDING ON FRONT RAIL BEFORE LETTING GO. After 15 seconds of running dismount. Continue this process until you have completed 10 reps. Cool down at 3 mph for 3 minutes.
Conditioning 110’s
• Equipment used: football field
• Exercise time: OL, DL = 18‐19 seconds; TE, LB, QB, RB = 16‐17 seconds; WR, DB = 14‐15 seconds. Rest time: 45 seconds
• Number of reps: 8‐12
• After crossing the finish line coast for 10 yards then turn around. The rest interval begins as soon as you cross the finish line so get read to sprint again. Continue this process until you have completed 8‐12 reps.
Conditioning 40’s
• Equipment used: football field
• Exercise time: OL, DL = 6 seconds; TE, LB, QB, RB = 5‐6 seconds; WR, DB = 5 seconds. Rest time: 35 seconds
• Number of reps: 14
• After crossing the finish line coast for 20 yards then turn around. The rest interval begins as soon as you cross the finish line so get read to sprint again. Continue this process until you have completed 14 reps.
Conditioning 20’s
• Equipment used: football field
• Exercise time: OL, DL = 3 seconds; TE, LB, QB, RB = 3 seconds; WR, DB = 3 seconds. Rest time: 25 seconds
• Number of reps: 16
• After crossing the finish line coast for 10 yards then turn around. The rest interval begins as soon as you cross the finish line so get read to sprint again. Continue this process until you have completed 16 reps. Rest for 5 minutes and then REPEAT
UPBACKS
• Equipment used: football field
• Exercise time: OL, DL = 17‐18 seconds; TE, LB, QB, RB = 15‐16 seconds; WR, DB = 13 seconds. Rest time: 25 seconds
• Number of reps: 12
• From standing position, sprint forward 5 yards, and backpedal 5 yards. Immediately sprint forward 10 yards and backpedal 10 yards. Again sprint forward 15 yards, and backpedal 15 yards. Rest 45 seconds seconds and begin rep 2. For rep 2 please sprint forward then do carioca. For rep 3 please sprint forward then do lateral shuffle. Repeat steps 1‐3 for 4 times until you have completed 12 total reps.
Yard Shuffle
• Equipment used: at least 20 yard open area
• Exercise time: max effort
• Rest time: 25 seconds between reps
• Rest time: 5 minutes between steps
• Number of reps: 2 sets of 10 reps
• Number of reps: 12
• Shuttle run = 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards. Touch the line with your foot each time. Complete 10 reps, rest for 5 minutes then complete 10 more reps.
The LADDER
• Equipment used: football field
• Exercise time: max effort
• Rest time: 60 seconds (decrease 5 seconds of rest after each rep, 55, 50, 45, et.c)
• During this workout, sprint from one goal line to the other goal line and return (200 yards). Rest
60 seconds and sprint from the goal line to the far 10 yard line (90 yards) and return (total of
180 yards). Rest 55 seconds and sprint to the far 20 yard line (80 yards) and return (160 yards). Rest 50 seconds and sprint to the far 30 yard line (70 yards) and return (140 yards). Continue this process to the 40 yard line, 50 yards line, near 40, 30, 20, and finish the LADDER by sprinting from the goal line to the 10 yard line, touch the line with your foot and return by sprinting to the goal line (20 yards).
BFW Ladder Training
So many of a football players steps are actually lateral steps. This is why lateral speed and quickness are so important. Lateral speed is essential for the running back trying to find a running lane or for a linebacker scraping to make a big play. Linemen must possess lateral quickness in order to be effective in the trenches and in order to make plays downfield. Lateral speed is also important for skill players because they are expected to make plays in open space. If you do these exercises 2 to 3 times a week, you should see an improvement in your athletic ability to change direction. Please email us with any questions at: bestfootballworkouts@gmail.com
• Equipment used: Agility Ladder
• Exercise time: time used to complete one rep
• Select 4 drills from the list below; mix-up the selection on different days to add variety to your training.
• Number of reps: 3
• Rest interval between reps: 15 seconds
• Number of sets for each drill: 4 (must complete a total of 12 reps for each drill) • Rest between sets: 2 minutes
| Drill List | Sample Video |
| 1. 2 Feet in Ladder Drill | 1. https://youtu.be/nDqmvnwEAkk |
| 2. 2 Feet Sideways Ladder Drill | 2. https://youtu.be/rBypJzKraAs |
| 3. Ali Shuffles Ladder Drill | 3. https://youtu.be/1A7Ys04YADs |
| 4. Icky Shuffle Ladder Drill | 4. https://youtu.be/oaxmccl9Kgk |
| 5. Jumping Knee Tuck Ladder Drill | 5. https://youtu.be/w7ohUP3MfME |
| 6. Lateral High Knees | 6. https://youtu.be/Mora4Mbpw7E |
| 7. Lateral Feet Ladder | 7. https://youtu.be/Q5F_t-If7vs |
| 8. One Foot Crossover | 8. https://youtu.be/EI0hZhcJB-U |
| 9. One Foot in Ladder | 9. https://youtu.be/xOutu3_n69M |
| 10. Sideways 2 Feet in Every Ladder | 10. https://youtu.be/gLIhEef5v2A |
| 11. Zig Zag Hops | 11. https://youtu.be/Oaqh5PF6jkI |
THESE DRILLS ARE TO BE COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR LOWER BODY STRENGTH TRAINING DAYS (2x a week)