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Strength & Conditioning for footballers

This young guy....who's old enough to go to uni.....who trains at my gym....who is NOT a weightlifter asked my mate (who's about 64kg) on Thursday night if after his set off 100kg clean and jerks could he spot him on a set of preacher curls. We both stared then shock our heads in disbelief and disgust. The kid doing the curls is tall, skinny and lanky and weak.
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If your answer is the leg curl then we have problems.



I'd totally disagree. From what I've seen of the New Zealand and UK teams (as only they can be bothered recording their workouts) the team spread out into a massive labyrinth of a commercial gym and do their own thing whilst the 1-2 coaches work on individual players.

Compare that to an open plan shed where 4-5 players are taking turns using a single platform and rack.


I'll have a conversation with you Oliver, I'm not interested in an argument.
"a massive labyrinth of a commercial gym" this would not work either.
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I'll have a conversation with you Oliver, I'm not interested in an argument.
"a massive labyrinth of a commercial gym" this would not work either.
Posted via Mobile Device

Sorry if I seemed aggressive, I didn't mean it that way.

I've heard so many excuses as to why rugby players cant squat/bench/dead/press, it just gets lame sometimes.

A 180 squat might not 'apply' to rugby like ball skills would but hell, nor would 'core training' (one of those routines where you balance on a bosu ball the guys at my boss' club were subjected to).
 
Speaking in general and anecdotal terms, it seems that football players in Australia, (Union, League, AFL) are performing workouts, structured and unstructured, that do include compound barbell movements but they are littering these workouts with a variety of other exercises that are obstructing progress in the main lift.

I see deadlifts and squats being prescribed and executed for sets of 12+ at the end of workouts after silly things like lunges, step ups and DBL cleans. Its all arse-backwards. Its just another reason why these guys never get strong.... which brings me to another point.

There is a MASSIVE difference between in season, preseason and off season lifting. Exercise prescription during a competition season is much more difficult than in the off or preseason. When players are beat up and nursing and rehabbing through a variety of injuries, that is when the real skill of the S & C coach comes into play. To maintain the desired components of fitness during a season the S & C coach will often have to depart from some lifts completely. The full depth backsquat is not possible with a knee injury, good mornings and RDL's may have to suffice alone.

The S & C coach is also to have to find some closed chain lower body movements for conditioning to avoid much of the impact of the running, jumping and landings that are occuring in practices and on game days.

Football players in effect have a small lifting season of around 4 months each year followed by a very long preseason and competition phase (which I think in Australia is too long; another argument altogether). Having said that, that 4 month window is plenty of time to make what are obviously genetically gifted young males very very strong and competent with absolute strength. I think we are all witnesses to the fact that this is not happening as well as it could be.
 
And thats why I'm pissed that I'm getting one kid, the same kid, to every session.

Word spread it was hard, so they dont come.

I had a 16yo who plays elsewhere join the "group" last night. His brother was drafted in the AFL a few years ago but didnt make it.

Matt does not want to make the same mistakes, as he hopes to get drafted. He cant believe how much Max and Jesse have grown, he's known them for 12 years.

He went hard last night, and chucked, of course. This was a workout that a PTC client could do standing on his ear.

I expressed my concern to the Dolphins S & C coaches as to how unfit there players were. I knew they would be piss weak, but not unfit.

For those reading this, be aware I havent put more than 80kg on a squat bar or 60kg on a bench, 50kg on a push press and 117kg on a trap bar. They do Thrusters with 8kg KB's. I'm not trying to destroy them, I'm using baby weights for Footballers playing at the second highest level in Australia.

Their sessions crossover with the 16yo that Max is training, Jesse, Conner, Michael, Blake. All 4 boys are MUCH stronger than the VFL players and much fitter. Neither of them has 6 months training under their belt, but all play sport. They are all still in school, doing year 10-11.

To have these guys look at the children and say damn...........well its just not right. Imagine if they came and watched the big boys in the evening lol
 
It's the PlayStation generation, Markos. Hard work is a dirty word.

Oh please. Hard work is not a term in many peoples' (and generations) vocabulary. You will notice that the unfit/overweight dilemma is not limited to those of generation y.

I know you are referencing the afl boys with this post, but how many older clients has PTC had come once and then never again etc? I would wager a fair few.
 
Oh please. Hard work is not a term in many peoples' (and generations) vocabulary. You will notice that the unfit/overweight dilemma is not limited to those of generation y.

I know you are referencing the afl boys with this post, but how many older clients has PTC had come once and then never again etc? I would wager a fair few.

I think we do so much better than the generations before us:

david%2Bbowie%2Bfashion%2Bdisaster.jpg
 
Oh please. Hard work is not a term in many peoples' (and generations) vocabulary. You will notice that the unfit/overweight dilemma is not limited to those of generation y.

I know you are referencing the afl boys with this post, but how many older clients has PTC had come once and then never again etc? I would wager a fair few.

I'm Gen Y, and the PlayStation generation is the ones born in the 90s, they're not Gen Y :p

I'm only referring to footballers. You can't compare VFL youth players with your average gym goers, some of whom visited PTC. I bet if you compare them to the young players of previous generations, they are a bunch of lazy bastards.
 
Please dont limit this to AFL.

As you guys know Rory is aiming for a College Scholarship. He has interviewed with a handful of Division 1 schools.He will be playing with one of them next year.

I have been in talks with a coach from one, and Rory has had to answer questions with each one of them about his bench press.

No one has even mentioned any other lift.

So I have a dilemna, do I make Rory a better footballer or a better bencher?

Another problem I discussed with this coach is form. I explained that we are a PL gym, with competing lifters, so we all use correct form, are the numbers he's quoting to me done in correct form?

Of course he said yes. Rory keeps bombarding me with videos of college kids not touching there chests or bums way up high. They are simply inflating there numbers to get a scholarship, which is understandable.

But what should I do, prostitute myself?

Here's another funny anecdote. There is an ex NFL player who has a school for prospects. He wants Rory to go to Florida and train under him in December.

He told Rory he had to lose weight, as his BMI is 35, which makes him obese. He has never laid eyes on Rory, true story.

Max registers as overweight on the BMI, thats how f u c k e d it is, and this guy who runs a successful program still uses BMI.

I told Rory to ask the guy what kind of Dinosaur he rides, but Rory is too polite.

Dont think its just here that we have problems, they are everywhere.

Funny enough, more so since we certified all these experts, now they are all book learned, they must be correct.

I'm sure you guys have seen this ass clown before, a Strength coach, oh the shame

YouTube - high school max effort squat .wmv

And heres one that has comments enabled lol.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjfazs_17N0&feature=related]YouTube - SSB free weight[/ame]
 
oh shit and another one lol

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMPFo1hw78s&feature=related]YouTube - High School SSB free weight[/ame]
 
I'm Gen Y, and the PlayStation generation is the ones born in the 90s, they're not Gen Y :p

I'm only referring to footballers. You can't compare VFL youth players with your average gym goers, some of whom visited PTC. I bet if you compare them to the young players of previous generations, they are a bunch of lazy bastards.

Why can't they be compared? Their training age is, realistically, zero. So they are like the majority of average gym goers who have no experience with real barbell training or movement patterns etc.

The fact that they are at a high level in their chosen sport tells you little if anything about their motivation. They are 16 (from what I gather?), so there are probably many things that interest them more than training more than they already do.
 
Cant play in the VFL at 17 or younger, they are all over 18. They all get paid to play, some very well.

They are not kids, all drive and have their own transport, which can sometimes be a problem for kids relying on parents for lifts.
 
Oh, my mistake then. If you are getting paid to play professionally then there isn't much room for excuses.
 
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