Physical Conditioning

When training for football, one must remember that a football training program must meet the athlete's own specific needs.  Football players are among the most athletic and physically-fit in the world of sports, so it is important that they maintain proper exercise.

As a football player, you want to focus on tests that measure strength, power, and speed such as:
-one repetition max bench press and leg press
-30 m sprint
-30 m sprint fatigue
-standing vertical jump
-standing broad jump
-sit and reach test

The program can be divided over the course of the year into 3 phases:
-Pre-season phase - 7 months
-In-season phase - 4 months
-Transition phase - 1-2 months

The pre-season phase should focus on strength and power conditioning, speed and agility training, and flexibility training.  The in-season phase focuses on maintaining all of the progress from the past 6 or 7 months of training.  It requires less time in the weight room because the athlete is already exercising from being on the field.  However, the athlete should still continue their weight training.  The transition phase only lasts 4 to 6 weeks, but it is very important nonetheless.  The athlete should use this time to rest, both physically and mentally, from the game.  The athlete should avoid weight training, but still continue to do something physically active, such as playing tennis.