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In American football today, on-field training and weight training go hand in hand, on-field performance is positively correlated with performance in the weight room.
A study including offensive linemen at Oklahoma State University found that performance in the weight room is directly correlated to a lineman’s ability to perform a drive block. The drive block is the basic run block for offensive linemen, therefore being able to perform a drive block well will help the individual in many aspects of offensive line play.
This is a good example of training becoming more functional. Gone are the days of endless bench press.
Training in the weight room should be aggressive, but safe, and mimic the demands of the sport.
This will increase the athletes’ chances of becoming more successful on the field.
When designing an offseason program for linemen it is important to incorporate powerful and fast lifts like the Olympic lifts. In my experience as an offensive linemen, the hip thrust and and fast snap of the arms are very similar to hip and arm actions during a block, so training in these powerful lifts will help an athlete perform blocks on the field.
The gains made in the offseason are often the difference between success and failure on the field, so it is important that athletes work through an offseason program that is tailored toward football players!
