The Football Body Workout

Use gridiron training to get the build of an NFL athlete

by Joe DeFranco


FREQUENCY: Perform each workout (I, II, III, and IV) once per week. Try to schedule your training so that you perform workouts I and II on back-to-back days, and then rest a day. Perform workouts III and IV on back-to-back days, followed by two days off.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the exercise pairs (marked A and B) as alternating sets, resting the prescribed amount of time between each set. So you'll do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, rest again, and repeat for all the prescribed sets.
Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for one exercise before moving on to the next. Some exercises call for you to "work up" to a weight that's the most you can use for a given rep range. This is called your "rep max," or RM. A "3RM" would indicate a three-rep max (a weight you can perform only three reps with).
Perform increasingly heavier warm-up sets of no more than six reps to gradually arrive at your RM weight (the warmup sets should not be very stressful). Make sure you perform at least five sets total for the exercise.

Workout:

1 BOX SQUAT

SETS: AT LEAST 5 REPS: WORK UP TO A 3RM REST: AS MUCH AS NEEDED
Set up a barbell on the supports of a squat rack and place a box a few feet behind you. The box should be low enough that your thighs are parallel to the fl oor when you sit on it. Step underneath the bar and grab it with your hands about 8 to 12 inches wider than shoulder width. Nudge the bar off the rack and stand with your feet wider than shoulder width [1]. Bend your hips and knees, lowering your body onto the box [2]. Pause for a moment and then explosively stand back up. That's one rep.