What a great time of the year.  Football season is in full swing, all Fall sports are now in-season, and school is back in session.  It’s now time for you to get into a “championship” routine.  There are several key components to having a success fall campaign, regardless of your sport or situation.

1.     Increase your strength.  It is important to think about actually improving your strength during the season.  Get in two solid workouts and one light workout during the week.  If you play on Friday nights, you can get a good training session in on Saturday or Sunday, another good session in on Monday or Tuesday and a have a lighter day on Wednesday.  I like doing a good tempo workout within 48 hours of the game, a heavy full body lift on Monday or Tuesday, and another tempo lift on Wednesday.   At Under Armour, the mindset is “We don’t train to maintain, we train to get better.”  This is no different during the season as it is during the off season.  Keep training to improve your strength and conditioning and it will pay large dividends throughout your season.

2.     Sleep.  This is so important since you are now balancing out school and sports.  The more sleep you get before midnight, the better.  Remember, your body actually repairs itself and grows when you sleep.  It is ideal for your body to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night and you must prioritize your sleep patterns.  It takes great discipline to get into bed every night by 10 pm and still get your homework done, but I encourage you to structure your time.   Immediately after dinner get on your school-work and get your home-work and studies done.  Don’t turn on the TV and no talking on the cell phone.  Just focus all of your attention to getting your work done.  This is called discipline and it will really set you apart in all aspects of your life.   

3.     Eat to win.  Now that school is back in session, it is easy to skip breakfast and skimp on your lunches.  Once again, if you want to maximize your athletic and academic performance, you must eat four to six times per day.  Examples of your nutrition should look something like this:

Breakfast choices (choose at least one):

·      Oatmeal

·      Cereal (whole grain cereal that does not have a cartoon figure on the box)

·      Eggs

·      Protein Shake

·      Pancakes/Waffles

·      Yogurt/Fruit

(accompany any of these choices with fruit:  blueberries, bananas, strawberries, peaches, etc.)

Lunch Choices:

·      Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

·      Turkey or Tuna Fish Sandwich

·      Salad (buy it at the cafeteria)

(accompany any of these choices with at least fruit (apple, orange, pear, etc.) and at least one vegetable (carrots, celery, etc.))

Pre-Practice Snack:

·      Protein Bar

·      Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

·      Chocolate Milk

Dinner:

·      Whatever Mom and/or Dad chooses to serve (ideally chicken, fish, or whole-grain pasta)

·      2-3 servings of vegetables

Pre-Sleep Snack:

·      Protein Shake

·      Fruit & Yogurt

Also, be sure to drink a lot of pure water.  I advocate that you drink ½ of your bodyweight in fluid ounces of water.  So if you weigh 200 lbs, you should drink approx. 100 oz. of water per day.

4.     Go to class and apply yourself.  It is one thing to go to class.  It is another thing to apply yourself and be a leader in your class.  Take personal responsibility for your grades, your assignments, your homework, and the work you produce.  Your schoolwork ultimately determines your options at the next level and I encourage you to not only “show up” to class, but to really apply yourself.  Read books, do more than the “minimum requirements” and challenge yourself to see how great you can be in the classroom.  Your education is one thing that no-one can ever take from you.  If you are wise and want to set your future up, don’t be afraid of standing out in the classroom and having your school-work shine even greater than your performance on the grid-iron or field of strife.

5.     Avoid distractions.  It takes a lot of great time management to do well as a student-athlete in high school and at the college level.  Do yourself a favor and eliminate or avoid distractions that could ultimately rob you of attaining any dreams or goals you have academically or athletically.  Partying, wasting time, playing video games, talking or texting too much on your cell phone, having an excessive social life, and watching too much television are all examples of distractions that will prevent you from focusing your time and attention on school and sports.  Make a commitment to yourself to stay focused and this will put you in the best position for success.

These five key components will give you the energy to succeed and put you in the best position to do well.  It is said that “proper preparation produces peak performance.”  By adhering to these “simple” yet critical steps to success, you are putting yourself in the best position to win in the classroom and on the field.  Commit to success and do all that is necessary to stay focused on your schoolwork and sports and you will not be disappointed in the end-result.

The other day, I was on the field with several NFL players for a throwing session in preparation for training camp and this upcoming season.  On this particular day, we had 3 NFL quarterbacks with a sprinkling of wide-outs, tight-ends, and running backs.  We had about 30 other college and high school players to assist us with our passing drills.  By tradition, at the end of the session, our pro guys will share a “Tip of the Day” for success for our younger athletes.  There were 3 “Tips of the Day” that stood out to me this week that I thought were worthy of sharing with you:

•    Preparation. 

If you want to be successful in sports, you must prepare.  You prepare by living in the weight-room, spending time running and conditioning for your particular sport, and doing the “little things” it takes to be successful.  This includes getting your rest & sleep, eating well, avoiding “off the field” distractions that could hinder your progress, and surrounding yourself with friends and teammates that support you positively.  While it is easy to say you want to be good, are you willing to make the sacrifices and commitment it takes to truly get to the next level?

•    Practice & play with a purpose. 

Make sure every time that you do show up to the weight room or on the field,  that you focus on 1 or 2 things that you want to accomplish for the day.   Drew Brees, QB of the New Orleans Saints, talked about that if you want to be great, you must not only work on your game, but you must also be “mentally present” at all times.  He went on to say, “You can’t just aimlessly go through your drills.  Every rep counts, every lift counts, every sprint counts…Be sure to keep your concentration and focus on getting 1% better every day.”

•    Finish! 

One of the emphases is for our athletes to “finish” plays until the whistle blows.  For example, we want our wide receivers to catch the ball, make up a move, and run downfield.  Jeff Garcia, QB of the Oakland Raiders, spoke about his time with Jerry Rice when they played together with the 49ers.  Garcia said that in practice, Jerry Rice used to run down the field 60-70 yards after each and every catch to get in the habit of making big plays and finishing them.  I think it worked!  Develop good habits now in all that you do as habits will translate into big success on game-day.

My friends, NOW is time to make sure you are preparing to have a successful upcoming season.  Spend time preparing today, make every practice and lifting session count, and do the little things it takes to accomplish what you desire.  There is no time like now to start building for your championship season.  Get after it, have some fun, and seize every opportunity you have to get 1% better today!
 

School is winding down and summer is in the air. As spring sports come to a close here soon, we go into a "dead" period here where not a lot of organized activity takes place. Hopefully you have your high school lifting program or are part of another organized group's program to enhance your strength, speed, & conditioning. Here are a couple tips to remind you of the importance of your off-season training program: • 95/5 Principle. This states that 95% of the time you spend your time preparing for the 5 % of the time that you will actually compete. What you do in May, June, July will undoubtedly help you when you compete next season. • Make your "gains" now. Maybe your goal is to put on 10 lbs of muscle this summer. Maybe it's to get .2 seconds faster in the 40 yard dash. Maybe it's to improve your vertical jump by 4 inches. Now is the time to do that! Spend time focusing on your training now. 3-4 times a week; 60-90 minute sessions per day. At least 1/3 of this time should be devoted to running, movement drills, & conditioning drills. Whether that means that you spend 20-30 minutes every session on movement training or whether you have 2 days geared to predominately speed training & field work, be sure to get on the field and move! • Recover well. This predominately means improve your sleep and improve your nutrition. Depending on what part of the country you live in, school ends soon. Spend extra time getting rest as that is when your body grows. The sooner you go to bed before midnight, the more you allow your body to grow. A great night sleep might meaning going to bed at 9 pm and rising at 7:00 am. • Eat better. I would like to see a 90 day commitment here to really eating well. 5 meals a day, eat breakfast, focus on fruits & vegetables, reduce the amount of junk food & empty calories you consume. Focus on lean protein like chicken & fish at lunch & dinner and consume complex carbohydrates like whole-grain pastas for energy. If you are trying to gain weight, you need to be increasing your calorie consumption but do it with good calories. Junk food only robs you of your energy and you want sustained, consistent energy. You may not understand this now but I really want you to know that you have one opportunity to maximize your opportunities that you have right now. Why not give yourself the best chance to succeed. I know it takes a Herculean effort sometimes to be so committed to a workout routine, to eat right, to eliminate distractions, and to do "what is right." But when game time comes next Fall, you are going to enjoy the fruits of your labor right now. Get 1% better every day and it will be scary how good YOU will be come pre-season time and game time.

I just got back from the Combine in Los Angeles, CA, and let me tell you:  we had some fast kids.  I had two kids in the 4.4’s for their 40 yard dash and several kids were in the 4.5’s.  And that is with multiple stop watches on them.

Just days before that, I was out on the football field with a Division I College tight-end at a large Big 12 school who was training with one of my NFL tight ends, Kellen Winslow.  While there is an obvious difference between a young, college athlete and a gifted, hard-working TE in the NFL, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in speed and explosive power between this Pro-Bowl TE and the young TE.

When I was done working with them, I encouraged the collegiate TE to never sacrifice speed for strength or size.  While it is important to be strong and big, it is imperative that is fast, explosive, and athletic.  The young TE agreed.  He spends 90% of his training time in the weight room and not running.  And while he’s strong as a mule, his feet aren’t up to snuff.  

The moral of the story:
Whether you are a young athlete in high school or college, never stop running and working on your speed.  Yes, strength training will help your speed….if you are running.  Get on the field and start running in the off-season.  Stay in shape, work on foot quickness drills, and get as fast as you can. 

Some of my favorite basic foot quickness and speed & running drills include:
•    Jumping rope
•    Agility ladder
•    Cone drills
•    Tag drills
•    Running bleachers
•    Run 400’s, 200’s, 100’s, 40’s
•    Run gassers
•    Run routes on the football field

The bottom line is that you are running.  And if for some reason your off-season training program doesn’t have a running portion to it, be sure to get out on the field at least 2-3 days per week EXTRA on top of your weight training sessions.  There is no way you can bust a 4.4 or 4.5 without running.  Likewise, you can’t maximize your overall athleticism if you are not running.  So regardless of your 40 yard time, if you want to be a great athlete, you need to be in shape and you need to be fast and quick.

Train hard, train smart, and RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Todd
 

Hi guys.  I just returned from the NFL Combine in Indy last week and it got me thinking about something that most young football players dream of doing:  playing in the NFL.  While there are only about 300 collegiate football players that get chosen to participate at the Combine, there are double that number that are hoping to participate in their Pro Days at their respective universities.  These Combines and Pro Days are all for the purpose of catching the scouts eyes in addition to any game tape during the season.

My question to is, “What are you doing to get yourself better today?”  Although it is only March, you should be doing something to get “1% better everyday”.  If you are getting ready for a spring sport, great.  Regardless, you should be hitting the weight room and working on your athleticism to continue to improve your game now.

Most of my NFL clients began training 2 weeks ago to begin their arduous off-season program.  Although their season doesn’t begin until early September, this is the time of the year the foundation gets laid for success in next year’s football season.  Just like them, you should be focusing on:

• Strength Training—Squats, cleans, deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups, pushups, bench press
• Speed & Agility Training—agility ladder, jumping rope, cone drills, and sprinting drills
• Flexibility—entire body

What I recommend is that you get in at least 3 times a week of total body strength training.  You can work on your speed and conditioning on your “non-lifting” days (2 times per week minimum) or you can include them as part of your program.  I love to include about 15 minutes of movement training as part of all training sessions, regardless.  The name of the game of football is strength & speed.  Too many young athletes just spend time on the strength portion and don’t focus on the speed and flexibility. At least 10 minutes of all sessions should be focused on stretching your entire body after your session.  If you really want to get flexible, spend 30 minutes on it every day or enroll in a yoga program.

As you work on your off-season strength training programs right now, be sure to give equal time to all three critical aspects of your program (strength, speed, & flexibility).  Train hard, hit the iron, and continue to check your Under Armour blogs for more workouts.

Lastly, if you are looking to make weight gains this off-season, in addition to hitting the weights hard, you need to be spending time on increasing your caloric intake with “good” calories.  You should be eating at least 6 times per day.  Dr Chris Mohr, resident Under Armour, nutrition expert has some great tips on “Eating to Win” and I highly recommend that you pay attention to this component of your program. 

My friends, as you prepare for your season that may seem so far away, remember to focus on getting 1% better today.  Before you know it, double sessions will be here and the smell of football will be in the air.  Preparation is the key to your success and your preparation needs to start TODAY.  Now let’s get to work and make it happen!

Be Humble, Stay Hungry!

TD
 

I have had several questions lately about increasing vertical jump.  Whether it be for basketball, the high jump in track & field, or just overall athleticism, there are many ways to accomplish improving one’s vertical jump.  The most important factors include:

1.    Increasing Strength
2.    Increasing Power
3.    Increasing Flexibility
There is no doubt that if one wants to improve vertical jump, you must really strengthen your legs.  While the upper body and core is important, the lower body is absolutely essential. 
The best exercises to increase your lower body strength include:

•    Squats (2 legged & 1 legged)
•    Deadlifts
•    Lunges
•    Calf Raises (heavy)
You typically want to train your legs 2-3 days per week (depending on age, level, and phase of training) and perform approximately 3-4 different exercises.  Use 3-5 sets per exercise and 5-12 reps per set.

You also want to include “power” type exercises in your routine.  Power is defined as strength + speed.  Some of the best exercises for power include:

•    Squat Jumps
•    Lunge Hops
•    Box Jumps
•    Power Cleans
•    Vertimax Jump Trainer

You can train power exercises the same day you train strength exercises.  As a matter of fact, I love to “compound set” my movements.  What that means is that you might do one strength exercise immediately followed by a power exercise.  For example, perform a set of 8 squats immediately followed by a set of 10 squat jumps.

Lastly, you always want to stretch.  You should dynamically warm-up before all exercise sessions and spend at least 10 minutes after your workout doing static stretches.  Some of the  best static stretches include:

•    Standing quadriceps stretch
•    Lying hamstring stretch with rope
•    Lying groin stretch with rope
•    Lying lower back stretch with rope
•    Side-lying hip flexor/quad stretch with rope

If you want to increase your vertical jump, you need to get stronger.  Technique is important in jumping but you first need to get strong.  I encourage you to spend 3 days per week working on your strength training.  With some devoted work, you can typically see a several inch increase on your vertical jump within 6-8 weeks.  Additionally, emphasize your flexibility as that will not only help prevent injury, but will also improve your performance.  Have fun & jump for the stars!
 

I have had the opportunity recently to work with an NFL linebacker who had knee surgery about 6 weeks ago and is out for the season.  While frustrating and disappointed that he can’t play this year, this player has decided to make the most of it and get back to work already for next season.  He is already driven and motivated to come back and be better than ever.
While he is intensive physical therapy for his lower body, I have been working with him to get his upper body and core in the best shape ever and to keep his conditioning at a high level.  The way I have been doing this is through high-intensity interval training where we superset exercises and minimize rest time to about 30-60 seconds. 
Here is an example of a recent workout:

1. Pushups (3 hand positions) x 10 each way (fingers forward, fingers in, fingers outs)

2. V-sit-ups (30)

3. Chain Bench Press-------------------------------------Lat Pulldown
 4 sets x 15, 10, 10, 5     4 x 10

4. TRX Rows / TRX Bicep Curls----------------Kettlebell Calf Raises (3 foot positions)
 2 x 15  2 x 10    1 x 30 double; 1 x max bodyweight

5. Super Band “Band Splitters” (Reverse Flys)----Sport Cord Lateral Raises/Front Raises
 2 x 15                                                                                             2 x 15/2 x 15
     
6. Triceps Superset----------------------------------------------------Seated Bicep Curls
 3 x 10/10/10 (Skull Crushers, Pullovers, Close Grip B.P.)        3 x 12

7. BOSU straight leg opposite hand/foot
 2 x 15 each way
 

The point is not for you to go out and try to replicate this exact workout.  It’s to show you that whatever injury you may face in your career, regardless of your level, never let a temporary setback hold you back to where you ultimately want to go.  Hard-work, discipline, and commitment is more important than ever when you are facing adversity.  This man comes in hungry to train and wants to get back to be an even more dominating factor next year.  He is training at a level where he will not be denied of his quest to be the best.  While it is tough to be hurt and on the side-line, and you often feel like an out-cast and isolated from the team, dig down deep into your PRIDE and believe that you will come back stronger and better than ever.  Now get back to work!

Todd Durkin
 

There is no doubt that speed plays a major role in the success of most sports.  While some youngsters are genetically blessed with great speed, most have to work hard at improving their technique, strength, power, and flexibility to be as fast as they want to be.  Even if you have good speed, it is absolutely critical that you continue working at it.  Remember this, regardless of how good you are, there is always someone that is working as hard as you to achieve the same dreams you have.

With that being said, let me give you a few of my favorite exercises to choose from when looking to improve your strength and speed.  Although I like to mix up my exercises and challenge the body in new ways, here are a few of my all-time favorites to get you to the next level:

Choose at least 3 of the following LOWER BODY STRENGTH exercises per workout and complete 3-4 sets of 5-15 reps of each set:

1.    Squats
2.    Tire Flips or Power Cleans
3.    Sled Drags
4.    Deadlifts
5.    Lunges
6.    Step-ups
7.    Calf Raises

Choose at least 2 of the following POWER exercises per workout and complete 1-2 sets of 8-20 reps of each set:

1.    Squat jumps
2.    Lunge hops
3.    Skater plyos
4.    Box Jumps

Choose at least 3 of the following UPPER BODY STRENGTH exercises per workout; complete 3-4 sets of 5-15 reps of each set:

1.    Pullups
2.    1 arm Rows
3.    Pushups (each hand on medicine ball)
4.    Arm Swing Drills with light weights (ie. 5 lbs) for 10 seconds

Choose at least 2 of the following CORE exercises and perform 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds each:

1.    Bodyweight planks (forward and side)—30-60 seconds each
2.    Dumbbell sidewinders (sit on ground, hold light dumbbell with both hands, lift feet and rotate dumbbell side to side)
3.    Running man situps (lying on back, sit-up and bring one knee up and drive opposite elbow back as if “running”)
4.    Straight Leg situps (keep legs straight and sit-up)
5.    Hyperextensions

The key now is to make sure you do it!  It takes hard-work, dedication, and an on-going commitment to get the results you want.  Whether you are trying to gain 10 pounds of muscle, drop your 40 time by .3 of a second, or just improve your overall game-speed, it is imperative that you get in the weight room and challenge yourself.  If you have big aspirations and big dreams, remember the phrase “And Then Some”.  If you take this attitude into all that you do in the weight-room, in the classroom, and on-the-field, your dreams will be that much closer to attaining.  Dream big…stay hungry…and work hard…AND THEN SOME!!!!!

Todd
 

All right athletes... You want to try and get in a great workout like an NFL quarterback? Try this overall body strength routine using your appropriate weights (weights below were what our NFL QB used) and taking approximately 30-60 seconds rest between sets and 1-2 minutes between exercises.

Try to complete the entire strength portion program in 45 minutes.  Tempo baby, tempo!!!!!

TD's NFL QB program for July 5th (Total Body Strength):

Dynamic warm-up (10 minutes)

Squat jumps 2 x 10 superset with 15 pushups in between sets

Lunge hops 2 x 20 total superset with 15 med ball pushups in between sets

Leg Press & Calf Raises:    3 x 10/15 @ 350, 400, 450 lbs

Swiss Ball Bench Press:        3 x 20, 15, 15 @ 60, 70, 70 lbs

Lunges:     3 x 20 @ 25, 30, 35 lbs

TRX Pullups & Bicep Curls:    3 x 15 @ 15 lbs
   
Single Leg Deadlifts:    2 x 10 per leg with 30 lbs

Tricep Supersets (skull crushers, pullovers, close grip bench press): 2 x 10 (each exercise) @ 75 lbs
   
Overhead Tricep Extensions:     2 x 15 @ 70 lbs on cable (machine)

90 degree Bicep Curls:    2 x 10 left/10 right/10 together @ 20 lbs

Hyperextensions:    2 x 15

Bosu Core Bicycle & Rotates:    2 x time (20 sec.)
  
Finish with a 10 minute stretch of your entire body!

Now you can see just a little bit of how we use TNP Performance Training with the pros. Until next time, remember, THE FUTURE IS OURS!
 

TD