training, which the Eagles do four days a week. One day is dedicated to heavy and power-packed lifts like hang clean and deadlift. Another is reserved as a traditional strength day of squat and bench. Two other days feature light explosive and light strength lifts. 2. Valley (Des Moines, Iowa) – 2011 state champs At 6 a.m., the team gathers for agility sessions twice a week for six weeks each spring. “They hate it,” says coach Gary Swenson. “But, they understand.” The team also strength trains four days a week after school. Lifts vary — twice a week, players target legs and back, and the other two days focus on upper body. Of all sessions, Monday typically brings the most intensity with the incorporation of hang or power clean and back squat. “It’s the workout that involves the most multi-muscle groups,” Swenson says. Training focuses on improving muscle endurance and muscle strength. Athletes might start with a pause squat (3 sets of 12 reps), and continue with bodyweight lunges(3×10), and three sets of 8 reps of lawn mowers, lat pulldowns, and pullups. Finishers are done on the field, where players flip tires for sets of 8 reps. 1. Carroll (Southlake, Texas) – 8-time state champs For Carroll football players, workouts don’t get more intense than the “Dragon Maker,” a boot camp-style training session performed everyday for up to a month. “We do not leave boot camp until we feel like every player understands the culture we’re trying to create,” says coach Hal Wasson. The workout starts with 20 minutes of mental work followed by 15 minutes of speed weights (high reps performed at low weight). Each athlete is assigned to one of 75 stations in the weight room. When the whistle blows, players shout “Dragon Pride” and quickly lift for 10 seconds. They then urgently move to the next station to avoid ups-downs (players run in place then drop to the floor and pop back up as fast as possible), which are performed for up to 30 reps if athletes aren’t in sync. Theworkout transitions to the Thunderdome, a facility near the weight room where players perform pushups, sit ups and up-downs for 15 minutes straight. Exercises must be performed together or everyone starts over. The last part of the training session ends with speed and agility for 15 minutes. Players are broken up into eight groups for high-intense mat drills, sled pulls, med ball work, foot fire and pro-agility drills. “It’s as energized, action-packed and intense as you can imagine,” Wasson says. ,   2.3k shares share tweet sms send email Related News 0 comments Follow Post comment   Link |