Strength Drills, Power Exercises, Football Players
Muscle strength and muscle volume aren’t exactly the same thing, either in terms of physiology (what happens to muscle as it gains one or the other) or in terms of functionality (how well the large or strong muscle performs a given task.) But during some types of motion and activity, the difference doesn’t matter very much. In the game of football, for example, both size and strength contribute to success. So effective strength drills and power exercises for football players can focus on either size development or strength development, and the best strength drills emphasize both.
Size and volume in muscle tissue increase when the fibers of the muscle are strained beyond their limits and are subjected to miniscule damage and tears. These tears are repaired with a form of scar tissue in a process called hypertrophy. As this healing process takes place, the repair tissue builds up between and among the fibers, and the muscles appear to swell in size. They aren’t necessarily stronger, but these larger muscles have more mass and weight than they once did, which can help any athlete—but specifically a football player—stand with greater stability and take and receive hits with greater force and impact.
Strength, by contrast, is an issue of functionality. Stronger muscles are those that are well supplied with blood, so they’re well nourished and well oxygenated. They’re also trained to accept this nourishment more efficiently, which helps them withstand greater challenges and apply greater force. A trained, conditioned muscle is not necessarily the same thing as a larger muscle, but again, in the game of football, both strength and size can support the actions that are demanded of body.
Typically, strength drills and power exercises tax the muscles in a way that increases their efficiency and supports greater endurance and capability. Size-building exercises are designed to push the muscles as quickly as possible to the point of failure, so the tearing-healing process of hypertrophy can swell the muscles rapidly. The strength drills and power exercises in the video below rely on the KB Duo to accomplish both goals and help football players cover more ground, meet greater physical challenges, and withstand heavier hits on the field.
Strength Drills and Power Exercises for Football Players: Up-Downs
Before beginning this set of strength drills, the football player attaches the KB Duo to an overhead anchor point and places his left foot in the loop of one of the suspended straps. He then stands up straight with his foot held a few inches off the ground.
As he begins the power exercises set, he drops to the ground into push up position, supporting his weight on his hands and his left foot, which is held up by the strap. The football player completes one push-up in this position and then stands back up quickly. As he stands up, the football player makes sure to fully complete the move, opening his chest and straightening his spine all the way before dropping back into the next rep.
As he drops to the ground for the push-up, notice how the football player keeps his back completely straight. His rear end doesn’t rise up or sag toward the floor, which means he’s protecting his lower back and building core strength as he completes this move.
Football players should complete eight reps of this power exercise with the left foot in the strap, followed by eight reps on the right side. Since the suspension training system taxes every muscle of the body by demanding balance and coordination as well as strength, the move may be challenging at first. Football players should complete a few practice reps slowly before gaining confidence and speeding through the entire set of power exercises.
Strength Drills, Suspension Training and the Game of Football
Suspension training adds an additional element of value to ordinary strength drills and power exercises, especially for football players who need to maximize their time on the field and keep their gym sessions as efficient as possible. When football players are relying on the balance and agility the suspension system requires, they’re working every muscle group in the body, not just one or two at a time. A bench press can be a great way to build strength or size in the insulated muscle groups of the arms and chest, but when the body is engaged in power exercises like the up-downs in the video, every muscle group is activated, including the core, the hip flexors, the back and the quads.
The game of football does not require simple muscle volume alone, or strength alone, and a successful football career can’t be built on endless bench presses or a single focus on only one muscle group at a time. Football demands agility, endurance, speed, control, and strength in every single muscle of the body. Suspension training and power exercises like these offer an excellent way to achieve these goals.
Suspension Training Systems and High-Resistance Power Exercises
The KB Duo is a deceptively simple suspension training system that can help football players and other athletes tone and condition the body with maximum efficiency. When combined with other training tools provided by KBands, like the leg bands and the KB Powerbands, the KB Duo becomes an entire training gym that helps leverage body weight to achieve results. Like the other KBands training tools, the straps of the KB Duo can be carried and set up almost anywhere.
These tools provide countless benefits for football players, coaches, trainers, and athletes across a wide range of sports from football to basketball, track, and cheer. For more information on how to use these tools to improve performance on the field, explore KBands Training.com and check out our Athlete Performance Pack, a complete training guide for both coaches and players. Meanwhile, our website resources and training videos are available 24 hours a day, and our trainers are standing by to answer questions about workout planning, goal setting, weight loss, and athletic performance.