CT Offseason Football Program?

Watching the some of the combine stuff recently got me thinking about what a CT off-season football program would look like…don’t know if you currently train any players, but I know you used to play…thanks

He outlines a 12 week football program in his Black Book of Training Secrets.

thanks…

[quote]mch60360 wrote:
He outlines a 12 week football program in his Black Book of Training Secrets. [/quote]

Yeah, but that was written almost 8 years ago. Pretty far from what I recommend now.

Thats why I was asking,I have that book, I just figured some things have changed, I wasn’t asking for a specific program, Been trying to adapt some perfect rep principles with my players,and was hoping for some input.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]mch60360 wrote:
He outlines a 12 week football program in his Black Book of Training Secrets. [/quote]

Yeah, but that was written almost 8 years ago. Pretty far from what I recommend now.[/quote]

Perhaps it’s time for an updated book? I’d buy it.

So would I. I’ve really benefited from Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods. It offers a lot of information and how to use it in a very concise way.

[quote]The_Stranger wrote:
So would I. I’ve really benefited from Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods. It offers a lot of information and how to use it in a very concise way. [/quote]

I’ll post a generic football program later this week.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]The_Stranger wrote:
So would I. I’ve really benefited from Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods. It offers a lot of information and how to use it in a very concise way. [/quote]

I’ll post a generic football program later today.[/quote]

COOL! I cant wait to see this!! Ive been doing an upper/lower split taken from one of the templates in ur article “How to design a damn good program” (i think that was the name of it) ramping everything up to a 3RM with back off max rep set where applicable

Assuming a 20 weeks off-season…

Obviously this is just a blueprint. I DO NOT like to plan a program so far in advance because we can’t predict exactly how the body will progress. For example if we decide to spend on phase of 4 weeks to improve a specific capacity and after those 4 weeks the problem is not solved, then we have to change the plan and continue on with the phase.

A smart coach is the one who can make the best adjustments, not the one who can write down the best program.

This is only the lifting program, track work and GPP is not included.

PHASE 1 - ‘‘NEURAL REWIRING’’ TOWARD A MORE EXPLOSIVE PROFILE
Duration: 4 to 6 weeks

Split:
Monday: Lower body
Tuesday: Upper body
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Whole body
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Whole body
Sunday: OFF

MONDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max)
A. Jumping onto a box in front 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
B. Jumping onto a box to your left 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
C. Jumping onto a box to your right 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
D. Jumping onto a box behind you 3-4 sets of 5 jumps

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER
A1. Broad jumping - 5 jumps per set
A2. Romanian deadlift - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.

B1. Vertical jumping - 5 jumps per set
B2. Front squat - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.

C1. Lunge jump (switch legs in the air) - 3 jumps per leg per set
C2. Lunges (alternate leg on every rep) - sets of 4 reps per leg. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.

D1. Ankle jumps - 10 reps per set
D2. Standing calves raise - 6 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.

TUESDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max)
A. Plyo push-ups hands on bench 3-4 sets of 5 projections
B. Medicine ball throwdown 3-4 sets of 5 throws
C. Medicine ball throw from chest 3-4 sets of 5 throws

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER
A1. Speed DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 40-50% of your max with as much speed as possible
A2. Bench press - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.

B1. Speed bent over DB rowing (alternate arm on each rep) - 5 reps per arm per set
B2. Bent over barbell row - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.

C1. Medicine ball throw from chest on incline bench - 5 throws per set
C2. Incline bench press - sets of 5. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.

D1. Medicine ball throw overhead (push press style) - 5 throws per set
D2. Standing DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.

THURSDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION
A. Hold a pair of light DB in the starting position of a shoulder press; jump onto a box, when you land do an explosive DB shoulder press - 3-4 sets of 5 reps

B. 1-arm DB snatch - 3-4 sets of 3 reps per arm

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER TRAINING
A1. Top-half back squat from pins - ramp up to a max force set of 3 reps
A2. Vertical jump - 5 jumps per set. 30-45 seconds between exercises.

B1. Top-half deadlift (just above knees) from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps
B2. Broad jump - 5 jumps per set

C1. Top-half incline bench press from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps
C2. Plyo push-ups hand on bench - 5 projections per set

D. Chin-ups (or fatman pull-ups if not strong enough) - 3-4 sets pf max reps

SATURDAY

SECTION A - POWER CIRCUIT
A1. Jump onto a box in front - 5 reps
A2. Plyo-push up hands on bench - 5 reps
A3. Speed back squat - 3 reps at 40-50%
A4. Push press - 3 reps at 60-70%
A5. Fatman pull-up - 5 reps with max speed

  • Rest a maximum of 25 seconds between stations.
  • Perform anywhere from 6 to 12 circuit… stop when speed and explosiveness starts to degrade
  • If one exercise becomes slower but the others are fine, drop the exercise that is slowing down and keep performing the others.
3 Likes

wow- that looks outstanding. Many, many thanks.

I agree with previous post!

Will you post the program for all “20 off season weeks”?

[quote]Control_61 wrote:
I agree with previous post!

Will you post the program for all “20 off season weeks”?[/quote]

Yes

Hey coach,

Is what you call a fatman pull-up when you hang from the bar so that you’re parallel to the ground with your feet on a bench and then do a row?

And a more theoretical question: Is alternating two explosive movements in the same plane (ex. DB press with bench press) a tool for activation purposes? Or does it train the player to maintain the ability to accelerate as fatigue increases?

Thanks for your time in sketching out a program for the forum.

Brian

[quote]Brian Smith wrote:
Hey coach,

Is what you call a fatman pull-up when you hang from the bar so that you’re parallel to the ground with your feet on a bench and then do a row?

And a more theoretical question: Is alternating two explosive movements in the same plane (ex. DB press with bench press) a tool for activation purposes? Or does it train the player to maintain the ability to accelerate as fatigue increases?

Thanks for your time in sketching out a program for the forum.

Brian[/quote]

  1. Fatman pull-ups (horizontal row)… yes you are correct

  2. The goal of this phase is only to work on explosiveness and the capacity to recruit high threshold motor units.

It goes along the saying ‘‘Bring me someone fast (or explosive) and I can make him strong’’ which is explained in one of the later posts I made in my ‘‘random thoughts’’ column.

The goal IS NOT to train players to maintain acceleration when fatigued and IT IS NOT (the explosive movement) meant as a mere activation tool (althought it will activate the nervous system). It is only a phase aimed at setting the stage for the later phases. See it as preparing the body to be able to gain strength at a maximal rate.

This is only ONE phase (out of a 4 phases off-season program), and the first one at that. One of the biggest problem with North American athletes (football players in particular) is that they skip steps during their off-season prep because they can’t wait to get bigger and stronger. This mentality will untimately lead to less progress over the long run.

People will look at this phase and whine … ‘‘but there is not heavy lifting’’ or ‘‘I wont get bigger with this’’… maybe not, but that phase will make all the subsequent ones a LOT more effective and is well worth the 4-6 weeks ‘‘investment’’.

Wow, when I said “You should update your book” I meant you should write a new book and sell the information. I hope you didn’t think that I meant you should have given it away for free, which you obviously did. Are there any limits to your generosity?

[quote]MikeTheBear wrote:
Wow, when I said “You should update your book” I meant you should write a new book and sell the information. I hope you didn’t think that I meant you should have given it away for free, which you obviously did. Are there any limits to your generosity?[/quote]

My passion…

My limit is if a subject doesn’t interest me. If something sounds interesting to me, I’ll gladly spend some time on it and since I’m not money driven at all I am glad to share the results.

Cheers, Christian. It’s great for New Zealanders down here to get access to some top notch training information. Is a new book something that you are considering? I hope so, as I think you make a lot of often diffuse information pretty accessible to people who are more interested in lifting than reading. As a trainer, an exercise science tutor, and an avid lifter for about 20 years now, I really enjoy your work and respect how you go about sharing it.

Regards,

Brad

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

  1. Fatman pull-ups (horizontal row)… yes you are correct

  2. The goal of this phase is only to work on explosiveness and the capacity to recruit high threshold motor units.

It goes along the saying ‘‘Bring me someone fast (or explosive) and I can make him strong’’ which is explained in one of the later posts I made in my ‘‘random thoughts’’ column.

The goal IS NOT to train players to maintain acceleration when fatigued and IT IS NOT (the explosive movement) meant as a mere activation tool (althought it will activate the nervous system). It is only a phase aimed at setting the stage for the later phases. See it as preparing the body to be able to gain strength at a maximal rate.[/quote]

It’s interesting. I wouldn’t have thought that from reading it, since this element seems unique compared to any program I’ve read.

I asked myself why does he use two exercises in the same movement plane and, in addition, in an alternating set – why not use 1 of the exercises for double the sets?

[quote]Brian Smith wrote:

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

  1. Fatman pull-ups (horizontal row)… yes you are correct

  2. The goal of this phase is only to work on explosiveness and the capacity to recruit high threshold motor units.

It goes along the saying ‘‘Bring me someone fast (or explosive) and I can make him strong’’ which is explained in one of the later posts I made in my ‘‘random thoughts’’ column.

The goal IS NOT to train players to maintain acceleration when fatigued and IT IS NOT (the explosive movement) meant as a mere activation tool (althought it will activate the nervous system). It is only a phase aimed at setting the stage for the later phases. See it as preparing the body to be able to gain strength at a maximal rate.[/quote]

It’s interesting. I wouldn’t have thought that from reading it, since this element seems unique compared to any program I’ve read.

I asked myself why does he use two exercises in the same movement plane and, in addition, in an alternating set – why not use 1 of the exercises for double the sets?
[/quote]

You have one highly explosive exercise and one regular exercise. The goal is to transfer the explosiveness to heavy movements. The capacity to be explosive and the capacity to be explosive during loaded movements is a different capacity… of course the first one is the foundation for the second one; and it also serves as activation for the nervous system.