T Nation

Lifting Like a Football Player

#1

Alright well I stopped doing Stronglifts beginning of September. I have since been doing Dan John's mass program outlined here ( http://www.T-Nation.com/training/10-secrets-to-building-mass ). I am doing this with the short term goal of simply getting bigger (I have to wear a uniform now with extremely large sleeves diameter wise for school), but as effective as the program was in keeping me in a serious training rhythm, I got SI joint pain/sciatica and had to take a week off before I did something stupid.

I originally planned as my goal for this school year was to learn the Olympic lifts and be strong, but when we did the pull-up test for freshman we went into the weight room and I saw all the football players stats.

The varsity football team at my school has won like 3 states in a row with all of them 30 plus point margins. At least 11 guys had 300 plus benches and most had a squat over 400. And they only did a few lifts: Push Press, Power Clean, Bench, Squat, and I think Pull-ups and Dips. This has since inspired me to cut all the fancy amino crap, stop going to the fruity local gym filled with fake bodybuilders and trainers who think they lift a lot when they wear Mens neon yoga pants then throw 350 on the bar and start squatting ( Thats another story ), and buy myself another pair of 45s for my old lifting set that I got for shingling my neighbors roof, (squat stands, a bench, barbell and weights to 265) that I cant use because the weights are too low.

But heres where I need help, I want to do a program that is not 531 and primarily does what those football players do, big, basic, lifting, with my goal being that I want to be strong, and big, but with frequent pressing, which I love. So heres what I got out:

Monday
Press:
1x5 light
1x5 heavy
6x3 (you may be saying I am an idiot but Bill Starr wrote IMO the best article on the press)
Press Starts
3x2
Dips
3x8
Push Press
sets?xreps?
(anything I should/could add?)

Tuesday
Squat 531
Weighted pull-ups

Wednesday
Press:
1x5 light
1x5 heavy
3x3
1x10 Heavy
Bench Press 531?
BB curl 3x10
(assistance?)

Thursday
Power Clean
5x5? I need help
weighted pull ups
weighted chins
Rows
10x3?

Friday or Saturday
Squat?
Press?
I dont know?
I like squatting pressing and lifting frequently

#2

Which is your highest training priority: meeting your goals, or pressing frequently in your training?

#3

Just curious, why not 5/3/1? It has everything you want, works well for most people, and is adaptable to various goals.

#4

WS4SB v3

If you insist on designing your own program ( I would not do your program if I was paid to do it)

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_design_a_damn_good_program_part_1

A little old, but still relevant.

Your program is a mish mash of exercises put together. I really don’t get the thought behind it. Maybe you can let us know what your process was/is so we can better understand what you are trying to do? Big lifts and lots of pressing because you love it, is not really “a reason”. Be specific. Where you presently are (height, weight, position on team, etc) would help a lot also. And do you still have an injury?

#5

Some good ideas here

Also check out Matt Rhodes (division 1 coach)log over at elitefts

#6

I am sorry just look up Bill Starr overhead press and go to “The quest for a strong overhead press,” I cant put the link in, but Starr puts in a lot of points about frequent pressing and the importance of the lift as the true measure of upper body strength.

Thank you all and I do not play football I was merely inspired by the football players ability. Mods just changed name of thread.

I want to do 531 but then again I want to press more frequent than once a week. In fact, now I just want to find a way I can press more often w/ 531, due to Starrs insistence on pressing twice a week. I also read on the forum that I can put power cleans before squats I think. So that solves my need for cleaning.

#7

Nothing in 5-3-1 that I’m aware of says you can’t use an overhead pressing movement on bench day for assistance work. Or on deads day or on squat day for that matter. Its your training anyway, if you want to modify something just modify it.

#8

[quote]cakyman wrote:
I am sorry just look up Bill Starr overhead press and go to “The quest for a strong overhead press,” I cant put the link in, but Starr puts in a lot of points about frequent pressing and the importance of the lift as the true measure of upper body strength.

Thank you all and I do not play football I was merely inspired by the football players ability. Mods just changed name of thread.

I want to do 531 but then again I want to press more frequent than once a week. In fact, now I just want to find a way I can press more often w/ 531, due to Starrs insistence on pressing twice a week. I also read on the forum that I can put power cleans before squats I think. So that solves my need for cleaning.[/quote]

You may have missed my post, so I’ll reask.

Which is your highest priority? Making progress in your training, or pressing multiple times per week?

#9

Keep in mind that the players are doing short sprints, pushing prowlers/300 lb dudes, squatting frequently, conditioning, and busting their ass for about 2 hours/day 6 days/week in season, on top of off season lifting… and eating.

You could just ask the coach for a copy of their routine. Our coach had them printed up. I think there were 3 versions: lineman, receivers, other.

#10

Why not just ask the football players you admire how they train? Unless I’m missing the point here. Why reinvent the wheel?

#11

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:
Nothing in 5-3-1 that I’m aware of says you can’t use an overhead pressing movement on bench day for assistance work. Or on deads day or on squat day for that matter. Its your training anyway, if you want to modify something just modify it. [/quote]

I do this. I do my 5/3/1 sets for overhead press one day, then assistance for it after bench. I’ve been known to do cycles with a third assistance day after deadlifts too.

#12

As far as “true test of upper body strength”, I’ve heard the same for the bench press…and the chin up…and the dip…etc.

Design your program based on the results of doing something. You can’t take something like that as gospel because it is highly individual. Try twice a week out and see how it goes. Later on in your lifting career try once a week. Keep a log so you can be objective as to which strategy works best for you.

#13

[quote]The-German wrote:
As far as “true test of upper body strength”, I’ve heard the same for the bench press…and the chin up…and the dip…etc.

Design your program based on the results of doing something. You can’t take something like that as gospel because it is highly individual. Try twice a week out and see how it goes. Later on in your lifting career try once a week. Keep a log so you can be objective as to which strategy works best for you.

[/quote]

Agreed. The skinny dude with excellent leverages for the deadlift will say the same thing about it being the “true test of strength”, often ironically when we look at his other lifts.

Train all lifts with equal intensity and build up the muscles involved in the lifts and you’ll be fine.

#14

Thanks guys.

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]cakyman wrote:
I am sorry just look up Bill Starr overhead press and go to “The quest for a strong overhead press,” I cant put the link in, but Starr puts in a lot of points about frequent pressing and the importance of the lift as the true measure of upper body strength.

Thank you all and I do not play football I was merely inspired by the football players ability. Mods just changed name of thread.

I want to do 531 but then again I want to press more frequent than once a week. In fact, now I just want to find a way I can press more often w/ 531, due to Starrs insistence on pressing twice a week. I also read on the forum that I can put power cleans before squats I think. So that solves my need for cleaning.[/quote]

You may have missed my post, so I’ll reask.

Which is your highest priority? Making progress in your training, or pressing multiple times per week?
[/quote]

Making progress.

But correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying pressing multiple times a week will slow progress? If so, how? Will I get closer to a goal pressing once a week instead of twice a week? Shouldn’t multiple pressing help making progress? I don’t understand.

#15

I actually was not saying anything. I was asking a question, in this case with the goal of determining your priorities, for knowing your priorities would in turn allow me to offer advice that was relevant to that.

Knowing that your goal is progress, you do yourself a massive disservice by limiting the means in which you will progress. By wanting the routine to have multiple days of pressing, you are in turn refusing to use a huge amount of methods that will allow you to meet your goals. Statistically, you are setting yourself up for failure far more than you are for success.

You need to focus on what is really important here, and become Machiavellian in your approach. Use things because they work, not because they fit some sort of arbitrary criteria. If you need to press multiple times a week to get stronger, do it. If you need to press once every 2 weeks, do it. If you need to play gameboy and eat beef jerky, do that. The method is inconsequential, it is the results that matter.

Routines that will help you meet your goals are abound. 5/3/1, Westside Barbell for Skinny Bastards, Cube, Cube for Strongman, Juggernaut Method, etc etc. They all have the same principles in common, so you can’t go wrong.