By Steven Morris
Author
of Explosive Football Training
Funny how the football training pendulum
swings. A decade ago, only the top College Football schools used
the Olympic lifts in their programs. Then, if filtered down to the
point where just about every high school football player in the
country was at least doing Power Cleans. However, over the last
few years there's been a backlash against using the Olympic Lifts
in football weight training programs.
Critics say the O-lifts are hard to
teach, hard to learn and can easily be replaced with speed, or Dynamic,
work.
The Olympic Lift crowd proclaims that
anyone who attempts a clean will be out sprinting the sprinters
(for the first 10yds, anyway)
The truth, as usual, lies somewhere
in the middle.
We'll take on some of the myths, provide
some truths, and I'll show you how to use the Olympic Lifts in your
football training program so everyone is happy.
Cleans and Box Squats - The War Continues
The biggest argument for not using
the Olympic lifts comes from the Powerlifting world where Box Squatting
is king. It is said that Box Squats actually produce more explosiveness
than Cleans.
Once and For All, What's More Explosive
- A Power Clean or a Dynamic Box Squat?
"A Power Clean starts on the
floor, where the bar is picked up in a controlled manor, once the
bar passes the knees, the athlete explodes the bar up and catches
it in a ¼ Squat.
In a Dynamic Box Squat (using chains
or bands) the athlete un-racks the bar, sits back (pre stretching
the hams and glutes), descends while getting pulled down by the
force of the bands, sits and relaxes some muscles while keeping
others tense, then has to activate all of those muscle fibers at
once to explode the weight up.
From the description alone you should
see which is better for football training!
Remember, we are after explosive training
here, the goal is not just to be strong but strong and fast.
Even when doing speed training for
football, we are concerned with explosiveness rather than just straight-ahead
speed. We need to build the muscles to be able to cut quickly or
to deliver a shot that will knock the fool out.
However, this does not mean that Power
Cleans shouldn't be done!
They will still build explosiveness,
but from a different path. They are hugely helpful in bulking the
upper back and traps as well.
For the hip-explosiveness gained from
Power Cleans alone the effort to learn at least basic form is well
worth it. Use them as an alternative Speed exercise or use them
as your heavy leg movement. Keep the reps low, the sets high and
get the bar moving as fast as possible!
They Take Too Long to Teach!
I have to agree with the O-lift critics
here. For many coaches, especially those with small budgets, who
are primarily football coaches and strength coaches second, the
act of teaching even the Power Clean can become daunting. Frankly,
over the years I've seen players who, despite the best coaching
efforts, just are too unathletic to pull off a clean. Now, they
usually aren't good football players either, so take that into account.
If a coach has done any of the Olympic
lifts, or taken a USAW course, then have at it.
But, if you are unsure, then don't
teach it!
There's a much simpler way to use
these explosive lifts while avoiding the form issues.
Olympic Lift Variations for Explosive Football
Power
The Olympic Lifts can be complicated,
but their variations and assistance movements are not and produce
much of the same effects.
Here are some of the top Olympic Lift
assistance moves for football:
Snatch Grip Deadlifts
Snatch Grip Deads off of Blocks
The much wider grip used on Snatch
Grip Deads just force you into a lower position, thus making the
hamstrings and glutes to work harder. Plus, the benefit of the work
the entire back gets.
Whenever you can involve the hamstrings
more, the better off you are for building leg strength and especially
for football speed! If your hams are weak, forget being fast.
I would use straps on a SnDL because
of the wide grip.
This is a "go-heavy" exercise.
Treat it the same way you would a regular Deadlift - heavy, low
reps, multiple sets.
Romanian Deadlifts
RDLs are similar to a straight-leg
Deadlift, with the exception that instead of simply bending at the
waist and pulling up on the bar, you have the hips travel backwards
when bending over. These are widely used in O-lifting circles. For
many, the SLDL neglects the hamstrings while overworking the lower
back. This is especially true for short-leg, long-torso lifters.
The RDL will probably do more for
your hamstrings and glutes than any other exercise, with the exception
of Deadlifts. It really is a very underrated movement for both athletic
performance and for aesthetic appearance. Remember that your hamstrings
are largely responsible for your speed on the football field, so
don't slack.
Be sure to keep a flat back; you can
use both clean and snatch grips for variation. This is a movement
where you definitely want to keep the reps low. 4 X 6 is a good
set-rep scheme to start with. Eventually you can turn this into
a very heavy, low rep movement, but if you haven't done much RDL'ing,
then start with 4 x 6.
Really push those hips back, stretch
those hams out, then pop up.
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Clean
and Snatch Pulls
These have always
been a favorite of mine. Because of the slow start followed
by the explosive pop, they are ideal for football training.
Plus, they give you huge traps…and who doesn't love huge
traps?
Clean and Snatch
Pulls are great for those who are having trouble mastering
the full version of the lifts. Simply grip and rip.
While these don't
have an eccentric phase, the slow start can teach discipline
and the ability to explode from a slow but rolling start.
There are times when you must do this on the football field
so you'd better train for it.
Pulls fit nicely
into your lower body day; preferably right after your heavy
movement for the day.
Go with multiple
sets of low reps to keep the form honest and the bar flying.
5 - 8 x 3 is a good starting point.
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About
The Author
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Steven Morris is a Personal
Trainer and Strength Coach in the Philadelphia and South
Jersey areas and the owner of UWA Fitness. He has been lifting
weights for over 15 years and has been helping people achieve
their fitness and strength goals for over a decade. Steven
is currently pursuing an M.S. in Psychology.
You can learn more about his
methods and services at, www.explosivefootballtraining.com
and, www.UWAFitness.com
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