1. Strength Training for Linemen
Patrick McHenry
MA, CSCS*D
Ponderosa High School

2. What is the ULTIMATE job of a Linemen?
ALLOWS OTHERS TO DO THEIR JOB!
FOUNDATION OF THE TEAM
Protection
1st line of defense
Many more aspects to their job.

3. What is the PERCEPTION of a linemen?
Bigger
sometimes overweight /obese
patch kids in little league
Not as athletic
cannot catch ball
not as fast as the others
do not have good footwork
COULD NOT BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH

4. Critical Areas of Development
Lower Body
Train the Nervous System
Foot Quickness
Acceleration
Doyle

5. Areas of Focus Footwork Strength: Hand Speed: 1st & 2nd step
Lower body to maintain pad level
accelerate/ decelerate
Upper body to punch
Rotational
Grip strength
Hand Speed:
Infighting
Punching at different areas / angles
Footwork
1st & 2nd step
Move lateral, backward, arch
quick

6. Flexibility : Balance: Hip / knee / ankle
Allows for triple joint extension
Balance:
Shoulders back/ not leaning too for forward
Head up, weight evenly distributed
Right / left

7. How Do we Develop this?
Lifting
Agility
Plyometrics
Strongman Training

8. Critical Areas of Correction
Flexibility
Torso Strength
Posterior Shoulder
Posterior Chain
Doyle

9. Do not allow your athletes to develop poor technique.
Smaller gains in that exercise
Less transfer to other performance activities (i.e. Specificity)
Increased likelihood that the athlete will never develop good technique
Increase injury potential
Stone, M.H. NSCA Sports Performance Enhancement Consortium

10. If an athlete cannot execute a squat properly, the solution is not to find an alternative movement but to correct the problem.
Doyle

11. Lifting Strength in / off season & early preseason
Power in late preseason & in season / playoffs
Multi joint
Ground based
Vary Stances
Stable / staggered
Rotational
Grip Strength

12. Strength Sets: 3-6 Reps: 4-8 80-100% 1 rm
Bench, squat, incline, military, clean

13. POWER Defined: “The rate at which work is performed” Komi 2003
“Power is the capacity to do a given amount of work as rapidly as possible” O’Shea 1995

14. Why develop POWER
“Power development is paramount to optimal neuromuscular function” Kraemer et.al 2000
“A powerful athlete has explosive strength, exceptional acceleration, and speed.”
O’Shea 1995

15. Power Power = work time (Do not move slow) Sets: 3-5 Reps: 3-5
50-80% 1 rm
Cleans, pulls from floor, bottom squats, front squats, close grip bench, DB bench, scoops, jammer complex, push press, overhead squats, drop cleans, body weight

16. Variation of Exercises
“The more exercises performed the greater variety and stimulus to the system.” Torcolacci 1993
“One way to alternate the program is to do a different exercise to develop the same muscle” Yessis 1981

17. Bottom Squat

18. Drop Cleans

19. Jammer Complex Both arms Single arm Alt single arm L/R
Alt single arm double L/R, L/R (R/L,R/L)
Split squat Alt Arm
(three types of stances, stable / staggered / one leg)

20. Stable Stance

21. Staggered Stance

22. POSTERIOR CHAIN

23. Ultimate GYM