American Football has come a long way from its forefathers, soccer and rugby. What began as an American cross of soccer and rugby in the mid-19th Century has now become an all original American sport with several rules and game-play changes to distinguish it from its predecessors. American football is considered to be an extremely physical sport which demands a high level of endurance, strength and speed of the players. In order to play the sport on a professional level one often needs to work out and keep his body as fit as possible. Most American football players often need to bulk up their muscle weight and work out to keep the body in an agile condition due to the physical nature of the sport. Here’s a small list of the top workouts that will make you look massive and agile in the field.
1. Uphill Speed Ladder
Going uphill in speed training has been noted to be more effective at developing a player’s speed and stamina. Going uphill puts more strain on the muscles than walking/running on a flat surface and is one of the most simple of workouts to develop speed and stamina. Stand in front the ladder from the bottom of the hill and push both feet rapidly to move uphill. This workout focuses on your thighs, calves and abdomen muscles.
2. Bounding
One of the most fierce and fun ways to develop your running and leaping abilities, while focusing the development of your muscle strength and endurance is bounding. Running with leaping steps is one of the best ways to improve muscle synchronization while building strength and speed. Simply bound from one leg to another and try to cover as much ground as possible with every step.
3. Landmine Row
This exercise focuses mainly on your back and shoulder muscles and is deemed to be more effective than regular bench press in building back muscles. Fasten one end of the barbell with a specialized rope attachment near the plates. Assume a 45 degree forward bend from the waist and pull the weight up taking your elbows in a backward motion. Lower the weight till arms are fully stretched and repeat.
4. Dumbbell Bench Press
This amazing workout focuses on your shoulder, biceps and chest muscles. The regular barbell bench press fails at developing strength in both arms and is always associated with workout related injuries. The dumbbell bench press is same as the barbell bench press save the use of dumbbells instead of a barbell. Simply lay on the bench and using two dumbbells in each arm extend the arms to the roof and bring them back towards the chest in a controlled movement.
5. Russian Twist
Perhaps the most renowned workouts for most NFL players, the Russian Twist increases ones throwing velocity while maintaining muscle control to avoid injuries. It also focuses on building the strength and resistance of your spine and abdominal muscles. Simply sit on the ground, knee-bent with just the heels touching the ground. Holding the med ball at chest level with both hands rotate left and right while touching the ball to the ground on every twist.
6. Side Plank
The work out focuses mainly on the obliques and builds extra strength in the lower back. This exercise is deemed the most helpful for the quarterbacks who need strong obliques to execute a throw and run as fast as possible. To perform a side plank, simply lie sideways and elevate the body with the support of your elbow. Raise the elbow and the right foot and hold. Repeat in coordinated succession on both sides to build and strengthen the lower back muscles.
While becoming a professional American football player requires several hours of work out and playing in the field, the above mentioned exercises are taken straight from the NFL body building rulebooks. A muscular yet agile body is a must for professional football players along with high stamina and endurance, and these workouts will make sure you appear like an unstoppable panzer on the field. For more information on workouts and the New Jersey Football Camp, please visit Qbrfootballcamp.com
Author Bio:
Luke Peters is a sports enthusiast and follows several sports from across the globe. He is an avid reader of sports related magazines and books and is also the current contributor for Qbrfootballcamp.com. Rohit has also written several articles on sports and fitness across several blogs and websites on the internet.