Starting Strength(Wichita Falls Novice) for Football Offesason Training

[WWFBC10]

Any suggestions or I have I messed up beyond all hope of being saved?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Just carry on. You seem to understand.

[Beau Bryant]

This may be a mistake but I will give it a go. This is so easy it makes my head hurt. First, you need to by the books. ALL OF THEM. It will get you on the right path. Please, buy the books.

I have done this a few times and am currently doing it for a local football team and now their basketball team. I will give a few details of how I did it but really, it's all in the book.

First I met with coach. Explained what I was going to do. Explained that I would not condition or work speed and agility. At this point you better have a good understanding of what will happen and why they cannot do this stuff early in the off season. Your success or failure will depend on this discussion and your ability to convince him that you know what your talking about.

Next I met in early December with parents and players. I again explained what was going to happen and had about an hour long discussion on food, sleep, and consistency. Again, you better know what your talking about and convince them.

We started at the end of December. I took small groups of kids each week. Taught them the lifts and found their starting weights. weighed them and began tracking body weight increases every couple weeks. They have done nothing but SS novice programming since.

Here is a quick look at a couple of the kids and one from last year.

Cordell started at the end of December. He is 17 years old, 6'4" and started at 205 pounds body weight. Here he is in mid March at 250 pounds body weight and Squatting 370 for his last set of 3x5. He made it to 385 for 3x5 before spring break. We have reset them after spring break and he will be over 400 pounds for 3 sets of 5 by May.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fspt...layer_embedded

Here is Matt. He has gained 20 pounds. Matt is a sophomore and weighs in at about 170 pounds I think. Our goal is around 200 pounds by August. Here he is on his 3rd set of 5 at 305 pounds.

http://youtu.be/-Kpx7O4qGME

I don't video tape them all but we have plenty of kids doing nearly the same thing.

This is one of our players from last year at 16 years old. He gained 30 pounds. This is 350 for his 3rd set of 5. He had an amazing season and of course we did not do anything but SS novice right up until the day before his first practice. I think this was filmed the day before his first 2 a day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjx_a...layer_embedded

This kind of strength gain will do more than any speed and agility you can come up with at this stage. Once you get them big and strong then you can start working the specific stuff next year.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Excellent, BJB.

[Shaun]

BJB, some of your 16 year old athletes are already stronger than many professional rugby players here in the UK, it seems. Excellent job.

[slowjoe]

BJB, some of your 16 year old athletes are already stronger than many professional rugby players here in the UK, it seems. Excellent job.

Really? I'm interested in this. I saw an article that said that everyone in Ospreys could power-clean 90kg or more. One of the PTs in my gym played for Saracens, and said that Andrew Sheridan (an England international who is famously a beast of a man for the USians), was "jump-squatting" (I assume dynamic-effort squatting) 220-230kg. That's the high end covered, but the low end is equally interesting.

Do you have a source for squatting strength of rugby pros in the UK?

[WWFBC10]

Just made the purchase of SSBT3 and PP2. I am now on my way to barbell enlightenment! No more piecing bits together from the interwebz!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Well, fuck me and my patience. Hadn't even read the fucking books.

[WWFBC10]

I have read the original SSBBT back in college(gift from dad), but had not read updated SSBBT 2 or 3 and have never read PPST. Sorry I have failed you Rip!