12 Week Christian Thibadeau Offseason Football Workout
PHASE 1 - ''NEURAL REWIRING'' TOWARD A MORE EXPLOSIVE PROFILE Duration: 4 to 6 weeks
Split: Monday: Lower body Tuesday: Upper body Wednesday: OFF Thursday: Whole body Friday: OFF Saturday: Whole body Sunday: OFF
MONDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max) A. Jumping onto a box in front 3-4 sets of 5 jumps B. Jumping onto a box to your left 3-4 sets of 5 jumps C. Jumping onto a box to your right 3-4 sets of 5 jumps D. Jumping onto a box behind you 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER A1. Broad jumping - 5 jumps per set A2. Romanian deadlift - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.
B1. Vertical jumping - 5 jumps per set B2. Front squat - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 se ts. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.
C1. Lunge jump (switch legs in the air) - 3 jumps per leg per set C2. Lunges (alternate leg on every rep) - sets of 4 reps per leg. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same l oad for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 3045 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.
D1. Ankle jumps - 10 reps per set D2. Standing calves raise - 6 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.
TUESDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max) A. Plyo push-ups hands on bench 3-4 sets of 5 projecti ons B. Medicine ball throwdown 3-4 sets of 5 throws C. Medicine ball throw from chest 3-4 sets of 5 throws
SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER A1. Speed DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 40-50% of your max with as much speed as possible A2. Bench press - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same l oad for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 se ts. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.
B1. Speed bent over DB rowing (alternate arm on each rep) - 5 reps per arm per set B2. Bent over barbell row - se ts of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.
C1. Medicine ball throw from chest on incline bench - 5 throws per set C2. Incline bench press - sets of 5. U se 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 se ts. 30-45 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.
D1. Medicine ball throw overhead (push press style) - 5 throws per set D2. Standing DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.
THURSDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Hold a pair of light DB in the starting position of a shoulder press; jump onto a box, when you land do an explosive DB shoulder press - 3-4 sets of 5 reps
B. 1-arm DB snatch - 3-4 sets of 3 reps per arm
SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER TRAINING A1. Top-half back squat from pins - ramp up to a max force set of 3 reps A2. Vertical jump - 5 jumps per set. 30-45 seconds between exercises.
B1. Top-half deadlift (just above knees) from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps
B2. Broad jump - 5 jumps per set
C1. Top-half incline bench press from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps C2. Plyo push-ups hand on bench - 5 projections per set
D. Chin-ups (or fatman pull-ups if not strong enough) - 3-4 sets pf max reps
SATURDAY
SECTION A - POWER CIRCUIT A1. Jump onto a box in front - 5 reps A2. Plyo-push up hands on bench - 5 reps A3. Speed back squat - 3 reps at 40-50% A4. Push press - 3 reps at 60-70% A5. Fatman pull-up - 5 reps with max speed
- Rest a maximum of 25 seconds between stations. - Perform anywhere from 6 to 12 circuit... stop when speed and explosiveness starts to degrade - If one exercise becomes slower but the others are fine, drop the exercise that is slowing down and keep performing the others. PHASE II - STRENGTH AND SIZE FOCUS I DURATION: 4 to 6 weeks
TRAINING SPLIT: Monday: Squat & quads Tuesday: Vertical push & pull
Wednesday: OFF Thursday: Deadlift & hips Friday: OFF Saturday: Horizontal push & pull Sunday: OFF
MONDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Jump onto a box in front - 3-4 sets of 5 jumps B. Jump squat (20% body weight) - 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
SECTION B - SIZE & STRENGTH A. Front squat - sets of 5 reps - start at roughly 50-60% and ramp up to max force point for 5 reps
B. Back squat - sets of 5 reps - ramping, start where you ended the front front squat and work up to max force for 5 reps
C. Top half back squat (slightly above 90 degree s)- ramping, start where you ended the full back squat and ramp up to max force for 5
D. Back squat - 1 set of max reps with 80% of the top weight you reached on the full back squat
TUESDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION
A. Medicine ball toss overhead (push press fashion) - 3-4 sets of 5 throws B. Medicine ball slam - 3-4 sets of 5 thr ows
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE A. Standing military press - sets of 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and ramp up to max force point for 5 reps
B. Push press - ramping, start where you e nded the military press and ramp up to max force for 5 reps
C. Incline bench press - 3 sets of m ax reps with what you ended up with on the push press
*IMPORTANT: After every set of exercises A, B and C perform a set of pull-ups... perform about 2/3 of the number of your max reps (e.g. if you can do 10 pull-ups do sets of roughly 6 re ps)
D1. Preacher curl - 3-4 sets of 6 reps
D2. Seated overhead DB triceps extension - 3-4 sets of 6 reps (superset D1 and D2)
THURSDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Broad jumps - 3-4 sets of 5 jumps B. 1-arm DB snatch - ramping sets of 3 reps per arm
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE
A. Power high pull (lift bar up to sternum) - sets of 3 reps, start at r oughly 50-60% and work up to max force for 3 reps
B. Power low pull (light bar up to belly button) - ramping, start where the high pull ended, work up to the max force set for 3 reps
C. Deadlift - ramping, start where the low pull ended and work up to the max force set for 3 reps
D. Top half deadlift in rack (just above knees) - start where the deadlift ended and work up to the max force set for 3 reps
SATURDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Plyo push-up - 3-4 sets of 5 reps B. Medicine ball throw from chest - 3-4 sets of 5 reps
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE
A. Close-grip bench press - sets of 5 reps , start at roughly 50-60% work up to max force set for 5 reps
B. Bench press - sets of 5 reps, start where you ended the close-grip bench and work up to max force set for 5 reps
C. Top half bench press in rack (6-8" from chest) - start where you ended the bench work up to max force set for 5 reps
*IMPORTANT: After *every* set of exe cises A, B and C perform one set of 5 reps on any horizontal rowing movement
D1. Standing DB hammer curl - 3-4 sets of 6 reps
D2. Lying DB triceps extension - 3-4 sets of 6 reps (superset D1 and D2) PHASE III - STRENGTH AND SIZE FOCUS II DURATION: 4 to 6 weeks
Training split: Monday: 1 whole-body lift + Vertical push/pull Tuesday: Lower body Wednesday: OFF Thursday: 1 whole-body lift + horizontal push/pull Friday: Arms Saturday: Power circuit Sunday: OFF
MONDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A1. Depth jumps - 3-4 sets of 5 reps A2. Plyo push-up - 3-4 sets of 5 re ps A3. Medicine ball slam - 3-4 sets of 5 reps
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE
A. Power clean & push press - sets of 3 reps, start with roughly 50-60% and ramp up to max force set for 3 reps
B1. Standing DB shoulder press - 4-6 sets of 5 reps
B2. Chin-up parallel grip - 4-6 sets of 5 reps (add weight if needed)... 30-45 sec. of re st between both exercises
C1. Incline bench press - 4-6 sets of 5 reps
C2. Chin-up pronated grip - 4-6 sets of 5 reps (add weight if needed) ... 30-45 sec. of rest between both exercises
D1. Dips (no weight) - 4 sets, stop 2 re ps short of failure
D2. Chin-up supinated grip (no weight) - 4 sets, stop 2 reps short of failure
TUESDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Jump on to a box in front - 3-4 sets of 5 reps B. Jump on to a box behind you - 3-4 sets of 5 reps C. Broad jump - 3-4 sets of 5 reps
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE A. Sumo deadlift - 3 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and ramp up to max force set for 3 reps
B. Front squat - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and ramp up to max force set for 3 reps
C. Bulgarian split squat (no weight) - 3 sets, stop 2 reps short of failure
D. Glute-ham raise (back hyperextension if you don't have GHR) - 3 sets, stop 2 reps short of failure
THURSDAY
SECTION A - ACTIVATION A. Medicine ball throw from chest - 3-4 se ts of 5 reps B. Speed 1-arm row - 3-4 sets of as many reps as you can in 15 seconds
SECTION B - STRENGTH & SIZE A. Power snatch from the hang - 3 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to max force set for 3 reps
B1. Bench press - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps
B2. Bent-over barbell rowing - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps. 30-45 seconds between both exercises
C1. Push-ups - 3 sets, stop 2 reps short of failure
C2. Fatman pull-up - 3 sets, stop 2 reps shor t of failure
FRIDAY
SECTION A - STRENGTH & SIZE
A1. Top half close-grip bench press - 5 reps, star t at roughly 50-60% and work up to max force set for 5 reps
A2. Preacher curl - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps. 30-45 seconds between both exercises
B1. Lying DB triceps extension - 5 reps , start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps.
B2. Standing DB hammer curl - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps. 30-45 seconds between both exercises
C1. Overhead DB triceps extension (one DB for both hands) - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps.
C2. Standing reverse-grip EZ bar curl - 5 reps, start at roughly 50-60% and work up to a max force set for 5 reps. 30-45 seconds between both exercises
SATURDAY
SECTION A - POWER CIRCUIT A1. Power clean (70-75%) 3 reps A2. Speed bench press (40-50%) 5 reps A3. Jump squat (20% bodyweight) 5 reps A4. Medicine ball slam 5 reps
* Perform circuit 9-12 times... drop an exercise if it stops being explosive... 15-30 seconds between exercises. PHASE IV- POWER DURATION: 4 to 6 weeks
Training split: Monday: Lower body I Tuesday: Upper body I Wednesday: OFF Thursday: Lower body II Friday: OFF Saturday: Upper body II Sunday: OFF
MONDAY
A1. Jump on to a box in front - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A2. Depth jumps for height (jump straight up)- 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A3. Jump squat (25% of bodyweight) - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A4. Power clean from hang - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
A5. Front squat - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
* Perform as a circuit with 60-75 seconds between stations
TUESDAY
A1. Medicine ball throw from chest - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A2. Plyo push up hands on bench - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A3. Speed bench press (50%) - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A4. Push press - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
A5. Bench press - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
* Perform as a circuit with 60-75 seconds between station
THURSDAY
A1. Broad jumps - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A2. Depth jumps for distance (jump forward) - 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A3. Jump goodmorning (15% bodyweight)- 5-7 sets of 5 reps
A4. Power snatch from hang - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
A5. Deadlift - 5-7 sets of 3 reps
* Perform as a circuit with 60-75 seconds between station
SATURDAY
A. Bent over barbell rowing - sets of 3 reps, start at 50-60% and ramp up to max force set for 3
B. Chin-up supinated grip - 4 sets of max reps
C. Barbell shrugs - sets of 5 reps, start at 50-60% and ramp up to max force set for 5
D. Bent over lateral raise - 3-5 sets of 8 reps
PHASE 1
Split: Monday: Lower body + short sprints (acceleration) Tuesday: Upper body Wednesday: OFF Thursday: Whole body + GPP work Friday: OFF Saturday: Whole body + running technique Sunday: OFF
SHORT SPRINTS: - Agility drills (footing, cones drills for 10-15 min) - position starts (5yds) 10 reps with 30-45 sec. re st - deadstart acceleration (10yds) 10 reps with 60-75 sec. rest - flying 10 (tempo running for 20yds gradually increasing speed, at the 20yds mark sprint all-out for 10yds) 5 reps with 60-75 sec. rest
GPP WORK: - WRs and CBs: metabolic route running (go through all the basic routes... do one route, job back to starting position, do the next one, jog back, e tc.), rest and repeat for 30 min.
- LBs, Safeties and DEs: medley tire flip and prowler push... something like push the prowler for 20yds, flip the tire 5 times, rest and repeat for 30 min
- OLs and DTs: Medley prowler push and sled drag... something like 20yds prowlder, come back with the sled (also 20yds) rest and repeat for 30 min.
- RBs and TEs: I would recommend doing all three of the preceding GPPs but at the third of the volume (i.e. 10min each).
- QBs: sign autographs, hit on the cheerleader s, play poker with the kickers.
RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Agility work (footing and cone drills for 15 min) - 4 x 20yds ... fast first 10yds, then 7 0% for other 10yds - 4 x flying 20 ... slowly build-up speed over the first 20yds (so that you are roughly at 80% after 20) then maintain speed for 20yds - 4 x acceleration 20 ... maximum sprint for 20yds then drop down to 70% form running for 2 0yds - 4 x 40yds at 70%
