Football season has just ended and you’ve quickly realized that you’re only half the man you were in August. Losing 10–20 lbs during the football season is typical for most high school and small college athletes. But you’re not typical.
You’re done licking your wounds and are ready to get back in the weight room and begin construction on the machine that will lead you to victory next season. You’ve decided that football is the world to you, and you’ve forgone all other “filler sports” during your off-season. You will concentrate single mindedly on getting massive, strong, and super fast.
Next year, you will be older, perhaps in a bigger program, and twice the athlete you were last season. You need to get bigger, you need to get stronger, and you need to get faster. I’m going to show you how.
This article is part one of a series. Who is this series written for? It’s written for high school and college football players who need to get massive and strong for next season. If you’re skinny and weak and want “strap up” and play nose guard next year, this series is for you. If you’re a “Neon Deion” wanna-be and would rather stay skinny and avoid tackling your opponents so that you look good with all those wristbands around your puny arms, this series is NOT for you.
It’s also for those athletes looking to play at the “next level.” If you are a high school football player going to college or a JUCO player moving up to D1, this series will be your guide to your “next level” success. The athletes at the “next level” are bigger than you, meaner than you, and
faster than you. Let this series be your sling-shot against Goliath. Football coaches and parents who don’t know what the heck to do with their skinny, weak little punks may also find this series of interest. They’ve tried sending them to the YMCA only to find that the membership dues have given them a lesson in how to spot breast implants and tip over vending machines. They need a system and some guidance on how to squeeze every bit of potential out of their “little tigers.” They can print this series, roll it up, and use it as a “whacking paddle” when their athletes give them less than 100 percent.
So let’s rock!
Stinkin’ attitude
Attitude is the driving force behind this program. The techniques contained in it come from a variety of sources, but the only source that really matters is the one beating in your OWN chest. No one can give this to you. You must seek and use it on your own. I’ve trained several athletes who are physically gifted but never amounted to very much because of a lack-luster
attitude. I have also worked with athletes who were not super strong or fast by nature but excelled in their sport due to a championship attitude.
Now, when I speak of attitude, it isn’t the same attitude that your parents, teachers, church leaders, or mentors refer to. This generally conjures up ideas of a “nice young man” with his hair neatly combed to the side sitting upright in a church pew. When I speak about attitude, I’m referring to the rebel that spits in the face of convention because he’d rather die than be average. He despises the mediocrity that he sees around him and is willing to stand out (if he must) to make sure that his life is different.
Most people you know are sheep, and they are just following all of the other sheep off of the cliff. They may look OK right now or even for a few years, perhaps well into adulthood. However, they are going to fall and fall hard because most people follow each other rather than their hearts.
Most people are cowards. Notice that I didn’t say “afraid.” Everyone is afraid at one time or another, but cowards run away from their fears. This isn’t for you. You do what your heart tells you to do no matter what or how crazy it may seem to others. There is another word that I want you to remember. It is the foundation on which your attitude stands. The word is…
Responsibility
Again, I don’t mean this word in the conventional sense, such as making sure you take the trash out on time or snitching when your see someone cheating on a test. When I use the word “responsibility,” I’m speaking about holding yourself 100 percent responsible for all of the results in your life.
We live in a time when everyone is looking to blame someone or something else. Ether you’re too black or you’re too white, too fast or too slow, too short or too tall. You can blame your genetics, your parents, teachers, coaches, and even God. Just watch TV. Fat people blame the fast food restaurants for their fatness, smokers blame the cigarette companies for their smoking, and people blame their kids and boss for their depression or even their so-called chemical imbalances.
I accept none of this. I believe that everything that happens to you—good or bad—is a result of some choice that you have made in the past. Sure, freak things happen like accidents. However, even then, you have a choice about how you’re going to react to it. You can fold up, get depressed, or start drinking or doing drugs. Or you can “man up” and turn your tragedy into triumph. Join a wheelchair basketball league or dodge ball team! Just get up. It’s your choice. It’s your responsibility.
You want to be stronger, you want to win more games, and you want your team to respect your wishes to “not party” during the in-season. Whatever it is that you want, you can get if, and only if, you take full responsibility for the results or your reaction to it. “Within a desire is the seed for its creation.” You create your life.
Choose to be a victor, not a victim. And notice when those options are being presented. Most people aren’t willing to take responsibility for themselves because of one simple and very sneaky behavior—laziness. Most people are downright lazy and in various forms. They would much rather be victims of their circumstances than take the time to look at what they have done to create their situation or how they can change their behaviors to create a better future.
How to be a beast in the weight room
I sum it up with on phrase—turn off your brain. I learned this trick when my college buddies used to come and train with me and my brother in our basement during the summers. One day, we were performing back squats for reps, and I told everyone that I had an idea. My idea was to continue performing reps beyond what we normally did (8–12) to see how many we could do. The way we were going to make this happen was by reminding the guy performing the set to turn off his brain when he got tired.
The results were amazing! What would normally be a 15 rep set turned into a 25–30 rep set! Why did this happen? Because when you remind yourself to turn your brain off, you destroy two things. The first is the ego. That little voice telling you what you should or shouldn’t do or the remnants of your mommy’s voice saying, “my poor baby is going to get hurt, come here let me
kiss you.” The next is inhibition. This again is a little voice warning you that you’re getting out of your comfort zone and that it may be scary out there. This voice is not you friend. He aims to keep you mediocre, normal, and sane.
Remember this—the same old thing equals the same old thing. You’ve got to get uncomfortable if you want to be the best! Discomfort will become your friend because it is a reminder that you are getting better. Something new is on its way. You've got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.
Shut your brain off whenever you hear a voice tell you that you can’t, that it’s too dangerous, or you’re not smart enough or good enough. Sure, your body can get tired, but a heart full of intensity of purpose never grows tired.
Scream and shout when you train! I do. That’s why I train in a warehouse hidden deep in the Florida swamps. When we train, we make so much noise that alligators run away afraid. Why do you think Bruce Lee made all of those wild Kung Fu noises when he was kicking some poor guy’s butt?
Don’t be afraid to make noise, literally and figuratively. Shut your brain off and do what needs to be done. Notice when the ego or momma’s voice gets in your way. Then shut them out fast (sorry mom). Know exactly what you want, keep your thoughts focused on it, and be thankful for it as if it were already at hand.
Stay tuned for part two—eat iron and lift food.
Elliott Hulse is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and owner of Strength Camp, a sports performance service in St. Petersburg Florida. He trains athletes to get stronger and faster in a “warehouse gym” with about $1000 worth of equipment. Lean more about Elliott and get his “Top 10 Gym Exercises for Explosive Football Speed” by visiting http://www.FootballStrengthProgram.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.