Absence Explanation

Hey Guys,

Sorry you haven't heard a lot from me recently. I was in the process of moving, so it took me a while to get back into the swing of things. Then I guess I worked out a little too hard and tweaked something in my pelvis. The next day, it was sore but fine. Then I bent over and felt a sharp pain and I could barely stand up. I basically spent the next 2 days on my back, and I'm still rehabbing whatever happened. And of course this is happening during a clerical lapse in my insurance coverage.

Agility Day

Today is a very short workout, but it is incredibly important. We are focusing on the 20 yard shuttle which is second only to the 40 in importance for combine tests. Because I will be running 40s again early this week, the sets and reps are EXTREMELY fluid and I will be stopping at the earliest signs of fatigue.

Vertical Jumps

20 Yard Shuttle

Pass coverage drills

Actually, the pass coverage drills are very important as well because they are more specific to what a football player does on the field. The scout or coach gets to see exactly how well you move in a situation that involves visual cues. Even more, the scouts get to see how good your hands are and what your game speed is like.

Lastly, I'm going to post my favorite workout song of all time. Hopefully the embed works on here?

Phase 4 - Week 2 - Day 4 Plus Diet Info

Today's workout:

Sub-Max Bench 2x1

225 Bench for Reps 3xmax

Chinup 4x6

L Lateral Raise to External Rotation 4x12

Standing Cable Chop 2x12

Standing Cable Lift 2x12

Today's workout will be focused on upper body which is nothing special, so I will take a few lines to breakdown my nutrition...

I am trying to lose weight without sacrificing energy for workouts or any muscle mass, so I have to do it SLOWLY. I am aiming for 0.5 lbs fat loss per week. I am keeping protein constant at 280 grams every day. During a fat loss phase, protein actually needs to increase to keep nitrogen balance positive for as much of the day as possible. Fat is around 100 grams per day, and then the amount of carbohydrates depends on how hard my workout is for the day. Running workouts tend to be the hardest, so on those days I include grains which I actually measure and weigh out EVERYTHING on these days. Otherwise, I would go overboard. Other days I simply eat as many fruits and vegetables as I want on top of lean meats and nuts both of which I keep a close eye on. The calories end up coming out between 3000 and 3600 in the end, and it has been working well. I am slowly losing weight, but my energy levels are still high.

New Workout

I didn't want to flood the new blog with tons of posts, so today's will be covering yesterday's and today's workout.

Yesterday I worked on broad jump, 40, and 3 cone drill. All reps were done with full recovery:

Broad Jump x10

20 Yard Dash x8

3 Cone Drill until fatigue (when time decreases for 2 reps in a row)

You might notice that this is very low volume. The point of these reps is to have perfect, maximum-effort practice. My 40 seems to be coming along pretty well, but I really need to work on my start. I had 1 or 2 perfect starts and the rest were not very explosive. I suck at broad jump and I always have. I was getting around 9 feet, but should be getting more than 10. The 3 cone drill was very fun to work on.

The combine gurus (like Defranco and Parisi) figured out that to minimize time and number of steps in the 3 cone drill, the first 5 yards need to be covered in 3 steps (4 including the plant leg) and the second 5 yards need to be covered in 2 steps (3 with plant), and in order to touch with your right hand, you have to start in a left handed stance which is incredibly awkward for me. Furthermore, if you can make the 3rd leg in 2 true steps, then you cut into the 3rd turn (which is 90 degrees) with your left and outside foot which is a faster/easier cut and sets up the rest of the drill to be run perfectly. This is really fun to figure out and mess with for me. The technique practice is almost as important as the raw athleticism. The switch to a left handed stance alone can take 0.3s off of a 3-cone drill which is ridiculous.

Todays workout will be a light one as I need to save my legs:

Barbell Step Ups: 4x6

Light Pass Coverage Drills

Ab work

Goals and Sprint Day

First, thanks for the encouragement so far!

I have a couple of goals as far as training goes and where I want it to take me. I love this type of training and haven't been able to do it since the injury, so my first goal is/was to simply get back into amazing football shape. Simply, I want to be able to run, squat, and powerclean without worrying about having a relapse.

My second goal is to see how far I can get into playing again. There are tons of options for this ranging from semi-pro ball to the NFL. In between those, there is AFL, AFL2, UFL, and the CFL. Numbers wise, I would actually be a top performer at the NFL combine this year, but I haven't played in years AND would be switching positions. In the words of one agent, "If you are a freak of nature and you're lucky, you MIGHT get picked up for a practice squad."

I am actually attending a secondary combine (which may or may not be a scam? www.combines.com) at the end of this month. I have 4 weeks left including this week, and my numbers are as follows:

Position: S

Weight: 220

Height: 6'2"

20 Yd Shuttle: 4.19

3 Cone Drill: 6.98

40 Yd Dash: 4.56

Vertical: 32"

225 Bench: 23

It ALL needs work, but these were all first attempts, so we will see what happens. Most importantly I am having quite a bit of fun training!

Thanks again guys, and I will update again soon with more!

Blog Purpose - Train Harder

Hey what's up guys?

I wanted to start this blog as I am on a journey towards my big football comeback. I was struck down with an injury a few years ago, but I am working my butt off to try to get back into it. I will chronicle workouts, nutrition, and update you on the progress.

-Beastly