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5 Immediate Strategies to Build A Better Lineman

Mobility – There are certain joints that must be mobile in order for the body to get in certain positions and function properly. For instance, the ankle joint, hip joint, and thoracic spine must be mobile. It makes no sense to tape your ankles if you do not do anything to improve your ankle mobility. The taping of the ankle will restrict the mobility of the ankles and cause the body to attempt to make the knee mobile. That is a knee injury waiting to happen.

Nutritional Plan- Meals have to be in the natural state without added preservatives. If your food has more than three ingredients most likely there are numerous chemicals added to it. Foods that are packaged in boxes are notorious for numerous chemical preservatives. Most of these chemicals most people pronounce. The occasional splurge is not a problem, but a majority of your food should be healthy. A high body fat percentage will only slow you down and make you tired quicker.

Medicine Ball Drills- This is a vey way easy and inexpensive way to work on your lower body explosion or upper body explosion. You can throw the medicine ball in multiple directions to make sure your body development is balanced. You can use it alone by throwing it against a wall. It is very similar to the punching movement often used by lineman. A must have tool in my book.

Myofascial Release – A great way to make sure the quality of your muscle tissue is improved in less than 10 minutes. Blood flow to your muscles will improve increasing the repair and nourishment of your muscles. Also, a muscle with knots in it is hard to move, but moves freely when the knots are removed. Buy a foam roller which is only $10 and use it before your training sessions and on off days.

Flexibility- Most linemen are very large which can hinder their flexibility, but improving flexibility in certain areas can create optimal range of motion. A lineman has to be able to squat down in certain positions. We use active isolated stretching through the use of a band. We only hold each stretch for 2 seconds and contract the opposite muscle we are stretching. This method has been designed to not lose any power in the muscle by relaxing the muscle for extended periods of time.

Dwight Stephenson