By Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle magazine June 2013
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There is nothing more near and dear to my heart that training for strength, power and speed. It enables you to gain muscle along with perform and look your best all at the same time. If you’re looking to be better at a sport such as football, baseball, soccer, rugby, Women’s Tri Fitness or any other sport of an anaerobic nature there is a version of CF with a twist of power. If you’re one of those athletes CrossFit Football may be just the program for you.
Unlike the traditional sport of CrossFit which has higher volumes, more endurance and focuses on being prepared for both the known and unknowable through not specializing CFFB focuses on heavier weights and a lesser volume of conditioning. It is a strength and conditioning program designed for not only football players but participants in almost any anaerobic sport. It is also popular with those people that just want to look good and be more than just a little functional in their weekend recreation. So even if you are not a professional athlete this program is geared at putting on size, gaining strength and making you one powerful mother. Who doesn’t want to look, feel and perform their best?
Similar to mainstream CF the focus of the program is functional movements performed at high intensities but they simulate the demands placed on an athlete during a sporting event. Anaerobic games are of seconds and inches; with that in mind the stresses and situations a player will face on the field are replicated in the training. By combing high intensity movements with a comprehensive strength and speed program, the results are unparalleled.
The programming is designed by NFL players along with some of the top coaches in the world and has been used to compete at the highest level of professional sports. The beauty of the program is that it was also designed to work for all players regardless of age or experience. Just like in mainstream CF the loads, distances, times, intensity and programming can be scaled to meet the needs of athletes at all levels of training advancement. Any athlete or person for that matter needs to be strong in body, mind and heart. He (she) needs to be fast and explosive and able to perform when tired and exhausted whether on the field or in the game of life.
Let’s take a look at the specifics of this type of training:
The strength & conditioning is based on 5 days a week with 2 “rest” days. Depending upon the particular sport of the participant one of those days and/or Sat’s are usually spent on the specifics of the sport and/or field work. The program is divided into an on/off season for those involved in a sport.
The lifts or movements are basic: squats (back, front and oh), presses (oh, bench, push presses and push jerks), deadlifts, pull ups and chin ups, power cleans, power snatches and variations of each in the collegiate and professional levels.
There are assistance exercises programmed into the lifting portion and/or the metabolic conditioning portion
Strength days are usually Mon/Tue/Thurs/Fri with Wed off; Sat’s are a met con or sport specific work and Sundays off. Athletes in varying sports arrange to suit needs/schedules/seasons.
There are 3 levels—Amateur, Collegiate and Professional
Amateur refers to an athlete just starting to train regardless of age and through 1 year of consistent training.
Collegiate refers to an athlete with 1 + to 3 years of training experience.
Professional refers to an athlete with several years of training that is so advanced that linear improvement of strength no longer works. As a result more complex programming is needed to make gains.
There are usually 2 workouts for each day; a strength training aspect (SWOD) and a daily workout or metabolic conditioning component (DWOD). The strength is performed before the daily wod. On Saturdays there is only a daily wod option but many opt for sport specific skills/field work. If a player is in season a different version of the workout is performed as not to interfere with games or cause overtraining. The met cons tend to be sub 15 min and the sweet spot is 9-12 min. They include violent hip extension, change of direction and multi planar and full body movements.
This brings us back to WAYTF (what are you training for)? If your sport has short bursts of high power, repeat; if you want to be bigger, stronger, faster and more capable and take your sport or life in general to the a more powerful level CFFB may be just what you are looking for. For more info check out www.crossfitfootball.com
