One Powerful Athlete

Forging Powerful Athletes: 9 Basic Functional Movements

• Squat
• Front Squat
• Overhead Squat
• Bench Press
• Press
• Push Press
• Push Jerk
• Deadlift
• Power Clean

Why these movements?

• The Squat is the cornerstone of every football player’s power. Football is played using the legs. A player goes from a loaded position and explodes upon the snap of the ball. This loaded or coiled position requires the legs to be able to travel through ROM and explode on contact. Strength is the biggest ally of this process. A player can develop his legs, gain size, strength and explosion and violently generate force through training the Back Squat. 

• The Front Squat is the training exercise of the Clean. It teaches a player to squat with a vertical back. It promotes hip flexibility and the ability to support load in a frontal plane. It teaches explosion in that if the player cannot generate force through the hips he cannot complete the lift. Different than the Back Squat where a player can lean at the waist to incorporate more back and finish a lift, if a player leans forward in the front squat the weight will “dump”. This is an excellent lift and some consider it better than a Back Squat. Why is it not better? Because through the back squat, a player can handle more weight thus recruiting more muscle and training overall strength more efficiently.

• It has been said you can tell a lot about an athlete by how he Overhead Squats. This is a true statement. It is a marker for athleticism and flexibility. The ability to reach a squatted position with a weight held overhead is not an easy task. The ability to activate a player’s shoulders to support the weight and the flexibility and strength to complete the lift are a show of strength and athletic nature. This could be considered the vertical jump of the various squats. The vertical jump has long been considered the mark of an athlete. The Overhead Squat would be the marker for lifts.

• Bench Press is considered a body builder move and not considered functional. Maybe due to legions of guys at Gold’s Gym doing bench press with chrome weights is why this move is not considered “functional” in the crossfit community. However, while this thought might have merit, very few lifts are as functional in sport as benching is to football. In a game where a player is required to use his hands to extend a defender or block, the bench press is vital. This movement builds a large strong chest and excellent for shoulder stability if coached correctly. Much like the squat if not done properly it can be damaging. No other movement has as much function for day-to-day survival playing in the “trenches” than the Bench Press.

• The Press is taught for overall strength and the ability to support the shoulder through full range of motion (ROM). Start with the weight on a player’s frontal deltoids and drive with the shoulders pressing the weight to overhead. This demonstrates strength through a full range and creates powerful strong shoulders. It will work in conjunction with the bench press to increase overall size and strength.

• Push Press teaches an athlete to recruit power from their hips. Much like the Press the athlete starts with the load on the frontal deltoid then explosively rebounds their hips through a full ROM and comes to extension overhead. This teaches proper hip function and athleticism. Proper hip function is the largest deciding factor when looking at those players that are successful on the field. In high school size is the largest deciding factor in who is successful but once the player reaches a professional level where age, size and strength are consistent, hip function and the ability to generate violent force through a full ROM is the deciding factor in who makes it and who does not.

• Push Jerk is the second part of the Clean and Jerk movement. This movement teaches the player to activate his hips and drive through to full extension and re-bend to catch the weight in a squatted position. It teaches a player how to explode through his hips and generate power in a short time period. The movement is done quickly and violently and has correlation to a player exploding his hips upon contact to make a hit or make a tackle. Hip function is vital to a player’s ability to be successful on the field. A vertical jump also demonstrates an athlete’s ability to generate force in a vertical plane. A push jerk demands the same task from a player except with weight and a vertical movement by the shoulders.

• Deadlift is functional much like the back squat because it incorporates a total body movement. It recruits large muscles to pull big weights from a “dead” position to a standing position. It teaches an athlete to start at the bottom of a movement and under load pull to full extension. This movement is as vital to football as any movement.

• Power Clean – One of the fastest movements in sport, the Clean is used for explosion and violent movement. Much like the push jerk and front squat it requires a player to generate power from the hips. A player starts with an active hip and he travels into triple extension generating force in a vertical plane. Much like the vertical jump and push jerk it forces the athlete to move dynamically. This vertical dynamic movement is vital to football success.