Cardinal Football 2008 Summer Workout 

Linemen
May 12-25
May 26-June 15
June 16-June 29
July 7-27
July 28-August 10

Skill Positions
May 12-25
May 26-June 15
June 16-June 29
July 7-27
July 28-August 10

Workout Descriptions
Warm Up
Linear Speed and Agility
Pillars

A Letter from Coach Pedersen
Men,
Here are a few quick notes about your summer workout programs. 

The program is set up for four days per week.  You will get the best results if you lift Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

There is one scheduled week off for the summer.  It is scheduled for the week of July 4^th, but you can move it to another week if need be, just make sure you only take one week off.

There is a different workout for the linemen than for everyone else.  Offensive linemen and interior defensive linemen should be the only ones doing the linemen workouts.  Defensive ends should be doing the skill workout along with everyone else.

Order is very important in this workout.  You will get the best results if you complete the workout in the proper order.  Start with the warm up, jumping rope and overhead squat with only the weight of the bar.  Next move to the agility or sprint part of the workout.  After that you should be on the strength part of the workout.  Make sure to do the lifts in the proper order as well.  The first lift will always be an explosive, Olympic lift, so it should be performed by itself.  There will be thick black double-lines grouping the next two lifts together.  You should superset these two lifts.  For example, if the two lifts are bench press and RDL, do a set of bench press followed by a set of RDL and continue alternating the lifts.  Once you have finished all sets of bench press and RDL, move on to the next set of lifts.  Once the strength portion of the workout is completed, finish the workout with your pillar or abs workout. 

Using proper weight is also very important.  The more technical lifts such as hang clean and hang snatch should be done with a lighter weight initially, until you are comfortable with your technique.  Once your technique is improved, you should be able to move up in weight rapidly.  It is also important to keep the weight lower initially with your squats.  I would rather see a lighter weight with proper technique on squats (ex. getting to parallel), than bad technique and a lot of weight.  However, I do want you to push yourselves as much as possible.  Perform a lift with as much weight as possible while keeping good technique.  A good rule of thumb is that you should only be able to finish your last set of each lift with a little help.  If you finish your last set of bench press without any help, then you need to add more weight the next week.

The ultimate goal of this program is to make you a better football player; to make you bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic.  To that end, this is a complete workout program, including running, lifting, agility and conditioning work built into it.  You should not need to supplement this workout with any additional conditioning work.  There are even some exercises built into the program that will help with your flexibility, however to get the most out of the program you should perform a thorough cool down stretch on your own.  The best time to stretch your muscles is after they are warm and have been worked out.  A good cool down will help your legs feel refreshed and ready to go for the next day, as well as help prevent injuries in the future. 

I am working on a video that will demonstrate proper technique on some of the lifts.  For now, please see the written descriptions of the lifts to answer any questions you may have.  If you are still unsure of a certain lift or exercise, feel free to call me at 319-541-6985 or email me at pedersej@cua.edu. 

Thanks men, have a great summer.