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Exercises

Football workout: strength, power and contact plans for every part of the year

Published October 24, 2026

A football workout opens with something explosive (power cleans, box jumps or medicine ball slams) while you are fresh, then moves to one heavy lower-body lift (trap bar deadlift or back squat), one single-leg lift (Bulgarian split squat), one heavy press and one heavy pull (bench press, push press, pull-ups, rows), and finishes with hamstring, trap and carry work. Off-season, run that three times a week with the top sets one or two reps short of failure. In season, cut it to two short sessions and leave three reps in the tank so you show up to practice with fresh legs.

  1. Power Clean Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps
  2. Box Jump Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
  3. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  4. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  5. Bulgarian Split Squat Quads, Glutes
  6. Barbell Bench Press Chest
  7. Pull-Up Lats
  8. Nordic Hamstring Curl Hamstrings
  9. Sled Push Quads, Glutes

Explosive power: cleans, jumps and throws

Football is decided in short bursts, so every session starts with a few fast reps before anything heavy. These three train you to produce force quickly from the ground, through the hips, and through the trunk and arms. Keep sets short and rest long; a slow rep teaches nothing here.

Explosive triple extension

Power Clean

Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps

The clean teaches you to drive the floor away with your hips, knees and ankles at full speed, which is the same push you use off the line or out of a cut. Keep reps low and crisp; it is a speed lift, not a grinder.

How to do it

  1. Set up with the bar over your midfoot, hands just outside your shins, hips higher than your knees and chest proud.
  2. Push the bar off the floor slowly until it passes your knees, with the bar brushing your legs.
  3. Once it reaches mid-thigh, jump hard, shrug, and pull yourself under the bar.
  4. Catch it on the front of your shoulders with elbows high and knees bent in a quarter squat, then stand up.

Cues

  • Slow off the floor, fast past the knees
  • Jump, then get under
  • Elbows whip through

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms before the hips finish: let the jump move the bar, the arms only guide it.
  • Catching with elbows down and the bar on your hands: drop the weight and drill the fast elbow turnover.

Swap for: Hang Clean, Kettlebell Swing

Build a session with Power Clean

Vertical power and landing

Box Jump

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings

Jumping onto a box trains force out of the ground without the landing impact of jumping to the floor, so you can repeat it fresh the day after practice. The box height only needs to be one you land on softly.

How to do it

  1. Stand an arm's length from a sturdy box with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Swing your arms back and dip into a quarter squat.
  3. Throw your arms forward and jump, pulling your knees up to land on the box.
  4. Land quietly in the same quarter squat, stand tall, then step down one foot at a time.

Cues

  • Land as high as you took off
  • Quiet feet
  • Step down, never jump down

Common mistakes

  • Picking a box so tall you land in a deep squat: lower it until you land in the position you jumped from.
  • Rushing reps: reset fully between jumps so every one is a max effort.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Single-Leg Box Jump

Build a session with Box Jump

Upper-body and trunk power

Medicine Ball Slam

Lats, Abs

Slamming a ball links your hips, trunk and arms into one violent motion, the same chain you use to shed a block or punch a stiff arm. It is also a low-skill power drill you can do at the end of any session.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet at shoulder width and a medicine ball held at your waist.
  2. Lift it overhead, rising onto the balls of your feet and reaching tall.
  3. Pull it down hard with your whole body, hinging your hips back as you throw it into the floor.
  4. Catch or pick up the ball and go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Reach tall, then crash down
  • Hips and abs throw it, not just arms
  • Every rep at full speed

Common mistakes

  • Bending only at the arms: snap your trunk forward and drop your hips with the throw.
  • Using a ball so heavy the reps slow down: go lighter so the throw stays fast.

Swap for: Med Ball Rotational Throw, Battle Rope Slam

Build a session with Medicine Ball Slam

Lower-body strength: squat, pull and single leg

Strong hips and legs win leverage at the line and make every sprint stronger. Pick one heavy bilateral lift per session, the trap bar deadlift or the back squat, and pair it with a single-leg lift so both legs get equally strong. The Nordic curl covers the hamstrings, which take the most strain when you open up at full speed.

Total lower-body strength

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

The trap bar puts the load at your sides, so you can pull heavy with a more upright back than a straight-bar deadlift. It builds the hips and legs that win leverage battles with less strain on the lower back.

How to do it

  1. Step into the middle of the bar with feet hip-width apart and grab the handles.
  2. Sit your hips down until your shins angle slightly forward and your back is flat.
  3. Push the floor away, standing up until your hips and knees lock out together.
  4. Lower by reversing the motion, keeping the bar centered under you.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Chest up, back flat
  • Hips and shoulders rise together

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips shoot up first: push with the legs so the chest and hips rise at the same rate.
  • Leaning back at the top: finish tall with glutes squeezed, no extra lean.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift

Build a session with Trap Bar Deadlift

Leg strength base

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

A heavy squat builds the quads and glutes that drive you through contact and hold your stance. It is the lift most football programs build around for good reason: it loads both legs heavily in a position close to your stance.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back, grip it firmly, and step out with feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Take a big breath into your belly and brace.
  3. Sit down between your heels until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive up, keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Brace before every rep
  • Knees track over toes
  • Stand up fast

Common mistakes

  • Cutting depth as the weight rises: keep the same depth and load what you can hit there.
  • Folding forward out of the bottom: keep the chest up and drive your upper back into the bar.

Swap for: Front Squat, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Barbell Back Squat

Single-leg strength

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Most of football happens on one leg: cutting, pushing off, planting to change direction. The rear-foot-elevated split squat loads one leg hard with a light weight and shows you which side is weaker.

How to do it

  1. Stand about two feet ahead of a bench and place the top of your back foot on it.
  2. Hold one dumbbell per hand at your sides.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee nearly touches the floor.
  4. Push through the whole front foot to stand back up. Finish all reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Torso tall, slight lean is fine
  • Front heel stays down
  • Drop straight down

Common mistakes

  • Setting the front foot too close so the heel lifts: move it forward until your whole foot stays flat.
  • Bouncing off the back knee: stop just short of the floor and control it.

Swap for: Dumbbell Split Squat, Step-Up

Build a session with Bulgarian Split Squat

Hamstring strength for sprinting

Nordic Hamstring Curl

Hamstrings

Your hamstrings work hardest as they lengthen at top speed, and the Nordic loads them exactly that way. A few hard sets a week are enough; it is very demanding, so keep it away from game day.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on a pad with a partner holding your ankles down firmly.
  2. Keep your hips straight so your body is a line from knees to head.
  3. Lower your body toward the floor as slowly as you can, resisting with your hamstrings.
  4. Catch yourself with your hands, push lightly back up, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips stay locked straight
  • Fight the fall the whole way
  • Hands only catch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Bending at the hips to shorten the lever: keep your hips extended even if you lower less far.
  • Doing too many reps early: start with a few slow lowers and build up over weeks.

Swap for: Glute Ham Raise, Lying Leg Curl

Build a session with Nordic Hamstring Curl

Upper-body strength: press and pull

Blocking, tackling and hand fighting all ask the chest, shoulders and back to push and pull hard against another body. Match every heavy press with a heavy pull so the shoulders stay balanced across a long season.

Pressing strength

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

Pushing through a blocker or locking out a stiff arm uses the chest, shoulders and triceps the bench builds. Train it heavy but leave a rep or two in reserve so you never grind ugly reps in season.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with eyes under the bar, feet planted, and shoulder blades pulled together.
  2. Grip a bit outside shoulder width and unrack the bar over your shoulders.
  3. Lower it to your lower chest with elbows angled about 45 degrees from your body.
  4. Press back up to straight arms over your shoulders.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinned
  • Touch, then drive
  • Feet push the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them slightly to keep the shoulders comfortable.
  • Bouncing the bar off the chest: touch lightly, then press.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Push-Up

Build a session with Barbell Bench Press

Overhead power

Dumbbell Push Press

Shoulders

The push press uses a short leg drive to move dumbbells overhead fast, which trains the hand-fighting extension of linemen and the overhead strength receivers need to fight for the ball. Dumbbells let each shoulder move freely.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a dumbbell at each shoulder, palms facing in, feet hip-width.
  2. Dip a few inches by bending your knees, keeping your torso upright.
  3. Drive up through your legs and press the dumbbells straight overhead in one motion.
  4. Lower them back to your shoulders under control and reset before the next dip.

Cues

  • Short dip, hard drive
  • Lock out over your ears
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Dipping too deep and turning it into a squat: a quick quarter dip is all you need.
  • Arching your back to finish: brace your abs and squeeze your glutes at lockout.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Landmine Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Push Press

Vertical pulling

Pull-Up

Lats

Pull-ups build the lats and grip that control an opponent and balance all the pressing in a football program. If you can do more than 12, hold a dumbbell between your feet.

How to do it

  1. Hang from a bar with an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Pull your shoulder blades down to start the pull.
  3. Drive your elbows toward your ribs until your chin clears the bar.
  4. Lower all the way to straight arms.

Cues

  • Shoulders down first
  • Chest to the bar
  • Full hang every rep

Common mistakes

  • Kicking or swinging to finish reps: stop the set when you need momentum.
  • Half reps at the bottom: lower until your arms are straight.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Chin-Up

Build a session with Pull-Up

Upper-back strength

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Heavy rows build the upper back that holds your posture in contact and balances the bench press. It also balances the bench press over a long season.

How to do it

  1. Hinge forward with the bar in an overhand grip, torso about 45 degrees or lower, back flat.
  2. Let the bar hang under your shoulders with straight arms.
  3. Pull it to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back.
  4. Lower it under control without standing up.

Cues

  • Torso angle stays fixed
  • Elbows back, not up
  • Pause at the ribs

Common mistakes

  • Standing up more each rep: lighten the bar and keep your torso still.
  • Jerking the weight with your hips: the back pulls, the legs only hold position.

Swap for: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, T-Bar Row

Build a session with Barbell Row

Contact armor, carries and drive

The upper traps, grip and trunk absorb and transfer contact, and the sled teaches you to keep your legs driving through it. These are the finishers: a few hard sets at the end, never the main event.

Traps and upper back

Dumbbell Shrug

Traps

Thick upper traps fill the space between your shoulders and neck, which is the area that takes the most contact in blocking and tackling. Heavy shrugs with a hold build them simply.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with a heavy dumbbell per hand at your sides.
  2. Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears.
  3. Hold the top for a full second.
  4. Lower slowly to a full stretch.

Cues

  • Straight up and down
  • Hold at the top
  • Arms stay long

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the shoulders: lift and lower only.
  • Bending the elbows to help: keep the arms straight and let the traps work.

Swap for: Barbell Shrug, Trap Bar Shrug

Build a session with Dumbbell Shrug

Grip, trunk and carry strength

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Walking with heavy dumbbells trains your grip, trunk and hips to stay solid while you move, which is what holding a block or carrying a defender on your back feels like. It also doubles as a short conditioning finisher.

How to do it

  1. Pick up a heavy dumbbell per hand from the floor with a flat back.
  2. Stand tall with shoulders pulled down and back.
  3. Walk with short, quick steps for the set distance or time.
  4. Set the weights down with control by squatting, not bending over.

Cues

  • Tall and tight
  • Crush the handles
  • Short, quick steps

Common mistakes

  • Leaning to one side: keep both weights equal and your shoulders level.
  • Letting the shoulders round forward: pull them back before you take the first step.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Trap Bar Deadlift

Build a session with Farmer's Walk

Drive and conditioning

Sled Push

Quads, Glutes

Pushing a low sled is the closest gym copy of driving a man off the ball: low hips, short powerful steps, and legs that keep churning. Short hard pushes with full rest build power; shorter rests turn it into conditioning.

How to do it

  1. Load the sled and grip the low handles with your arms straight or slightly bent.
  2. Lean in until your body forms a straight line from head to back heel.
  3. Drive with short, powerful steps, pushing through the balls of your feet.
  4. Keep your hips low and push for the full distance.

Cues

  • Body like a ramp
  • Short, hard steps
  • Arms stay locked

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall as you tire: keep the lean so your legs do the work.
  • Overloading so you shuffle: pick a load you can drive with real steps.

Swap for: Sled Pull, Farmer's Walk

Build a session with Sled Push

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Off-season, three gym days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets51 a week
  • Per workout~50 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Plyo Box, Trap Bar +4

You are between seasons with no games and only light skill work, and you want to get stronger and more powerful before camp.

The off-season is the only time you can push the weights, so each session has one heavy lift taken to 1 to 2 reps in reserve and power work done fresh at the start. Three full-body days let each lift be trained hard once and moderately once, with a day of sprinting or rest in between. Day A has 17 working sets, Day B 17, Day C 16.

Day A: Clean and squat
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Power Clean2 warm-up sets firstFast reps only. Stop if the catch gets sloppy. 4 × 2–3 2 2:30 min
Barbell Back Squat2 warm-up sets first 4 × 4–6 2 3 min
Barbell Bench Press 3 × 5–8 1 2:30 min
Barbell Row 3 × 6–10 1 2 min
Nordic Hamstring CurlSlow lower, push back up with your hands. 3 × 3–6 1 2 min

Open Day A: Clean and squat in the session builder

Day B: Jump and pull
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box JumpFull reset between jumps. 4 × 3 3 90 s
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 4 × 3–5 2 3 min
Dumbbell Push Press 3 × 5–8 2 2 min
Pull-Up 3 × 6–10 1 2 min
Dumbbell ShrugHold 1 s at the top. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Day B: Jump and pull in the session builder

Day C: Throw, single leg, carry
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Medicine Ball SlamEvery rep at full speed. 3 × 5–8 3 1 min
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 6–10 1 90 s
Barbell Bench Press 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Pull-Up 3 × 6–10 1 90 s
Farmer's WalkSeconds of walking. 3 × 30–45 2 90 s
Sled PushMeters per push. 2 × 15–20 2 2 min

Open Day C: Throw, single leg, carry in the session builder

How to run it
Lift on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and do your speed and agility work on Tuesday or Thursday. Warm up with the empty bar before the clean and the main lift.
How to progress
Use the heaviest weight you can move for the top of the rep range at the target reps in reserve. When every set reaches the top of the range, add 5 to 10 pounds on lower-body lifts and 5 pounds on upper-body lifts. Box jumps and cleans progress by quality, not height or load: stop the set as soon as a rep slows down.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

In season, two short sessions

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentPlyo Box, Trap Bar, Pull-Up Bar, Dumbbells +2

You practice four or five days a week and play on the weekend, and you want to keep the strength you built without dead legs on game day.

Practice and games already supply the speed and contact, so the gym only has to maintain strength. Fewer sets at 2 to 3 reps in reserve hold strength while leaving you fresh, and the lower-body work sits early in the week, as far from the game as possible. Each session has 12 to 13 working sets and fits in about 40 minutes.

Day 1: Legs and pull
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box Jump 3 × 3 3 90 s
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 3–5 3 3 min
Pull-Up 3 × 5–8 2 2 min
Nordic Hamstring Curl 2 × 3–5 2 2 min
Dumbbell Shrug 2 × 10–12 2 1 min

Open Day 1: Legs and pull in the session builder

Day 2: Press and power
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Power Clean1 warm-up set firstLight and fast. 3 × 2–3 3 2 min
Barbell Bench Press 3 × 4–6 3 2:30 min
Barbell Row 3 × 6–8 2 2 min
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 2 × 6–8 3 90 s

Open Day 2: Press and power in the session builder

How to run it
Lift the day after the game (Day 1) and two days before the next one (Day 2). If you are beat up after a game, do Day 1 with one set less per lift.
How to progress
Keep the loads you ended the off-season with. Add weight only if a set at the target reps in reserve feels clearly easy for two weeks in a row. The goal is to finish the season as strong as you started it.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

New to lifting, high school or first season

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets42 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentPlyo Box, Barbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells +3

You have played football but never followed a lifting program, and you want to get stronger without learning the Olympic lifts first.

The fastest gains for a new lifter come from learning a few big lifts well and adding weight every week, so this plan uses the trap bar, back squat, bench and rows, with box jumps and slams for power instead of the clean. Leaving 2 to 3 reps in reserve keeps every rep clean while technique settles. Each session has 13 to 14 working sets.

Workout A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box Jump 3 × 5 3 1 min
Barbell Back Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–8 3 2:30 min
Barbell Bench Press 3 × 6–8 2 2 min
Barbell Row 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Farmer's WalkSeconds of walking. 2 × 30 2 90 s

Open Workout A in the session builder

Workout B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Medicine Ball Slam 3 × 6–8 3 1 min
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–6 3 2:30 min
Dumbbell Push Press 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Pull-UpUse a band if you can't do 5. 3 × 5–8 2 90 s
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 2 × 8–10 2 90 s

Open Workout B in the session builder

How to run it
Train three days a week on non-consecutive days, alternating A and B (A, B, A one week, B, A, B the next). Film a set of each main lift every few weeks to check depth and back position.
How to progress
Add 5 pounds to every main lift each session as long as you hit the top of the rep range with the reps in reserve shown. When you miss twice in a row, stay at that weight until you hit it. After about three months, add the power clean from the off-season plan.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What exercises do football players do?

The core is a hinge or squat (trap bar deadlift, back squat), a single-leg lift (Bulgarian split squat), a heavy press (bench, push press), a heavy pull (pull-ups, rows), and power work (cleans, box jumps, medicine ball throws). Hamstring work like the Nordic curl, shrugs and loaded carries round it out.

What is a good football training schedule for a week?

In the off-season, lift three days (for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and do speed and agility on one or two of the days between, with at least one full rest day. In season, lift twice: the day after the game and two days before the next one.

How many days a week should a football player lift?

Three or four days in the off-season, two in season. More than that rarely helps once practice and games are in the week, because recovery becomes the limit, not the lifting.

How do football players train for speed in the gym?

Speed in the gym comes from moving moderate loads fast and getting strong enough to push more force into the ground. Do jumps and cleans first while fresh with long rest, and pair them with heavy squats or pulls and Nordic curls for the hamstrings. Sprinting itself happens on the field.

Should football players train to failure?

Rarely. Leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve in the off-season and 2 to 3 in season builds strength while keeping you fresh for practice. Going to failure costs recovery you need on the field.

Is a football workout different in season?

Yes. In season you keep the same lifts but do fewer sets, stop further from failure, and put leg work early in the week. The goal flips from building strength to keeping it.