Training for combine?

[silver_shadow]

gotcha! but the alwyn cosgrove thing is just an addition to what you already do. i'd say combining it with defranco's routine would be a good idea.

 

[skacorica]

Train your squats and pull in the weightroom too because that strength will better carry over to football, but combines test the bench for reps still, so you need to prepare. Honestly it isn't a strength test, but more of a strength endurance test. The best way to improve it is to practice it. I'd say if your 1RM is under 315 it will be closer to a strength test for you and getting a better bench will improve it. If your bench is over 315, 225 is an endurance weight for you and regardless of your strength increases, you just need to "practice" with 225 after a workout.

A little trick guys have done is to rep with 230 after a bench workout and when they test on 225 they get some extra reps. Also, hit a fairly heavy single during warm-ups and 225 will feel lighter and you'll get extra reps.

If you weigh under 200lbs, they will probably test you with 185 x reps, not 225. If you come in at 210, they'll test you at 225, but take that into account for sure. Also, what position do you play? Arena Ball will play you both ways. With your target weight, you sound like a receiver / D-Back....in that case a good bench for reps is always a bonus, but as far as physical attributes, coaches are more concerned with your speed, agility, and vertical.....and of course SKILLS. You could play FB/linebacker, in that case if you're a hell of an athlete who cares about your bench......if you're gonna use strength as an equalizer, a FB/LB is gonna need their 225 x reps to be 20 or better to get noticed....if the individual scouts care about it.

I have no clue as to your training background, but if it is more bodybuilding oriented, make sure your spotters aren't douche bags in training (they can't touch the bar or the reps aren't gonna count).

Other than that, box jumps, sprinting, and general stretching etc will help. Of course if you're blessed with explosive power and great "change of direction" speed, then you'll have an advantage.

When I was in HS, the first thing recruiters asked was if I could dunk a basketball, the second was what was my 40 time, the third was how much I could power clean, the 4th was how much I would squat. So....that should tell you how much the bench is worth....but like I said, combines love it. The NFL loves it because Joe Public can relate and it attracts fans to the combine, other leagues use it because "the NFL uses it"....most colleges with good S and C coaches test upper body strength with a 1 rep max on either bench or incline, then something standing and overhead like a push press or a jerk (which most college football players turn into a jerk press anyway, lol).

Have you ever played ball before? Arena ball is a FAR cry from semi-pro, meaning arena is the real deal....even Arena 2 rosters are made up of mostly former Div 1 and 1-AA players. Not to discourage, but just so you know to prepare as Arena ball is not a softball league full of weekend warriors.

Good luck, and post some updates.

Hey man, thanks for the reply. My background is that I played football as a freshman in high school, I was (a very good) QB/Safety. I developed really bad tendonitis so I switched to playing soccer for the rest of high school. I didnt play in college (was working full time) but I have always been very fast and agile. My "timed" 40s for D1 soccer tryouts were 4.4, 4.35, 4.42... thats the only time Ive actually been timed. Like I said blessed with a lot of natural speed and agility. What planted the idea in my head was that a couple years ago I was playing a pickup game of football with some buddies down in boulder and we merged games with another group of people. Turns out one of the guys was an assistant coach for the Colorado crush and after we were done playing he told me 'if you were a bit bigger I would tell you to come tryout'.

Anyway Im thinking of going out for safety. And for the love of God I hope they dont make me max squat....my knees absolutely hate anything over 315. I can rep the hell out of it, but anything heavier and the knees start hurtin.

I love the box jumps idea...I havent done that in ages.

 

[NJL52]

Don't focus on chest =/

Football is about speed. Bench press isn't looked at that heavily unless you are playing o/d line.

Every pound of upperbody mass does the same thing as fat when it comes to speed. Sean Taylor put up 225 10 times at the NFL combine and he has lost 15 pounds since then. And that loss in weight caused him to get faster, and he wasn't fat to begin with. So he probably lost about 5 pounds fat and 10 pounds upper body mass. I'd be surprised if he put up 225 8 times right now.

Best advice I have found on the net would be by Kelly Bagget:
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/articles.html

Shit ton of good reading material there.