Preparing Defensive Linemen

Tim Tobin takes his defensive line series into the weight room with a complete training schedule for defensive linemen. He starts with an honest question for coaches: how much live-play time does a defensive lineman actually get in a game, and what kind of strength, power and conditioning does that really demand? Everything that follows, from lift selection to work capacity, answers it.

What you'll learn

• What to ask about a defensive lineman's true time on live plays during a game
• Which muscles a defensive lineman uses to push and pull with the upper body and to explode with the lower body
• Conditioning for short spurts in different directions, the way the position is actually played
• The proper lifting schedule: what weight to use, how many repetitions, and training different body parts on different days
• Sweating before stretching and stretching before lifting
• Why yoga helps a defensive lineman and why plyometrics matter to his development
• The benefits of power workouts and how to maximize speed, power, game endurance and injury prevention
• Specific lifts: power clean, dead lift, squats, lunges, bench work, shrugs, dumbbell rotations, pull-ups, weighted dips and Russian twists
• Working the core group daily through a full range of motion, grass hill training for cardiovascular work, and finishing the whole session in an hour or less

Who it's for

Defensive line coaches, high school and college strength and conditioning coaches, and head coaches who write their own off-season program for the front.

About the coach

Tim Tobin was named the Division III Samson Equipment Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for his work at Kutztown University, where he also coached the defensive line, and he has coached on staff at Tusculum College.

Part of Coach Tobin's four-part series on defensive line techniques and drills.