By Adam Johnson, Velocity Sports Preformance (7/5)

It is widely accepted that strength training is an important part of a football player’s training regimen.  I would have to say that almost 90% of the football players that come to train at Velocity Sports Performance come in with one of their main goals to be increasing their strength.  Depending on the age, training experience, and the position of the player I need to determine what kind of strength they need to work on the most. 

That’s right, there are different kinds of strength and different positions may need one type of strength over another.  For the purposes of this article the types of strength I will cover are maximal strength, starting strength, explosive strength, speed-strength, strength-speed and metabolic strength.

Maximal Strength – Maximal strength is probably the simplest form of strength to understand and the type of strength that all others depend upon.  Simply put, maximal strength is the amount of weight an athlete can lift in one attempt regardless of the amount of time it takes them.

Starting Strength – Starting strength is the measurement of how fast and forceful a football player can explode from a dead stop.  Exploding from an offensive or defensive line position is a perfect example of starting strength in football. 

Explosive Strength – Explosive strength is the highest amount of force developed in a very short amount of time.  A running back stiff-arming a defender and knocking him to the ground would be a great example of explosive strength in football.

Speed-Strength – Speed-strength is the ability of the athlete to apply force with speed generally against lighter loads.  This is a combination of starting strength and explosive strength.  Speed is more vital than strength.

Strength-Speed – Strength-speed is the ability of the athlete to apply force against heavy loads.  Strength is more vital than speed.  Linemen exploding into each other and trying to push one another out of the way quickly is a good example of strength-speed.

Metabolic Strength – Metabolic strength is the ability of the football player to maintain a high level of strength play after play.  The player that can recover quickly after a short intense bout of activity with short rest will usually be the one to win the battles.

Now one question still remains.  Who needs which kind of strength quality mentioned above?  Well, all positions need all the different kinds of strength to a certain level.  All positions need a decent base line of strength.  As mentioned above, maximal strength will help all other areas of strength out.  So the quarterback does not need to be able to squat as much as the defensive tackle, but does need to have decent strength to help maximize the other qualities.  Below I will list all positions and the top three types of strength I feel are important to them.

Quarterback
• Speed Strength – For throwing the ball.
• Explosive Strength – This will also help with quick deliveries of the football.
• Maximal Strength – As stated before this is the foundation upon which all others are built and will go a long way in helping to prevent injury.

Running Back
• Metabolic Stength – Multiple hard runs a game make this a necessity.
• Explosive Strength – For making those quick cuts.
• Strength Speed – Most yards don’t come without having to lower the shoulder and run into at least one other person.

Offensive Line
• Starting Strength – For the initial burst off the line.
• Strength Speed – For pushing around those big defensive tackles.
• Maximal Strength – The stronger they are the less likely they are to get pushed around on the goal line.

Tight End
• Strength Speed – These are typically lighter players going against players that are bigger.
• Starting Strength – For their initial burst to get off the line.
• Maximal Strength – Because they are going against guys that typically weigh more than they do, they need to be strong.

Wide Receiver
• Metabolic Strength – It doesn’t matter how fast they get off the line if they can only do it once every 10 plays.
• Speed Strength – With the exception of the occasional bump and run coverage receivers are not going to have to exert large amounts of force against other players.
• Explosive Strength – For accelerating off the line.

Kicker
• Speed Strength – For kicking the football.
• Explosive Strength – To help with a powerful kick.
• Starting Strength – To help with a quick approach on the ball.

Defensive Tackle
• Starting Strength – For a quick initial burst off the line.
• Strength Speed – For contact with the offensive linemen.
• Maximal Strength – If there is a stalemate, the stronger lineman has a greater chance of winning.

Defensive End
• Starting Strength – Initial burst off the line.
• Metabolic Strength – The defensive end will typically have more ground to cover than the defensive tackle at a higher intensity.  They need to be able to do this repetitively for the entire game.
• Explosive Strength – For the quick pop on an offensive player and disrupting his path to the linebackers.

Linebacker
• Strength Speed – Linebackers generally take on offensive linemen and fullbacks that are bigger than they are.  Being able to create force against a larger load is critical.
• Explosive Strength – For filling the hole quickly.
• Maximal Strength – For shedding those big offensive linemen.

Defensive Back
• Metabolic Strength – They will cover more ground on an average play and need to be able to recover quickly for the next one.
• Explosive Strength – The ability to change direction and deliver a sold hit when necessary.
• Speed Strength – Generally not creating a lot of force against a heavy outside load.

Punter
• Speed Strength – For kicking the ball.
• Explosive Strength – For a powerful kick.
• Starting Strength – For a quick approach on the ball.

When dealing with athletes it is important to keep in mind that it will take time to develop all of these strength qualities.  If I am training a young or inexperienced athlete I will focus on technique first and foremost.  Doing an exercise with proper technique will reduce the chance of injury during training and in my opinion is the most effective way of increasing strength.  It is also important to keep in mind that the separation between each strength quality is very small. 

If starting strength is the last one in the list that does not mean it shouldn’t be trained, just that it doesn’t need to be trained as frequently as the others.  Also, the order of these qualities is the opinion of the author and could be switched around if it was felt a particular athlete needed more work in one of the other categories.

Adam Johnson, MS, CSCS is the Sports Performance Director at Velocity Sports Performance whose 27,000 square-foot training center is located at 25461 Rye Canyon Road, Santa Clarita.  Their web site is www.velocitysp.com/scv.