Organizing The YearlyTraining Plan
Chris RufDirector of Athletic Performance -
Football
Organizing the Yearly Plan
1. Why?
2. How?
Annual Planning: Why?
• Think of it as the installation plan for your Off-Season Training
• O/D schemes installed in a sequence• Training should build upon prior foundation• Should have logical sequence
• Can aid in technical & physical progression• Able to plan for key times of the year
Annual Planning: Why?
• 2 Ends of the planning spectrum1. 4 year detailed plan for your high school athlete• Not realistic unless we can control most of the variables• If we do this – needs to be pretty general
2. Flying by the seat of your pants on a daily basis• Haphazard, eliminates the ability to maximize long term
progress
• Solution for most lies somewhere in between
Annual Planning: Why?
• Off-season program is like a trip– We know where we’re starting from– We know where we need to go
• Our Annual Plan outlines the path(s) to get to our destination
Annual Planning: Why?
• Must be willing to be flexible– Athletes will progress when their bodies are ready,
not always when we think they are
• Sometimes we need to take a detour
Annual Planning: How?
• “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook” by Joe Kenn
• Good resource for overall program design• Has a step-by-step outline for creating an annual plan
Annual Planning: How?
1. Design an excel template2. Chart out your weeks 1-52– Training year will start after the previous year’s
last competition
3. Enter in your competitions and any “uncontrollable factors”
Annual Planning: How?
4. Divide your year into 5 main blocks– Post-Season– Winter Program– Spring Ball– Summer Conditioning– In-Season
Annual Planning: How?
5. Within the following blocks, create more specific training phases– Winter Program
• Strength• Power/Speed
– Spring Ball• Maintenance
– Summer Program• Speed• Conditioning
– In-Season• Training Camp• Regular Season• Playoffs
Annual Planning: How?
6. Develop a running plan for each block7. Develop a lifting plan for each block
• Don’t have to be specific at this point– Set a focus for lifting/running during each block– Have a general guideline for intensity and volume
to develop the desired qualities
Annual Planning: How?
Post-Season
• Have been playing football for 4-5 months straight– Strength is likely lower– Injury Concerns/Imbalances
• 1-2 weeks of active rest• 2-3 weeks of lower intensity training• Get in shape to train
Post-Season
• Lift 2-3x per week (total body)– Use primarily controlled single limb movements– Higher volume• 2-4 sets of 8-20 reps
– Eccentric emphasis• Restores tissue quality
– Supersets/circuits
Post-Season
• Little to no high intensity running• Primarily tempo running or circuits aimed at
improving aerobic qualities
Winter Program – 1st Block
• 1st Block (4-6 Weeks)– Primary Goals• Build strength• Aerobic development
– Not Long-Slow Distance Running
– Secondary Goals• Power/Speed Development
Winter Program – 1st Block
• Lift 3-4x per week– Olympic or explosive movements trained for 3-4 sets
of 2-5 reps @ 60-75% (Pick 1 per day)• Our Choices: Clean variations, Power Jerk, DE Squat &
Bench w/accommodating resistance, various jumps or throws
– Core strength lifts trained for 3-8 sets of 3-8 reps @ 70-85% (Pick 1 per day)• Our Choices: Squat & Bench and their variations
– Accessory movements trained for 3-6 sets of 6-12 reps• Our Choices: Various pulls, posterior chain movements,
single leg movements, various single joint movements
Winter Program – 1st Block
• Run 2-3x per week– Acceleration work• Various start positions• Generally up to 20-30 yards depending on skill and
position• Build up to approx. 100-200 yards of total volume per
day
– Agility work• Programmed• Technique and deceleration work
Winter Program – 2nd Block
• 2nd Block (4-6 Weeks)– Primary Goals• Speed Development• Power Development
– Secondary Goals• Strength Development• Alactic Capacity
Winter Program – 2nd Block
• Lift 3-4x per week– Olympic or explosive movements trained for 4-8
sets of 2-4 reps @ 65-80% (Pick 1 per day)– Core strength lifts trained for 3-6 sets of 2-6 reps
@ 70-85% (Pick 1 per day)– Accessory movements trained for 3-6 sets of 6-12
reps
Winter Program – 2nd Block
• Run 2-3x per week– Acceleration and Max Speed Work
• Generally up to 40-60 yards depending on skill and position• Build up to approx. 100-200 yards of total volume per day
– Agility work• Programmed and reactive• Transition to drills that are more technically demanding
– Some skill work introduced• Position Drills• 7 on 7
Spring Ball
• 3-4 Weeks– Primary Goals• Football Skill Development
– Technical and Tactical
– Secondary Goals• Strength and Power maintenance
– In some cases we can develop these qualities during spring ball
Spring Ball
• Lift 2-3x per week– Olympic or explosive movements trained for 3-4
sets of 2-3 reps @ 60-70% (Pick 1 per day)– Core strength lifts trained for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps
@ 65-80% (Pick 1 per day)– Accessory movements trained for 2-4 sets of 6-10
reps
Summer Conditioning – 1st Block
• 1st Block (3-4 Weeks)– Primary Goals• Speed/Agility Development• Metabolic Training
– Early emphasis on glycolytic training – Shift to alactic capacity/sport specific training
– Secondary Goals• Strength/Power Development
Summer Conditioning – 1st Block
• Lift 3-4x per week– Olympic or explosive movements trained for 4-8
sets of 2-4 reps @ 65-80% (Pick 1 per day)– Core strength lifts trained for 3-6 sets of 2-6 reps
@ 70-85% (Pick 1 per day)– Accessory movements trained for 3-5 sets of 6-12
reps
Summer Conditioning – 1st Block
• Run 3-4x per week– Acceleration work• Various start positions• Generally up to 20-30 yards depending on skill and
position• Build up to 100-200 yards of total volume per day
– Agility work• More time on drills that are more “position-specific”
– Conditioning for 1st 1-2 weeks lactic in nature• Provided good aerobic development is in place
Summer Conditioning – 2nd Block
• 2nd Block (3-4 Weeks)– Primary Goal• Metabolic Training
– Alactic capacity/full speed position drills arranged in “X Play Drives”
– Secondary Goals• Power/Strength Development
Summer Conditioning – 2nd Block
• Lift 3-4x per week– Olympic or explosive movements trained for 4-8
sets of 1-3 reps @ 70-85% (Pick 1 per day)– Core strength lifts trained for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps
@ 70-85% (Pick 1 per day)– Accessory movements trained for 3-4 sets of 6-10
reps
Summer Conditioning – 2nd Block
• Run 3-4x per week– Conditioning 2x/Week• Alactic capacity/full speed position drills
– Drills come as close to football drills/movements/speeds as possible
– Agility work• Increased use of reactionary drills• Force quick decision making• Make drills as “open” as possible
– Acceleration work
Training Camp
• Keep it Simple– Lift 2-3x per week– Looking to maintain strength while not taking
away from demands of practice– Practice volume and intensity should dictate the
structure of what you do in the weight room • Not everyone’s situation is the same
– Get In and Get Out– Try to keep at least 1 day in between lifts
Training Camp
• Keep it Simple– Pick 3 things you NEED to do• Example: a squat, a press, and an upper body pull
– Volume very low on the structurally demanding movements (3-4 sets of 2-3 reps) and intensity moderate (65-75%)
– 1 higher rep upper body press or pull as an accessory each day • If the press is heavy, the pull will be higher volume and
vice versa
Training Camp
• Keep it Simple– More mature players may be able to choose their
weights– Lifting session can be an opportunity to get some
additional recovery work in, such as mobility work or stretching
In-Season
• 10 - 16 Weeks– Primary Goals• Football Skill Development
– Technical and Tactical
– Secondary Goals• Strength and Power maintenance
– In some cases we can develop these qualities during the season
In-Season
• Lift 2-3x per week– Different lifting groups/levels– Guys getting the most snaps at the varsity level
will benefit from lesser volumes and intensities– Young & Low Snap Guys – Technique development
and increased volume/intensity
– Can follow general guidelines from Spring Ball, but reduce volume as the season progresses
In-Season
• Schedule– Saturday• Tempo Run (500-800 yards total) +
Mobility/Bodyweight/Med Ball Circuit• Primary lower body strength day• Upper & Lower body assistance work - single arm and
single leg movements• Always ready to make adjustments
In-Season
• Schedule– Monday• Secondary lower body strength day
– Utilize a different movement than Sunday and at lower intensity
• Upper body assistance work• Light Posterior Chain Movement• Always ready to make adjustments
In-Season
• Schedule– Wednesday• Explosive Movement
– Keep it fast and the volume low
• Primary upper body strength day– Typically use Bench variations for this
• Always ready to make adjustments
Additional Items
• The “Deload”– Reduction in volume, intensity, or both to allow
body to recuperate and adapt to new level of performance
– Planned vs. Unplanned– Off-Season – once every 3-4 weeks– In-Season – once every 2-3 weeks
Additional Items
Intensity Total Reps Reps per SetOptimal Total
Reps55-65% 18 to 30 3 to 6 24
70-80% 12 to 24 3 to 6 18
80-90% 10 to 20 2 to 4 15
90+% 4 to 10 1 to 2 7 to 10
Prilepin’s Chart
• Guideline for assigning volume/intensity for well-trained athletes• Olympic movements can work in upper end of range• Strength movements generally need to stay in lower end
Summary
Post-Season
Winter Program –
Block 1
Winter Program –
Block 2Spring Ball (In-Season)
Summer Conditioning
– Block 1
Summer Conditioning
– Block 2
Explosive3-4 sets of 2-5
reps @ 60-75%
4-8 sets of 2-4 reps @ 65-
80%
3-4 sets of 2-3 reps @ 60-
70%
4-8 sets of 2-4 reps @ 65-
80%
4-8 sets of 1-3 reps @ 70-
85%
Strength3-8 sets of 3-8
reps @ 70-85%
3-6 sets of 2-6 reps @ 70-
85%
3-5 sets of 2-5 reps @ 65-
80%
3-6 sets of 2-6 reps @ 70-
85%
3-5 sets of 2-5 reps @ 70-
85%
Accessory (Pick 2-3)
Single joint movements –
eccentric emphasis
3-6 sets of 6-12 reps
3-6 sets of 6-12 reps
2-4 sets of 6-10 reps
3-5 sets of 6-12 reps
3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
References/Recommended Readings
1. “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook” – Joe Kenn2. “Vermeil’s Sports and Fitness Training System for Enhancing
Athletic Performance” – Al Vermeil, Erik Helland & Mike Gattone
3. “The Charlie Francis Training System” – Charlie Francis4. Coaches I have had the privilege to work under and learn
from– Kaz Kazadi– Matt McGettigan– Ron McKeefery– Rich Lansky
Thank You• Thanks to all of you who are making a difference in the lives
of young people• Coach Art Briles and the Baylor University Football Program• Baylor Athletic Performance Staff
- Kaz Kazadi - Anne Tamporello- Adam Davis - Andrew Althoff- Jeremy Weeks - Keith Belton- Ryder Weischedel - Bryce Linn
• Power Systems – Jeff Bales, Andrew Hunt & Jason Eason• Coach Sam Gillespie and the Nike COY Clinic Staff
Chris Ruf254-710-3395
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