August 12, 2025

Summer Football Workouts

If you want a summer football workout plan that actually moves the needle in August, you need more than random sprints and bench days. Great programs periodize the summer into phases, balance strength with speed and conditioning, and use simple tests to prove you’re getting better week to week. Below is a comprehensive, field-tested blueprint you can run as a team or use solo.

How a Summer Football Program Should Flow

3 phases, 1 goal: arrive at camp fast, strong, and explosive.

Hypertrophy (early summer): Build size, raise work capacity, toughen tendons/ligaments with slightly higher reps.
Strength (mid-summer): Reps come down, weight goes up; add balance/unilateral work to reduce injuries and improve force transfer.
Power (late summer): Low reps moved fast; integrate plyometrics and explosive lifts, often in circuits/supersets to encourage intent and reduce overuse.

Pro move: Schedule early-summer testing (bench, hang clean, squat variation) and a shuttle test so training %s are real and progress is objective. One proven template tests 1RM (or 3RM where appropriate) and runs two 300-yd shuttles with a set rest between efforts.

Weekly Structure (4 Days That Cover Everything)

Day 1 – Lower Strength + Acceleration

Squat pattern (box/front/deep variations), unilateral lunges/step-ups, posterior-chain work (RDLs/ham curls), short sprints and jumps.

Day 2 – Upper Strength/Power + Top-Speed Work

Bench/incline variations, rows/pull-ups, overhead/jerk work, med-ball throws; tack on flying 20s or timed 40s.

Day 3 – Total-Body Power + Agility

Cleans/hang cleans, push press/jerk, box jumps/split-cycle jumps, cone/ladder work.

Day 4 – Lower Strength (2) + Game-Conditioning

Second squat/dead/step-up exposure, sled/tire work, finish with structured gassers/shuttles.

This mirrors what successful college templates actually do across May–August: rotating squat, clean, bench, lunges/step-ups, push/press, pulls/rows, and sprint/agility blocks.

Exact Strength & Power Progression (Percent-Based)

Use a percentage chart to convert your max (or projected max) into training weights for 50–90%+ days. It keeps athletes on pace without guesswork.

Progression idea (6–8 weeks):

Weeks 1–2: 65–75% for sets of 8–10 (hypertrophy + bar speed on Olympic lifts).
Weeks 3–4: 75–85% for sets of 4–8 (strength emphasis).
Weeks 5–6: 80–90% for sets of 2–5 (strength → power).
Week 7: Heavy technique focus on Olympic lifts (2–3 reps), maintain 85–90% squats/bench at lower volume.
Week 8 (optional deload/test): Reduce volume 40–60%; re-test big lifts and a conditioning standard.

Speed, Agility, and Plyos That Translate

Sprints: Short accelerations (10–30 yds) early; add 40s judiciously; cap total high-intensity sprint distance.

Agility: Pro Agility (5-10-5), 3-Cone, W-drill, ladder for rhythm and foot speed.
Plyometrics: Box jumps, split-cycle jumps, squat-thrust-to-jumps—progress contacts and height over the summer (these are staples in successful programs).

Conditioning: Football-Specific (Not Cross-Country)

You’re training repeat high-intensity efforts with incomplete rest—just like drives on Friday nights.

Half Gassers (sideline-to-sideline): Volume and rest evolve across the summer, with position-specific times (e.g., OL/DT have longer cutoffs than DB/WR/RB).
40-Yard Sprint Sets: Fixed volume (e.g., 10–16 reps) with controlled 30-sec recoveries; increase total reps as fitness climbs.
Shuttle Standards: Use 600-yd (two 300s with 1-min rest) with distinct target times by position group; or run 840-yd aerobic shuttles with adjusted position standards.
Sprint Ladders/Quarters: Structured ladders (10→100 and back) and “quarter-of-sprints” blocks blend acceleration/top-end with repeat-effort capacity.

Position-Specific Add-Ons (Plug These Into Your Days)

Linemen: Heavy squats and step-ups, loaded carries, sled pushes, tire flips; keep sprints shorter but powerful. (Tire flips and bar step-ups appear routinely in successful summer templates.)
Skill (DB/WR/RB/QB): More change-of-direction and flying sprints; keep lifts explosive (cleans/hang cleans/push press) with crisp bar speed.
Front-Seven (LB/DE/TE/FB): Blend both—anaerobic repeatability with big lower/mid-back strength (RDLs/rows/shrugs) plus jumps.

Sample 8-Week “Summer Football Workouts” Plan

Use this as a template (swap exercises 1:1 from your weight room). Percentages are based on your current tested or projected maxes using a standard chart.

Weeks 1–2 (Hypertrophy + Speed Skill)

Day 1: Back/Box Squat 3×10 @ 65–70%; Step-ups 3×8/leg; Hamstring curls 3×12; 8–10 × 20–30-yd sprints.
Day 2: Bench 3×10 @ 65–70%; DB Row 3×8/arm; Pull-ups 3×10–15; 10×40-yd sprints, :30 rest.
Day 3: Hang Clean + Push Press 3×6 @ ~70–75%; Walking Lunges 3×10 yds; Med-ball push-ups 3×15; Agility/Plyo circuit.
Day 4: Squat 3×10 @ 70–75%; Bar Shrug Strip Sets; Tire Flips; Half Gassers ×10 with position times.

Weeks 3–4 (Strength Emphasis)

Main lifts move to 4×5–8 @ 75–80% (squat, bench, cleans); accessory volume tightens.
Conditioning: Half Gassers 12–14 reps; 40-yd sprint sets climb to 12–14 reps.

Weeks 5–6 (Heavy Strength → Fast Power)

Olympic lifts: 6×3 @ ~85–90% (bar speed is the priority).
Squat/Bench: 6×5 @ 80–85% then 7×3 @ 85–90%.
Conditioning: 16 Half Gassers (first half with 60s rest, then 45s) or 16 × 40-yd sprints @ :30 rest.

Week 7 (Power & Field Confidence)

Olympic combo: 7×2 @ 90–95% on hang clean/push press combo; keep squat 7×3 @ 85–90% but low accessories.
Conditioning: Half Gassers ×8–12 (taper), or run a sprint ladder (10→100, short rest) to sharpen.

Week 8 (Deload + Testing)

Reduce total sets ~50%; re-test bench/clean/squat and a shuttle to confirm summer gains. (Many programs schedule testing plus shuttles with fixed rest.)

Field Tests You Can Steal

600-Yard Shuttle: Run 60 yds back and forth five times (300 yds), rest 1 min, repeat; add both times. Use position-specific standards (skill vs. bigs).
840-Yard Shuttle: Extended aerobic standard with different goal times by position groups (DB/QB/TB/WR; FB/LB/TE/K; OL/DL).
Quarter-of-Sprints / 100-Yd Ladder: Structured distances with set rest to build repeat sprint ability without junk volume.

Recovery, Mobility & Heat-Smart Habits

Dynamic warm-up (hips/ankles/T-spine), post-lift cooldown (hamstrings/hip flexors/pecs).
Mobility doses for shoulders/hips on off days keep bar paths clean and hamstrings happy.
Hydration & hygiene: Summer means sweat. Dry gear between sessions and clean pads/helmets regularly; consistent cleaning lowers the grime load on shared equipment (and morale skyrockets when the locker room doesn’t smell like last year’s two-a-days).