Hey YOU! Yeah you!

The kid who said he was ready to work this off-season. The kid who said he was tired of losing. The kid who is tired of standing on the sidelines when he should be on the field getting his name called over the PA. The kid who said he was tired of being slow and weak. The kid who said he wanted to play college football. I’m talking to you- ALL of you.

Where ya been? Chances are your season has been over for a month now if you didn’t make a run at a state title. What happened to all that motivation and energy you had at the end of the season? When you said you were going to put in the work and come back a better player?

Was it all talk? Or did you mean it?

Ya know, these weights aren’t going to lift themselves. Your muscles won’t just randomly get stronger and fire more rapidly to make you faster and more explosive.

It’s going to take work and time. You know…time? It’s what you’re wasting every day that you aren’t training. It’s something you can never get back. Wasting time only leaves you with regret.

So what have you been doing? Black Ops 2? Halo 4? Dude… that must be SO much fun. I’m sure your kill-to-death ratio will help you be “The Man” and score so many touchdowns next year. I’m sure all those college coaches are going to ask about how fast you beat all the levels…

Oh, and those girls you’re chasing…man I bet you have so much street cred. After all, your gamer tag is MuscleMan007- you must be such an awesome gamer…and a total beast in the gym too I bet bro….

Quit being all talk and lazy. Put the controller down. Play videogames all you want but don’t tell me you want to get better…and don’t cry when your coach doesn’t play you next year. This is your warning.

Hey college recruit. You have to report to arguably one of the most challenging times of your life as a college freshman football player. You’ve stepped your game up right? You’re maximizing all your training and resources to keep getting better right? Or are you doing the same stuff that made you good in high school?

You’re the big fish now…but your habitat is about to get a whole lot bigger with many more predators… I hope you’re preparing yourself for what lies ahead.

Ok, enough sarcasm. The point is, quit making excuses. Work for what you want. Only blame yourself. Invest your time, energy, and even money so you can achieve your goals. And if you don’t have goals for yourself- make some…right now.

This past month at PowerStrength our crop of high school football players got better. They didn’t wait. They each took a week off from the season. Time off is a good thing sometimes…but not if you’re ready to start being a winner and change the losing ways. These guys couldn’t wait to get back to the gym (yes, having a kickass environment to train helps these guys get back faster).

The focus of this month was building the foundation of athleticism. To learn new techniques and re-learn the basics. We trained hard but the focus is different with different goals during this time of year compared to the spring and summer months…it has to be. We also educated our athletes on ‘why’. Having them educated on the details allows them to fully commit to the program whole-heartedly- and keeps them chomping at the bit to tear up the weights when we unleash them.

Soft tissue work, proper breathing techniques, hip-hinge skills, upper back mobility and activation, glute activation, hip mobility, overall flexibility, and general physical prep for work capacity was the focus- and should be the focus for the first month  (at least) for football players once the season has ended.

You can’t jump back into the old routine exactly where you left off and expect to perform the same in the gym. Our athletes gained all their body weight back from the season- some even gained a few pounds. Their push-ups and chin-ups improved, they practiced their lifting technique, and they all set new marks in the vertical jump or matched their old marks before the season. There are a few college football hopefuls in this crew as well; they’ll be primed for life as a college freshman on the field that’s for sure.

I don’t care how much our athletes lift right now. We have so much stuff we’re going to do this off-season that they’ll be the biggest, fastest, strongest, and most explosive group we’ve ever had. Their numbers will be right where they need to be when next season arrives.

It’s going to be exciting to watch all the dedication and hard work these athletes put in pay off as the off-season continues. If getting steamrolled by another athlete, solely because they were more dedicated than you doesn’t sound like much fun, then I offer you a chance to join us…

Click on the ‘Contact Us’ tab in the menu bar and fill out the  form for a FREE try-out session if you’re serious and ready to quit talking and start acting!

Looking forward to seeing more of the football warriors in the West Michigan area real soon.

Quit talking and ACT!

-Mark