Junior High Football Movement Prep Program

A warm-up is more than just getting stretched out before running. A proper warm-up (aka Movement Prep) should simultaneously address joint mobility, muscle flexibility, joint stability, strengthen athletic patterns, and prepare the athlete to give 100% during their speed and strength work.

Note to Junior High Football Players: Great work this Summer! Keep doing things right over the long term and you will be amazed at the result 4 years from now. Here are some of the warm-up exercises we did. Practice these a few times a week before a workout or as the workout itself. Master these movements and watch your strength, speed, and athleticism increase.

Split Squat - take a long stride, drop down with the back knee going right toward the floor (stop an inch short). Head and chest up. You should feel a stretch in the front of the back leg.

Lateral Squat - squat over the lead leg to the point that the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle all line up vertically. The back leg stays straight and you should feel a groin (adductor) stretch.

Single Leg Bridge - hold one knee to chest to keep the low back out of it. Drive through the heel and extend the hip.

Prone Pillar Bridge - prop up on the forearms and toes with the lower back staying straight. The goal is to work up to 60 seconds without the low back sagging down. If you lose control (ie. back sags), rest briefly, and then try to finish it out.

Lateral Pillar Bridge - feet are stacked and prop up on one forearm. Keep the body straight and hips up. The goal should be 30-45 seconds without the hips dropping. If you lose control (ie. hips sag), rest briefly, and then try to finish it out.

Body Weight Squat Progression Series - For each of these exercises, attempt to 1) keep the feet pointing straight ahead, 2) knees wide, 3) head and chest up, 4) break parallel. Perfecting technique will result in a bigger squat, coming out of your stance quicker, jumping higher, and will prevent injuries to the low back, knees, and ankles.

Just a reminder on deadlift and squat technique for the future. "Press the hips back" should be your first move on these lifts. Right now the tendency is to bend the knees first but this does a few things that are not so good: 1) prevents you from getting deep, 2) will limit how much you can lift, 3) could get you hurt, and 4) will slow you down.

Check out deadlift pictures below. I guarantee you the kid bent his knees before his hips and now look at his rounded out spine. He will hurt his back someday and will struggle to reach his full potential using that kind of technique.

In contrast, look at Arnold's hips. Way out behind him with his back flat. Knees are bent but only enough to get him down. This is how you need to look to protect your back and to lift heavier as you get older.

One more note on the athletic stance. Look at the linebacker and defensive lineman in the picture below. Hips back and a flat low back. Ready to explode. Put a bar in their hands and it looks like they are deadlifting. Throw a bar on the linebackers shoulders and he looks like he could be squatting. How you lift will carry over to how you do things on the football field. Perfect your technique now while you are young and you will see huge improvements every year between now and when you are a Senior.