17 year old D-End, could use some help

[Natedoggydawgg]

Age: 17
Height: 6'2
Wieght:176
Grade: Junior (11)
Location: RAF Lakenheath, England
Position: Defensive End

Ok, well, over here in England, we only have 6 games a year, so my seasons almost over.
I really need some help on how to become a better defensive end player.
I'm pretty fast, but could get alot faster, and I'm not that strong.
I really, really want to get better for next season, which will be my last.
So, any work out tips/plans, or any advice at all would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks alot!

 

[FunctionalTrain]

I think one of the things you want to focus on in the off-season is putting on some healthy weight, and start with basic movements in the gym (bench, squats...etc). Normally, in a hypertrophy cycle, you want to make sure you're lifting 65-80% of your 1-rep max and focus on 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. Another thing that is key is your nutrition...to get enough calories to make your muscles grow. This cycle will lay the foundation of muscular strength and movement when you progress to higher intensities and complex exercises.

Another aspect you may want to focus on afte about 12 weeks of hypertropthy, is incorporating olympic-style lifts into your routine, such as snatch, clean and jerks. These are beneficial for DEs in ways I cannot list here with enough space. Your intensity in this phase should increase to 80-90% 1-rep maxes (3-5 sets of 4-6 reps) of your core exercises (incline bench, squats...etc). Also in this cycle, you can do conditioning drills like agility, plyometrics, and speed training as your goal should shift to provide more sport-specific movements.

These steps I've listed are only the foundations that should get you close to the next preseason, where you're going to be doing A LOT of conditioning drills in practice, and in the gym, you're main focus will be more on power movements like clean and jerks, snatches, plyometrics. intensities for these will get up to 100% your 1-rep max at 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps.