Football is a game of repeated bouts of intense activity, so players must have strength to produce powerful movements repeatedly through an entire game. To train in this way requires the use of heavy weights (70% RM or higher), low repetitions (8 or less) and longer rest times between sets and workouts.

Performing fewer repetitions with a heavy weight recruits type IIB fibers (fast-twitch), that are important to develop strength and power. The longer rest periods are used to ensure adequate recovery. Full recovery will allow for maximal effort during each set and each workout. Recovery times between sets should be at least 90 seconds long to allow the body to replenish most of its ATP, or immediate energy source. All of these factors make up the pre-season exercise prescription.

The exercise prescription is not the only piece to the puzzle; the types of exercises performed are just as important. Pre-season strength exercises should include compound movements, unilateral movements and exercises performed in a dynamic position. These three types of movements will not be the only exercises done but should constitute a large portion of them.

Compound exercises, also known as multi-joint, train entire movements as opposed to specific body parts. Multi-joint exercises are more intense due to the increase in muscle groups recruited and the higher demands placed on the nervous system. Although isolated movements need to be included in any pre-season training program, they should not be the focus. For instance, leg extension is beneficial for developing isolated strength in the quadriceps, but how often does an athlete perform a leg extension on the field? However, a compound movement such as a squat simulates a movement that is performed numerous times throughout a game.

Training using compound movements will prepare athletes using similar patterns of movement that will transfer much easier to a sports environment. In the pre-season it is more important to focus on functional strength than isolated strength. For these reasons, compound movements are superior to isolated movements.

Squats, deadlifts, leg press and lunges are all compound lower body movements that need to be included. Pushing and pulling are the two general types of compound upper body movements. Pushing exercises include the bench press, military press and standing dumbbell press; pull-ups, dumbbell rows and one-arm cable rows are examples of pulling exercises.

The next criterion is to train with unilateral or independent movements. Almost any athlete has strength and coordination differences between the right and left sides of the body. Traditional selectorized machines with fixed movement arms do not allow the right and left limbs to operate independently, which can perpetuate imbalances because the dominant side typically moves more of the weight and continues to get stronger.

To balance the two halves, each side of the body must lift the same amount. This is accomplished using free weights or machines that allow independent, or unilateral, movement. Here the dominant side cannot assist the weaker side; therefore the weaker side is overloaded and is forced to adapt and become stronger. Moving each arm and leg independently will help foster a uniform strength level between both sides.

The final key is to train in a position that is dynamic or unstable. A stable environment is one in which the body is supported, like a seated exercise. In an unstable position, such as standing, the same exercise can have a much greater effect because additional muscle groups are needed to stabilize the entire body. When standing, the core musculature - the abdominals and lower back - are forced to hold the torso in a rigid position, and the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes are also required to stabilize the body. The additional muscle groups working place a greater demand on the nervous system, which translates to a higher physiological overload. The result is an exercise that is more challenging and leads to better results.

Optimal benefits from this approach to training require the appropriate sequence of exercises over a period of time. The athlete must first master an exercise in a stable position before attempting the exercise in an unstable position.

For example, the progression for a shoulder press would be seated shoulder press using a selectorized machine, seated military press using a barbell, standing military press with a barbell and finally standing dumbbell press. To go one step further, the standing dumbbell press can be performed on an unbalanced surface like a balance board. Each level requires more stabilization from the athlete. This progression occurs gradually over the course of weeks and months, not days.

It is important that football players enter the season at peak physical condition. To do this requires a well designed pre-season training program that addresses the specific demands on each athlete. A successful pre-season program is one that incorporates all of the necessary components to have the athletes maximize their performance when the season is on the line.

Miklos Horvath, CSCS, is the director of health and fitness at the Healthplex Sports Club in Springfield, Penn., and a member of the Life Fitness Academy