Strength Programming for Football Athletes: Off-Season to In-Season Transition

With the College Football National Championship firmly in the rearview mirror(Congrats Indiana!!!), every college football team is already or transitioning into their off-season training phase.

Football is a collision sport built on speed, strength, and durability. But one of the biggest mistakes athletes (and even coaches) make is training the same way year-round.

The off-season is about building. The in-season is about maintaining and performing.

The transition period between the two is where many athletes either:

• lose strength too fast,

• stay sore all season,

• or try to “PR their way” into weekly fatigue.

If you want to play fast in October and still feel strong in November, your program needs a smart shift; not a sudden stop.

This article breaks down how to structure a football strength program from late off-season into in-season, so athletes stay powerful, healthy, and ready every week.

Why the Transition Phase Matters (More Than Most Think)

The off-season typically prioritizes:

✅ building muscle

✅ increasing absolute strength

✅ improving work capacity

✅ developing movement quality

But once practice, conditioning, meetings, and games begin, your program has to adapt.

During the season you’re managing:

• higher sprint volume

• repeated impacts (tackling/blocking)

• more CNS fatigue

• less recovery time

• unpredictable soreness

If you don’t adjust training variables, your lifting becomes a performance tax instead of a performance tool.

Training Goals: Off-Season vs In-Season

Off-Season Goals

The priority is development:

• add lean mass

• increase force output (strength)

• build long-term resilience

• improve weak links (posterior chain, trunk, hips, shoulders, etc)

In-Season Goals

The priority is performance preservation:

• maintain strength and power

• reduce soreness and fatigue

• stay explosive

• minimize soft tissue issues

• support speed, not crush it

Key principle: Your lifting should support the sport demands, not compete with them.

The 3 Biggest Changes That Should Happen During the Transition

A successful off-season → in-season transition comes down to managing three things:

1) Volume Drops

Strength can be maintained with less volume than it takes to build it.

So the biggest adjustment is usually:

• fewer total working sets

• fewer accessory movements

• shorter sessions

If off-season training is the “engine building phase,” in-season is “keep it running smoothly.”

2) Intensity Stays (Relatively) High

A huge mistake is dropping weight and volume too much.

In-season lifting isn’t supposed to be light; it’s supposed to be effective.

You still need heavy enough loads to maintain strength:

• heavy triples, doubles, or crisp singles (not grinders)

• bar speed and intent stay high

• low fatigue, high quality

The goal is to stimulate the nervous system, not annihilate it.

3) Exercise Selection Gets Simpler

In the off-season, you can rotate variations often:

• tempo lifts

• high volume accessories

• new movements

• hypertrophy-focused blocks

But in-season, you want stability:

• fewer exercises

• more consistency

• less soreness risk

• higher efficiency

You’re already getting variety through football itself.

The Best Off-Season Strength Focus for Football (Quick Breakdown)

A strong football off-season program usually includes:

1) Lower Body Strength

• Squat variation (front squat, safety bar, back squat)

• Hinge variation (RDL, trap bar deadlift, deadlift)

• Single-leg work (split squats, step-ups)

2) Posterior Chain Development

Football is hips, hamstrings, and glutes; especially for:

• sprinting

• cutting

• contact stability

3) Upper Body Strength

Linemen especially need pressing power and joint integrity:

• bench press

• incline DB press

• rows and chin-ups

• shoulder health work

4) Explosive Power

You don’t “turn power on” overnight. It has to be trained year-round:

• jumps

• throws

• Olympic lift variations (if coached well)

• loaded carries

The Transition Phase (2–4 Weeks): What It Should Look Like

This is the phase that bridges the gap between “training hard” and “playing weekly.”

Transition Training Priorities

✅ keep intensity moderate-high

✅ drop volume 30–50%

✅ increase explosive intent

✅ reduce soreness-focused accessories

✅ avoid training to failure

This is also where athletes should start moving from:

• longer rests → shorter sessions

• hypertrophy focus → performance focus

• “more work” → “more quality”

Sample Transition Program (2 Days/Week)

This format works well when practice begins and time/energy get tighter.

Day 1: Total Body Strength + Power

A1. Box Jump or Broad Jump – 3x3

A2. Med Ball Slam or Chest Pass – 3x5

B. Trap Bar Deadlift – 4x3 (heavy but fast)

C. Bench Press – 4x4 (leave 1–2 reps in the tank)

D. DB Row – 3x8–10

E. Split Squat – 2–3x6 each leg

F. Core (Anti-Rotation / Bracing) – 2–3 sets

Day 2: Speed Strength + Upper Back

A. Vertical Jump – 3x3

B. Hang Power Clean (or High Pull) – 4x2 (optional)

C. Front Squat – 3x3

D. Incline DB Press – 3x6–8

E. Chin-Ups or Lat Pulldown – 3x6–10

F. Hamstring Curl Variation – 2x8–12

G. Shoulder Prehab – 2 sets

In-Season Strength Training: The “Minimum Effective Dose”

In-season lifting is about getting the job done without ruining the week.

Two Key Rules

✅ Keep it short

✅ Keep it intense (but NOT exhausting)

A great in-season lift usually takes:35–55 minutes

If you’re walking out with jelly legs and soreness for 3 days… that’s not “tough,” that’s poor planning.

Sample In-Season Strength Program (2 Days/Week)

Day 1 (Early Week): Strength Focus

A. Jump Variation – 3x2–3

B. Squat Variation – 3x2–4

C. Bench Press – 3x2–4

D. Row – 3x6–10

E. Posterior Chain – 2x6–10

F. Core – 2 sets

Day 2 (Mid/Late Week): Power + Upper Maintenance

A. Med Ball Throw – 3x4–5

B. Hinge Variation (RDL/Trap Bar) – 2–3x3–5

C. Push Variation (DB Bench or Push-ups weighted) – 2–3x6–8

D. Pull Variation (Chin-Ups / Row) – 2–3x6–10

E. Mobility / Prehab – 8–12 minutes

How to Time Lifting Around Games (Simple Weekly Structure)

The exact schedule depends on when you play, but for most teams:

Friday Night Game Example

Sunday: off / reset (depending on level)

Monday: primary lift day (strength + power)

Tuesday: practice + speed (lower lifting demand)

Wednesday: secondary lift day (lighter/faster)

Thursday: walk-through style + mobility

Friday: compete

Saturday: recovery, mobility, light movement

The closer you get to game day, the more “fast and fresh” matters.

Signs You’re Doing Too Much In-Season

Your program might be too heavy if:

• speed drops at practice

• athlete looks “flat” on game day

• constant hamstring tightness shows up

• motivation tanks

• sleep quality worsens

• soreness lasts 72+ hours consistently

• athletes dread the weight room

You shouldn’t feel destroyed all season.

You should feel ready.

Final Takeaway: Strong All Year > Strong in the Weight Room

Football athletes don’t win games by having great lifts in July. They win by being explosive, healthy, and confident in October.

A great program evolves through phases:

Build → Transition → Maintain → Perform

If you want your players to stay dominant all season long, your training needs to match the calendar; not your ego.

Quick Summary (For Athletes & Parents)

✅ Off-season = build strength, muscle, durability

✅ Transition phase = reduce volume, keep intensity, stay explosive

✅ In-season = maintain strength/power with minimal fatigue

✅ Lifting should support performance, not steal it