Texans strength and conditioning coach Dan Riley writes his ...

My advice to our players is warm-up before stretching. If you stretch it should be toimprove your flexibility, not to prevent an injury.I am 16 years old and play football in England. I am looking for the bestworkout for a middle linebacker? How do your routines vary from positionto position?Nik HaywoodLogic dictates that once you find the “best” strength training workout for alinebacker, it should also be the same workout used by a quarterback, linemen, widereceiver, or any position.The number one priority for all athletes, regardless of position, must be short andlong-term injury prevention. When a coach finally finds the ultimate “best workout,”it must be utilized by all players (regardless of position).The function of your muscles is the same as any member of your team (regardless ofposition). Our goal is to find those methods producing the best results and thenemploy those techniques with every member of our team.Once a strength coach finds out how to best develop strength, all players should usethe same routines. The only difference will be the degree of development. With thesame effort, some athletes will respond better than their teammates, simply becausethey possess a better genetic predisposition for adding muscular size andstrength.We all possess some ability to add muscle strength and size. An athlete with the bestphysiological, anatomical, neurological, and biomechanical, advantages will respondthe most.During his induction speech at the National Football League Hall of Fame, formerPenn State offensive linemen Mike Munchak acknowledged me and the strengthprogram at Penn State for adding forty-five pounds of muscle during his first twoyears at Penn State.I have explained to “Munch” that he was a big person with a big frame and had verygood developing potential. Through the normal maturation process he was going togain a significant amount of weight whether he lifted weights or not. One of theadvantages of being a college strength coach is capitalizing on the maturationprocess. Most college athletes generate some of their best physical gains betweenthe ages of eighteen and twenty years-old.At Penn State all of our players used the same routines yet few of our playersresponded with the same degree of muscular strength and size as did Mike Munchak.Far more important than the routine, the sequence of exercises, the set/repcombination, or the equipment used, is the genetic potential of the individualathlete.For an athlete to generate significant strength gains there are certain genetic assetsshe/he must possess. If you are blessed with a higher degree of these assets you will