Here are bits and pieces from my Thurs/Fri time in Corvallis. I piggybacked onto Gina and Kristin's videographers so that we didn't have three camera people filming. Two was plenty and we will share the videos once they are edited.
- The team has been divided into two groups for summer conditioning, skill position (QB, RB, WR, DB, ST) and line (DL, OL, LB, TE). The entire team of 112 players is participating, with the new freshmen working out with the vets.
- Young guys have been matched up with veterans (big brother/little brothers) with the two needing to meet up at some point during a weekend and go over a list of questions. They report back on Monday.
- Coach Andersen wants to mix up the workouts so they work out at different times of day and in different weather conditions. Not all of the workouts are at 8:00 am for example. He also wants them to have a full weekend to go places and do things, so Friday workouts are 8-10 and 10-noon and they don't report back for Monday workouts until Monday afternoon.
- Each day also focuses on a different part of the body. Friday is secondary upper body day with all of the practices second hour consisting of speed and agility work.
- We worked with the safeties today and they were fantastic to us. Cyril Noland-Lewis, Brandon Arnold, Justin Strong, and Adam Soesman all were supportive and helpful. They did their workout and we had another area next to them for us with lighter weights.
- We met up in the SPC at 7:30 am (we met up with Coach Simon and Coach Cloward last night). Put our stuff in Coach Simon's office and received our 'official training shirt'. The SPC work took up an hour, with a warm-up followed by five, ten minute stations. Jogging is mandatory between stations, and their is no standing around between reps.
- We started out with ladder work. It is hard. Imagine doing ladder work that can be done with your feet, only with your hands. Yeah...the guys made it look easy and could just spider across the floor. None of us had great upper body strength and I frankly just had to through it the easier way (no crisscrossing hands, etc). We followed this work with a quick neck strengthening session.
- Moving on, our next station was bench press on bars that were bendy...not stationary metal. Guys progressively went higher weights, while the girls worked on baby weights. Six sets of five with arm and shoulder work in between.
- Next it was over to the TRX and shrug station. TRX work was pretty easy, but I do that at my gym now, shoulder shrugs and shoulder stabilization moves were also worked on.
- Next stop was bicep curls and tricep extensions. Four sets of 12, but we had to use 'fat grips' which made things A LOT harder. I usually do 15 pounds at my gym, but with these fat grips and my little hands I had to drop to 10's. Tricep pull downs weren't bad at all...in fact I needed them to make it harder for me with more weight (YAY ME!) The players were right next to us on this exercise and were super encouraging. I think we were earning some street cred.
- Last stop was two different types of rows and then pull up/rows on the bar with legs straight and then bent.
- First hour up and we're feeling pretty good. Whoohoo. Over to grab something to drink and head outside to the Prothro Fields.
- Now things got interesting. First as the guys all laced up their cleats they looked at us and asked if we were staying. "Of course!" was the response and we got looks like we were crazy. They all said they'd leave if they were us. Then they asked if we were going to do 'the sleds'...yup. They laughed. I looked at Storm and said 'bring it'...he said he loved our attitude.
- So the outside work begins with the stretching that we see during camp. Leg kicks, skipping, etc. Some tougher then it looks. The guys definitely make it look pretty easy.
- For speed and agility work they break up sprints into 10 reps that represent quarters in the game. Coach Simon barks out the distances and what direction that we need to make our turns (SPC or Truax). A sprint may consist of 5 yards SPC, 10 yards SPC, 5 yards SPC. This is five yards, sprint back to the goal line, ten yards and back and then five yards and back, finishing strong. The rest of the staff is there to take down names of guys who false start, turn the wrong way or don't finish strong. Those are counted as errors and after both groups finish the 10 reps, we did penalty 'up downs' (or in our case burpees).
- Datrin Guyton was great. He stood next to us and kept helping us on what we were to do. We didn't realize at first that there are two groups so the first rep we actually ran twice...oops.
- That is the first quarter and then we got a 2.5 minute break. Malik Gilmore told us not to drink too much...
- Next was the second quarter...same thing, only I just sprinted one way this time. I rolled my ankle during one of the last reps in Q1. Walked it off, but they didn't want me doing change of direction stuff. So instead of doing 5-10-5, I sprinted 20 yards and jogged back. Sprinted is also loose term...while I felt like I was sprinting...I know I am slow.
- Prowler sleds were next. The guys HATE these. Now I know why. It is a 70 pound sled that they add 110 pounds of weight to. Then they have to push it 20 yards. Kristin Rodgers said that she could beat Storm. Game was on as Storm came down to our end of the field. No smile...he was all business as he basically smoked Kristin.
- These sleds are a mean form of torture. The staff finally took some of the weight off for us, but they are still brutal. The first 10 yards are ok, then the quads start burning....BAD. The team had to do 8 sets. After we did four and our quads were on fire and starting to seize up, they told us that we could be done. I thought I may vomit at this point. Had to take a walk. They call this the Prowler flu and there was a sticker on the sled talking about feeling dizzy and nauseous.
- DONE! We did the entire two hour workout and survived. It wasn't pretty, but we did it. Actually I thought we did better than I thought we may do. I was a little worried this morning, but it was fine.
- The staff is amazing. They have tons of interns and assistants who constantly go around and make sure the guys are doing things the right way with good form.
- The workouts were super organized and like I said there was zero standing around. The guys were constantly in motion, which is different from what I've heard in the past.
- Players worked really hard and Storm especially is a big time vocal leader. He was pushing guys and me (come on Miss Angie..when I was pushing the sled).
