MJZiggy
03-21-2007, 08:14 PM
Packers tone down strength program to tune up
By Tom Pelissero
tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com
For all the hype about high-tech gadgetry and futuristic training, the Green Bay Packers' strength and conditioning program is under way with a throwback theme: Make the offseason feel like the offseason.
That means less lifting. A lighter load on Tuesdays. A full breakfast every morning at the dining hall. And the same three-day weekends veterans have come to appreciate.
There's more than one way to prepare for a fast start, and Packers strength and conditioning coordinator Rock Gullickson believes his players can reach maximum strength by the team's mid-May minicamp without suffering mental burnout.
"And I'm hopeful as guys go away for that month of July," Gullickson said Tuesday afternoon, "that they'll keep working toward another peak heading into training camp."
At least that's the plan set by Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who promised changes to the team's offseason program after last year's 1-4 start.
Players were screened Monday to identify weaknesses in their bodies, which Gullick-son and other assistants began trying to strengthen Tuesday. Future Tuesdays will follow suit, with players focusing on functional training, addressing individual needs and resting for harder workouts on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
There are three training sessions each morning, all beginning with organized exercises in the Don Hutson Center. Veterans get the prime 9:30 time slot — a small concession for those skeptical about new equipment and routines. After a two-week adaptation period, players will spend seven weeks working toward strength and power, leaving most conventional football activities for camps in May and June.
Though a number of players were "accounted for" but absent Monday and Tuesday, according to Gullickson, attendance is expected to surpass last year's total when they arrive next week. Several players returning from injuries — tackle Kevin Barry, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and safety Marviel Underwood — already are doing what they can under close watch from team trainers.
"Good energy. Good focus," Gullickson said of the first sessions. "Going into the offseason off a four-game winning streak, I feel it's still with them."
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/PKR01/703210557/1989
By Tom Pelissero
tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com
For all the hype about high-tech gadgetry and futuristic training, the Green Bay Packers' strength and conditioning program is under way with a throwback theme: Make the offseason feel like the offseason.
That means less lifting. A lighter load on Tuesdays. A full breakfast every morning at the dining hall. And the same three-day weekends veterans have come to appreciate.
There's more than one way to prepare for a fast start, and Packers strength and conditioning coordinator Rock Gullickson believes his players can reach maximum strength by the team's mid-May minicamp without suffering mental burnout.
"And I'm hopeful as guys go away for that month of July," Gullickson said Tuesday afternoon, "that they'll keep working toward another peak heading into training camp."
At least that's the plan set by Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who promised changes to the team's offseason program after last year's 1-4 start.
Players were screened Monday to identify weaknesses in their bodies, which Gullick-son and other assistants began trying to strengthen Tuesday. Future Tuesdays will follow suit, with players focusing on functional training, addressing individual needs and resting for harder workouts on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
There are three training sessions each morning, all beginning with organized exercises in the Don Hutson Center. Veterans get the prime 9:30 time slot — a small concession for those skeptical about new equipment and routines. After a two-week adaptation period, players will spend seven weeks working toward strength and power, leaving most conventional football activities for camps in May and June.
Though a number of players were "accounted for" but absent Monday and Tuesday, according to Gullickson, attendance is expected to surpass last year's total when they arrive next week. Several players returning from injuries — tackle Kevin Barry, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and safety Marviel Underwood — already are doing what they can under close watch from team trainers.
"Good energy. Good focus," Gullickson said of the first sessions. "Going into the offseason off a four-game winning streak, I feel it's still with them."
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/PKR01/703210557/1989