4 Strength Building Things You Can Do with Your Youth DB

Dads looking to develop their young tike into a lock down DB will often approach me about things they can do at an early age to help them become the best they can be.  One of those things includes when should they start weight training.

I am not a big fan of weight lifting before high school as I am of the belief that it may play a factor in stunting growth.  There is research out there arguing for and against that theory.  In my personal opinion,  why take the risk?  There will be plenty of time to lift weights.  However,  just because your youngster is not lifting weights doesn’t mean he can’t build strength.

There are non-weight bearing exercises that your pre-adolescent young DB can do to provide a sound base of strength that will accelerate him when he does actually begin in the weight room.

(1) Push-Ups

Herschel Walker has gained recent fame for his side ways political opinions but some of you may remember his playing days when he used to knock defenders sideways.  Herschel gave a lot of credit for his natural strength to a push-up and sit-ups regimen he had as a youngster.  I personally can attest to push-ups aiding me in having a strong bench press when I started getting into the weight room.  I graduated high school benching 315 lbs. while weighing 160 lbs.  Several of my friends growing up were big on push-ups and they were all very strong once the time came push the iron.

Around the house with my kids,  push-ups were a part of the “that was stupid” regimen.  When the kids messed up, (and yes that included the girl) drop down and push the ground.  That girl grew up to own the bench press record for New Haven University volleyball.  My youngest (who messed up the most) wowed scouts at his NFL pro day by benching 225 lbs.  26 times.  That’s off the charts for a 190 lb. cornerback.  Get your young man in the habit of doing push ups.  The routine is a great way to build upper body strength without weights.  Prison inmates swear by it too.  I just had to throw that in there.

(2) Lunges

You can’t just be strong up top.  Nothing builds up leg strength without weights like lunges.  This exercise does not require weights but does require a certain amount of mental strength.  When those quads start to burn you know that strength is getting earned.  The mental strength developed is an added bonus.  The strength based developed in the quads and glutes through lunges will go wonders in accelerating their explosive strength once the get into weightlifting and plyometrics.  Depending on their strength level,  you can start them off with 50 yards of lunges and work them up to full field lunges or lunges followed immediately by a sprint. Show them your support by doing it with them too, lol.

(3) Tennis Balls

Say what?  What do tennis have to do with building strength for DBs? I’m going to tell you.  One of the great ways to build grip strength,  something rarely trained,  is by squeezing tennis balls.  Why do we need strong hands?  It’s wonderful to have them when playing press man.  Yes,  I know we aren’t supposed to grab nor am I suggesting that.  However,  strong hands and forearms make for better jams.  Opposing receivers feel those jams better when they come from a pair of strong hands attached to strong arms.  It can be intimidating.

Another great advantage to having strong hands is being able to catch the football.  Strong hands are needed to catch the football away from the body which is an essential skills.  Perhaps you have a really young ball player in your home who must catch everything against his body because of padding and lack of strength.  You can put him ahead of the game by getting him on a tennis ball squeezing routine.  This seems like a small thing but trust me when I tell you it pays off later.

(4) Sit-ups

Often times,  the core gets ignored.  It’s just not a sexy area to train because you can’t test a max on it like bench or squat.  However,  the abs connect the torso to the legs.  If that connection is weak then a person will not reach their peak output.  A strong core makes for better upper body control which leads to better jams and change of direction.  A strong core also leads to better hip position when sprinting and jumping thus leading to max output.  Before weights become a part of the young DBs life,  get him interested in sit-ups and training his core.  Once he gets to the weights and wants to increase his bench, squat and deadlift,  it might be too late to sell him on the idea of doing sit-ups regularly.  Start now before he hears the iron clanging.

Get the young man or men started on these four exercises as part of their daily routine.  Along with building strength,  it will develop their discipline and it will carry over into the weight room.  If it’s done right,  that will be one less thing you will have to get on him about or worry about when the time comes.

Thank you for reading.  As always,  if you have any questions,  feel free to reach out to me via email at: cwilson@alleyesdbcamp.com – Thank you for being a member.

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alleyesdbcamp

Owner at All Eyes DB Camp

Chad Wilson is the founder of All Eyes DB Camp and a former standout defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes. After an elite collegiate career, Wilson spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks before transitioning into coaching. A 3-time Florida state champion defensive coordinator, he has spent over 20 years developing the "All Eyes" blueprint that has produced NFL All-Pros and stars like Xavien Howard, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more. His coaching system is proven at the highest levels—his own sons, Quincy and Marco Wilson, both excelled as starters in the SEC before being drafted into the NFL.

Chad is the author of "101 DB Tips"—The Ultimate DB Reference Guide. You can find more information on the manual and how to order your copy in the sidebar and footer of this page.

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