Bentley's D-Line workout

f you're like most teams, you're right in the middle of your off-season program. And although you may be building strength, mobility and explosion are you doing workouts designed specifically for D-Linemen?

Well, it just so happens that I stumbled upon a great video from LeCharles Bentley and Willie McGinest that details a few exercises made exclusively for the D-Line. Enjoy the below breakdown and would love to hear what you think about these exercises...

Posture exercises

To play D-Line you need to make sure your shoulders, hands, spine and hips can all remain stable when force is applied to them. The following exercises help with this.

Planks

Use planks to stabilize your entire core (shoulders, neck, glutes, quads and calfs). Concentrate on keeping your hips in line with your spine and thumbs in line with your shoulders so you can stabilize through your scapula to your feet.

Scapula Push Up

This exercise builds the ability for your shoulder to be more mobile and stable in a fully extended position. Simply get into a plank position, sink into the shoulders and squeeze out.

Pinch grip

To hold a 3-point stance you need to stability in your hands. So, pinch a 5-pound plate in the meat of the hands for 10-30 seconds 3-5 times.

Towel leg drive

To gain max distance off your step, you need to be able to stabilize your hips as your push through your front foot. Use the towel leg drive exercise to improve this by squeezing the glutes, controlling the leg up and driving down.

Contact exercises

D-Line is about striking first and often. These next exercises will help you to strike more violently and offset your opponent.

Reach attack

On a reach block defending the shoulder is key. So, for the reach attack exercise keep the thumb and armpit in line, back flat, head up and hand extended so you can deliver a vicious blow to your opponent.

Resisted push pull

Add emphasis on torquing your hands when both pushing and pulling with the resistance push pull exercise.

Resisted strike

When you get extension you have to squeeze and hold to keep it. So use the resisted strike to practice hitting and holding with resistance.

Resisted extension

Last, maintain extension while you are driving the feet with resisted extensions. Concentrate on taking two 6-inch steps while keeping both arms extended.

That's all for this week folks. If you have any ideas for what I should post next week let me know!

And whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Learn how to develop top tier pass rushers and a lethal pass rush attack here (1,000+ students)
2. Learn how to turn your D-Line into a block destruction machine here (1,100+ students)

-Craig

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