The Importance of Building Muscle as a Quarterback
Introduction
As a quarterback, you know that having a strong arm is key to success on the football field. But what many young or inexperienced players don't realize is that having a strong core and legs is just as, if not more, important. In this blog post, we'll give you some tips on how to build muscle and improve your performance on the field. So read on and let’s make some gains!
The best time to work out is in the morning.
This is because your muscles are already warm from simply being asleep. If you go straight to the gym from work or school, chances are your muscles will still be tired and less likely to respond well to a workout.
As a beginner, do push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups every day.
When you are young and/or new to working out, simply doing push-ups, pull-ups and some sit-ups everyday will be super beneficial. Once you've started to build muscle, it's important to maintain what you built up. If you skip out on exercise after gaining some strength, chances are you will lose whatever gains you made.
Add in weight or resistance training a few days a week if you are more advanced.
If you've been working out for a while and have built up a decent amount of muscle mass, you should aim to work out three days a week. It's best to alternate between resistance training and HIIT workouts so as not make your muscles adapt to one type of workout or another.
Train legs at least twice a week for the best results.
Train legs at least twice a week for the best results. By training legs multiple times a week, you will naturally begin to run faster, increase your stamina, and just be able to run around more easily on the field. You should aim to do exercises like squats, leg-presses, lunges and deadlifts. Also running sprints can be very important too!
Don’t do thousands of crunches for your core.
This is definitely one of the most common mistakes people make when trying to strengthen their core. Crunches and sit-ups alone will never give you a strong core, so be sure to work it in with other exercises like planks and sit-ups. Believe or not, compound lifts like squats and deadlifts are actually more effective at working your core than isolated exercises! And always remember that building muscle takes time; Rome wasn't built in a day!
Eat plenty of protein and carbs after every workout.
Eating plenty of protein and carbs after working out helps you build muscle. It is vital to helping your muscles recover, repair and grow. To build any amount of strength or mass, you must be feeding your body the right nutrients in order for it to work efficiently. You should aim to eat between 30-50 grams of protein within 15 minutes after your workout. In addition to that, you should have a carb-rich meal about an hour following your workout. Be sure to include healthy fats, vegetables and other healthy nutrients in all of your meals throughout the day!
Conclusion
If you want to build muscle and get in shape to play the quarterback position, then you now know some main points to get there. Lift weights and resistance-train for your entire body a few times a week. However, for maximum results, be sure to train your legs and core at least twice a week. Don’t only do thousands of crunches for your abs because it doesn’t provide any results! Compound lifts are the best way to build a strong core. Eat plenty of protein and carbs after working out so that your body can repair itself from all the hard work you just did. The next time you feel like what you are doing isn’t working, or you aren't sure what exercises to do - don’t worry about it! We have experts here at Lowcountry QB who help people with quarterback strength-building programs every day - we would love to chat with you more if this sounds interesting.