Middle Linebacker Off-Season Training Week – Part 2!

Here’s Part 2 of my Middle Linebacker Off-Season Training Week Series! In Part 1, we’ve seen the first 2 training days, and as always I included performance notes, nutrition guidelines and supplement tips. In Part 2, we’ll detail the remaining 5 days of training for the middle linebacker – so let’s get to it!

A Quick Recap – Middle Linebacker Off-Season Training Week

Middle Linebacker Training Recap	Linear Focus	Lateral Agility	Active RecoveryFilm Study	Change ofDirection	CNS Reset	Lifting
Day 1	X					Lower Body
Day 2		X				Upper Body
Day 3			X
Day 4				X		Lower Body
Day 5						Upper Body
Day 6					X
Day 7	Joint Prep	Joint Prep	Joint Prep	Joint Prep	Joint Prep	Joint Prep

Day 3 – Active Recovery & Tactical Film Study

Tissue Regeneration & Mobility

90/90 Hip Switches – To improve active control, coordination, and range of motion in your hip joint.

2 sets x 8 reps per side

1. Set Up – Sit on the floor and bend both your knees to a 90-degree angle. Your front thigh should be pointing straight ahead, and your back thigh pointing out to the side.
2. Support – Place your hands on the floor behind you for balance and keep your chest upright.
3. The Switch – Lift your knees off the ground, pivoting on your heels, and rotate your legs to the opposite side.
4. Completion – Lower your legs to the floor until both shins are resting on the floor, mirroring the 90/90 position on the new side.

Foam Rolling

15 minutes targeting the thoracic spine, lats, quads, and calves.

Low-Intensity Steady State (LISS)

20-minute light swim. This promotes blood flow without joint impact.

Film Session 

45 minutes analyzing opponent run-blocking schemes, offensive guard keys, and RPO (Run-Pass Option) tendencies. This is key for a successful middle linebacker!

Day 4 – Change of Direction & Lower Body Structural Strength

Nutrition Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Position-Specific Movement

Linebacker Mirror Drill

4 “sets” × 10 seconds – This is a partner drill mimicking a ball carrier’s lateral cuts.

1. Set Boundaries – Place two cones about 5 to 10 yards apart to create a tight operational box.
2. Assign Roles – Pair one linebacker facing an offensive player or a coach holding a dummy.
3. Execute – The offensive player moves side-to-side dynamically. The linebacker must stay in a low, balanced stance, and mirror the ball carrier’s movements, keeping their shoulders perfectly square without crossing their feet. (1)

Medicine Ball Broad Jump to Sprint

1 “set” of 5 “reps” – Teaches immediate conversion of horizontal power into a forward sprint.

1. Set Up – Hold a 8 to 15 pound medicine ball at chest level with your feet shoulder-width apart in a quarter-squat athletic stance. 
2. The Jump & Throw – Explode forward, swinging your arms and the ball to execute a maximum distance broad jump. As you jump, explosively throw the ball straight out in front of you. 
3. The Landing – Focus on sticking the landing with bent knees to safely absorb the impact.
4. The Transition – The moment your feet hit the ground, immediately drop into an aggressive forward lean and drive into a 10-to-20-yard sprint.

Sled-Specific Preparation 

2 sets x 20 yards

Load a sled with a light to moderate weight (about 25-45 lbs). This prepares the exact movement patterns you will use during heavy sled pushes.

Heavy Sled Pushes

3 sets × 15 yards – Use twice your bodyweight to build drive-block resistance and pure leg drive.

Lifting (Unilateral Strength & Ankle/Knee Durability) – Middle Linebacker Training Week!

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Trap Bar Deadlift

20% 1RM x 15 reps

40% 1RM x 10 reps

50% 1 RM x 10 reps

3 sets × 4 reps at 85% 1RM – This supports maximum ground force production with less spine stress than a straight bar. (2)

Barbell Walking Lunges

3 sets × 8 steps per leg – This movement builds single-leg stability in heavy traffic.

Glute-Ham Raises (GHR)

3 sets × 8-10 reps – GHR’s bulletproofs the posterior chain of the middle linebacker against sudden hamstring pulls.

Standing Pallof Press with Rotation

3 sets × 12 reps per side – Establishes isometric core stability so the middle linebacker can resist being moved by offensive linemen.

1. Set Up – Attach a handle to a cable machine at chest height.
2. Your Stance – Stand perpendicular to the anchor. Step away to create tension. Assume an athletic stance with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core tightly braced.
3. Press Out – Hold the handle at your center of the chest. Press your arms straight out in front of you until your elbows are fully locked.
4. Rotate – While keeping your arms fully extended and your lower body glued in place, slowly rotate your torso and shoulders away from the anchor point. Your hips should remain facing forward—the twist should come only from your mid-back (thoracic spine).
5. Return – Rotate back to the center (with your arms still extended), then bring the handle back to your chest.

Day 5 – Conditioning & Upper Body Power

Nutrition Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

High-Intensity Functional Conditioning

Gasser Runs

1 “set” x 4 “reps” – Builds endurance.

Run sideline-to-sideline and back twice; the middle linebacker must finish each under 45 seconds to simulate an extended drive.

Tempo Sprints

8 reps × 40 yards at 85% effort with exactly 30 seconds of rest between reps. This drill trains the aerobic system to recover between plays.

Lifting – Shoulder Stability & Hypertrophy – Middle Linebacker Training Week!

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Barbell Push Press

20% 1RM x 15 reps

40% 1RM x 10 reps

50% 1 RM x 10 reps

4 sets × 4 reps – This exercise transfers lower body kinetic energy through the core into an upper body explosion.

Cable Face Pulls

4 sets × 15 reps – This movement builds rear deltoid and upper back health to ensure tackling durability.

Dumbbell Single-Arm Row

3 sets × 10 reps per arm – Anti-rotation core work disguised as an upper-back movement.

EZ-Bar Bicep Curls Superset with Tricep Dips (feel free to use a triceps dip machine)

3 sets × 12 reps each – Arm mass helps secure arm-tackles in high-speed collisions. Triceps dips can be done using dip bars with or without extra weight, or the middle linebacker can use a plate-loaded machine, or the standard lever Triceps Dip machine.

Performance Notes

During your lifting sessions, I suggest the middle linebacker (and all football players) perform the concentric phase of every rep explosively. The key point here is to not rush your reps or let momentum do the work. Your goal is to build explosive strength and power, that’s not going to happen if you lift too fast without control. In the eccentric phase, lower the weight slowly and under control, which I also always recommend. Doing so builds strength and promotes muscle mass. It also helps keep your form intact, and stops momentum.

Day 6 – Central Nervous System (CNS) Reset

Total Rest

No lifting, running, or high-intensity movements of any kind.

Contrast Therapy

3 rounds of 3 minutes in a hot tub (100°F+) followed by 1 minute in a cold plunge (50°F or lower) to flush metabolic waste and calm your nervous system. (3)

Day 7 – Metabolic Priming & Joint Prep

Light Baseline Conditioning

15 minutes of low-intensity cycling or rowing to flush out residual soreness.

Ankle & Foot Complex

10 minutes of barefoot balance work and calf stretching (ensures joint mobility ahead of Monday’s high-velocity sprint work).

Barefoot Balance Examples

Barefoot balance work for a middle linebacker means training without shoes. Doing so will strengthen your feet, sharpen your agility, and improve explosive force. Your body must make micro-adjustments directly against the ground, this builds the foundation, balance, and quick reflexes necessary to shed blocks and make solid tackles.

Single-Leg Stances

Stand on one leg for 30–60 seconds (progressing to closing the eyes or tossing a medicine ball). This forces the stabilizing muscles in the shins and calves to fire. 

Barefoot Agility Ladders

Doing quick, rhythmic footwork patterns such as the Icky Shuffle while barefoot forces the middle linebacker to stay on the balls of their feet, which promotes lighter, faster movement.

Weekly Meal Prep

Formatting nutrition metrics for the high-workload week ahead. We’ll touch on that next. 

The Nutrition & Macro Blueprint for a College-Level Middle Linebacker

To fuel this level of output without losing lean mass or becoming sluggish, a standard 230-pound college-level linebacker requires roughly 4,140 calories per day (calculated by multiplying 18 calories per pound of bodyweight).

Macronutrient Split
Macronutrient	Daily Target	Strategic Value for Linebackers
Protein	1g per lb of bodyweight (230g)	Rebuilds muscle fibers torn down from heavy lifting and sprinting.
Carbohydrates	3.2g per lb of bodyweight (736g)	Replenishes glycogen stores needed for explosive, short-burst energy.
Fats	0.45g per lb of bodyweight (103g)	Supports hormone regulation (testosterone production) and joint health.

Nutrition Tips

As a middle linebacker, you should be consuming plenty of quality calories for the energy and strength your position demands. I recommend 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Since football is mainly a high-intensity, intermittent sport, I suggest 3 to 4 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. Finally, healthy fats should be around .45 grams per pound of bodyweight. 

I also suggest (and this is something any player at any position should do):

A Nighttime Casein Feed – 1 cup of 2% cottage cheese or a casein protein shake with 1 oz of almonds (the idea is to use a slower-digesting protein to prevent overnight muscle catabolism). To this end, I suggest PEScience Select Protein – here’s a protein powder with 24g of protein coming from Milk Protein Isolate, which consists of 80% casein protein and 20% whey protein, Whey Protein Concentrate 80%, Leucine Peptides. (4)

Supplement Tips!

Looking past the supplements I have already recommended, I also suggest AllMax Nutrition Creatine for ATP energy, power, and strength. Don’t forget to stop by illpumpyouup.com for all your supplement needs.

Summary

That brings our Middle Linebacker Off-Season Training Week Series to a close. Part 1 covered the first 2 days, while we covered the remaining 5 days in Part 2. There’s a lot of info here, put it to good use and go have a winning season!

References: 

1. Butcher, B. (2025, March 19). Linebacker development: 6 off-season agility drills for real improvement. Glazier Football https://www.glazierclinics.com/football-coach-resources/linebacker-development-6-off-season-agility-drills-for-real-improvement
2. Camara, K. D., Coburn, J. W., Dunnick, D. D., Brown, L. E., Galpin, A. J., & Costa, P. B. (2016). An examination of muscle activation and power characteristics while performing the deadlift exercise with straight and hexagonal barbells. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1183–1188. doi.org
3. Higgins, T. R., Heazlewood, I. T., & Climstein, M. (2011). A random control trial of contrast baths and ice baths for recovery from rugby league tournament play. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(1), 26–32. doi.org
4. Davoodi, S. H., Shahbazi, R., Esmaeili, S., Sohrabvandi, S., Mortazavian, A., Jazayeri, S., & Taslimi, A. (2016). Health-Related Aspects of Milk Proteins. Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR, 15(3), 573–591.