Tight End Off-Season Training Week – Part 2!

Welcome to my Tight End Off-Season Training Week Series – Part 2! In Part 1, we looked at the first 3 days of off-season training, along with performance notes, nutrition and supplement tips. In Part 2, we’ll jump right into the remaining 4 days. There’s no reason to wait, so let’s get started!

A Quick Recap – Tight End Off-Season Training Week

Tight EndTraining Recap	ForceProduction	LinearAcceleration	Changeof Direction	Mobility	Catching	Lifting
Day 1	X					UpperBody
Day 2			X			Lower Body
Day 3				X
Day 4					X	Upper Body
Day 5		X				Lower Body
Day 6				X
Day 7	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest

Day 4: Upper Body Volume & Hand Mechanics

The goal of the tight end is to build upper-body “armor” to absorb hits, while sharpening ball-tracking skills.

Nutrition Tips – If you’re a tight end, or play any position, in order to achieve peak performance, be sure you eat at least one meal before you start your training day. Your meal (or meals) should be a combination of lean protein sources, some simple carbohydrates, and some complex carbohydrates. For tight ends, my recommendation is 1 to 1.5 grams of protein and 3-4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. 

A key point is to stay hydrated! Start your day with 1-2 glasses of water. While you train you have the option to drink a sports drink, but I recommend Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier.

Supplement Tips –  Drink 1 serving of EFX Sports Karbolyn mixed with 1 to 2 servings of NutraBio EEA Pure 30 minutes before you begin your training day. 

Warm-Ups

Targets shoulder lubrication, rotator cuff activation, and nervous system tracking. 

Jumping Jacks

2 sets × 25 reps – Jumping jacks raise core body temperature and increase blood flow to the shoulders.

Band Pull-Aparts

2 sets × 20 reps – These activate the rear delts and upper back.

Band Face Pull-to-Overhead Press

2 sets × 12 reps – This exercise warms up the rotator cuffs for overhead pressing.

Field Work

20 minutes. Use the “Jugs” machine or partner target passes. Complete 50 total catches.

Lifting

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Overhead Barbell Press

20% 1RM x 15 reps

40% 1RM x 10 reps

50% 1 RM x 10 reps

4 sets × 8 reps – Builds shoulder lockout strength.

Dumbbell Flyes

2 sets × 12 reps – Flat / 2 sets x 12 reps – Incline – Strengthens chest for sustained blocking.

Lat Pulldowns – Essential for pulling strength and stability to dominate the line of scrimmage.

4 sets × 10 reps

Face Pulls

3 sets × 15 reps – Stabilizes rotator cuffs to prevent injury.

Farmer’s Walks

3 sets x 30-40 yards – Besides being a great over-all exercise, the Farmer’s Walk builds grip strength.

Day 5: Lower Body Power & Linear Speed

The goal of the tight end is to maximize straight-line speed and vertical jump to win jump-ball situations in the endzone. (1)

Nutrition Tips – Same as Day 1.

Supplement Tips – Same as day 1. 

Warm-Ups

Targets linear acceleration mechanics, hip flexor release, and maximum CNS output.

Forward / Backward Skips

2 sets × 20 yards – Establishes linear movement coordination.

The tight end bounds (an exaggerated, explosive forward jump) forward and pushes backward while staying completely square (shoulders facing forward). 

Walking Knee Hug to Lateral Lunge

5 reps per leg – Stretches glutes and adductors.

Execution

1. The Knee Hug – Start by standing up straight and tall. Drive your right knee up toward your chest, hugging it tight for 1-2 seconds with both hands to feel the stretch in your glute. Make sure your standing leg is straight and you aren’t leaning your torso forward. 
2. Transition – Release the leg and step forward slightly to reset, or move immediately into the lunge. 
3. The Lateral Lunge – Take a large step directly out to your side (e.g., your right side). Push your hips back, keep your chest tall, and bend your lunging knee while keeping your non-lunging leg completely straight. 
4. The Cross-Connect – At the bottom of the lunge, you can add an upper-body twist by bringing your opposite arm (left elbow) toward the lunging leg (right knee) to engage your core. 
5. Drive & Repeat – Explode powerfully off the bent leg to return to a standing position, then repeat the sequence by switching legs.

Inchworms with Push-up

5 reps – Stretches the posterior chain; activates the core.

Execution

1. Starting Position – Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Bend at the hips and reach your hands down to the floor, maintaining mostly straight legs.
2. The Walkout – Walk your hands forward while keeping your core braced and your hips stable. Stop when your wrists are stacked directly under your shoulders. 
3. The Push-Up – Perform a solid push-up by bending your elbows at a 45-degree angle, keeping your body in a straight line, and pressing back up.
4. The Inchworm Back – Walk your hands backward toward your feet and slowly roll up to the starting position. For a continuous forward progression, you can also tiptoe your feet toward your hands instead.

Wall Drill Acceleration Swaps

3 sets × 5 switches per side – Trains the optimal 45-degree acceleration angle.

Execution

1. Set the Angle – Place your hands on a wall slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and walk your feet back until your body creates a strong forward lean (about 45 degrees). 
2. Establish Posture – Maintain a straight, rigid line from your heels to your head. Keep your glutes and core tight, and tuck your chin. 
3. Drive the Knee – Drive one knee up to hip height with your toes pulled up. 
4. Execute the Swap – On command, forcefully punch the raised foot down into the ground while simultaneously driving the opposite knee up into a high-drive position. 
5. Repeat – Alternate legs rhythmically while maintaining downward pressure into the wall.

Field Work

20 minutes.

10-yard and 20-yard sprints from a 3-point stance.

Lifting

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

5 sets × 3 reps. Use a heavy load (90% 1RM) for peak rate of force development.

Box Jumps

3 sets × 4 reps. Explode up, land soft.

Walking Lunges – Builds single-leg strength, balance and explosive hip power. 

3 sets × 12 steps per leg.

Medicine Ball Rotational Wall Throws

3 sets x 8 reps per side – To simulate block-shedding. 

Execution

1. Setup – Stand about 2 to 4 feet away from a sturdy wall, facing sideways with your side parallel to the wall. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width and your knees slightly bent. 
2. Load – Hold the medicine ball with both hands near the hip furthest from the wall. Twist your shoulders and hips slightly away from the wall to “load” your back hip. 
3. Throw – Powerfully explode forward by pivoting your back foot, extending your back hip, and rotating your torso toward the wall. Release the ball against the wall, allowing your arms to follow through. 
4. Catch & Reset – Catch the rebounding ball, immediately load your back hip again, and repeat. 
5. Complete all reps on one side before turning around to switch sides.

Day 6: Position-Specific Conditioning

The goal of the tight end is to duplicate the lactic threshold of a sustained 10-play drive. (5)

Nutrition Tips – Same as Day 1.

Supplement Tips – Same as day 1. 

Warm-Ups

(10 minutes)

Dynamic A-Skips

2 rounds x 15 yards – Focus on high knees and striking the ground.

Execution

1. Posture – Stand tall with your core engaged, chest up, and arms bent at a 90 degree angle.
2. Drive – Skip forward by driving your lead knee up toward your glutes while pushing up onto the ball of your back foot.
3. Pledge & Paw – As your lead knee hits its apex, “claw” or strike the ground directly under your center of mass using the ball of your foot.
4. Rhythm – Maintain a steady “hop-hop-strike” rhythm as you alternate legs, swinging your arms in unison with the opposite leg.

Walking Spiderman Lunges with Rotation

1 round x 10 yards per leg – Opens up the hips and stretches the groin.

Execution

1. Begin in a standard push-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders, core tight, and legs straight.
2. Step into a Lunge – Step your right foot forward and plant it flat on the ground just outside your right hand. Your back leg should remain mostly straight, hovering just off the floor. 
3. Add the rotation – Keep your left hand firmly planted on the floor for support. Rotate your upper body to the right, reaching your right arm straight up toward the ceiling. Follow your hand with your eyes, focusing on twisting from the mid-back (thoracic spine) rather than just the shoulder. 
4. Switch Sides – Return your right hand to the floor. Either step your right foot back into the starting plank position to alternate, or “walk” forward by stepping your left foot up next to your left hand. 
5. Repeat – Repeat the lunge and rotation on the opposite side.

Lateral Band Walks

2 rounds x 10 yards in each direction – Activates the glutes and builds the critical lateral stability needed to absorb hits, shed defenders during routes, and block in space, while keeping your knees healthy and preventing them from caving inward during explosive movements.

Route Tree Conditioning

Run 1 full route tree, which include the Flat, Slant, Out, Curl, Dig, Post, Corner, Fly routes. 

Maintain 90% game speed with 40 seconds of rest between routes to simulate the play clock.

Lifting

Supplement Tips – Same as Day 1. 

Sled-Specific Preparation 

2 sets x 20 yards

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

Heavy Sled Pushes

3 sets × 20 yards. Low drive to simulate pushing back an edge rusher.

Backward Sled Drag

1 set x 15–20 yards. Walk backward, staying on your toes to get a massive pump in your quads and calves.

Performance Notes

When lifting, the tight end should perform the concentric phase of your reps explosively. Do not rush your reps or let momentum do the work.The point here is to build explosive strength and power.  In the eccentric phase, lower the weight slowly and under control. 

Day 7: Complete Rest

Nutrition Tips

As a tight end, you should be consuming plenty of quality calories. Regarding protein, I recommend 1 to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. Regarding carbs, since football is largely an endurance-based sport and the tight end position involves a good deal of running, I recommend 3 to 4 grams per pound of body weight. I also suggest limiting simple carbs to the hours around your training. Finally, choose only healthy fats, and keep your intake around .5 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.

Supplement Tips!

Along with the supplements I have already listed, I recommend AllMax Nutrition Creatine for ATP energy (among other benefits), and AllMax Nutrition VITASTACK, an advanced multivitamin/mineral formula to ensure there are no nutritional deficiencies. Don’t forget to stop by illpumpyouup.com for all your supplement needs!

Summary

This ends the Tight End Off-Season Training Week Series! In Part 1, we covered the first 3 days of training with nutrition and supplement tips. Then in Part 2, we looked at the remaining 4 training days, along with nutrition and supplement tips. Now it’s time to hit the field (or the weight room) and get ready for a winning season!

References:

1. Martinez, J. A., & Sampaio, J. (2025). Pre- and post-test evaluation of a periodized off-season training program in professional footballers. Applied Sciences, 15(19), 10354. doi.org
2. Smith, T., & Jones, R. (2024). Off-season programming in elite football: Managing high-velocity thresholds and eccentric loading patterns. Sportsmith Performance Journal, 8(2), 14-22.