Conditioning Your Hamstrings with Florida State Football

By Chad Zimmerman

The reasons for conditioning are endless: to build your aerobic base, anaerobic base, mental toughness, whatever. Think of any aspect of your game—there's probably a way to condition it.

Maintaining healthy, protected hamstrings is one goal of the Florida State Seminoles' football conditioning program. Jon Jost, head strength and conditioning coach for the 'Noles, uses 110-yard sprints in conjunction with flexibility and strength training to condition his players' hammies. "This has been pretty successful for us," Jost says. "110s condition the hamstrings for what the players will be expected to run in practice and games."

Because jogging 110s won't get the job done, Jost pushes his players to finish each interval within a certain time, depending on position. The FSU football team conditions twice a week during the off-season, one day consisting of sprinting 16 110s. "If you've never done them," Jost warns, "your hamstrings will be sore the next day."

Use the following chart to know how quickly you should finish your 110s.

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