Challenger Strength

D1 & Pro Athlete Bodyweights by Sport – Still Not Hitting the Weight Room? YOU BETTER BE!

Physicality matters for recruiting, staying healthy, and dominating your sport

Swipe through the data 👉

Baseball

Position players averaging 187–209 lbs. Many still way under.

Football

Overall 235–240 lbs. Linemen 260–325+ lbs. The gap is massive

Basketball

Guards 180–210 lbs | Bigs 220+ lbs. Speed + size wins

Hockey

Defensemen 195–210 lbs | Forwards 180–200+ lbs. On-ice battles demand it

Lacrosse

Defense ~210 lbs | Attack/Mid 190–195 lbs | Goalies ~175 lbs.

If you’re serious about the next level — or just want your athletes to perform and stay healthy — getting stronger in the weight room is non-negotiable

⚡️ WHY YOU NEED TO SEPARATE YOUR SPEED TRAINING INTO TOP SPEED & ACCELERATION SPECIFIC DAYS!

As athletes progress & improve, their speed training needs more nuance & granular focus. Part of this involves isolating the two distinct parts of sprinting, acceleration & top speed!

This post gives an inside look at what takes place on these unique days & what focuses comprise the main themes of each

As you swipe, you’ll not only see the themes, but also see examples of:

1. The main concept of why & how you separate top speed & acceleration days & why this matters

2. A full, comprehensive top speed day

3. A full, comprehensive acceleration day

Use this as a guide & compass to advancing your speed training & making gains the most optimal way possible!

If I wanted to destroy an athletes athleticism, I’d have them do this…

I have been training athletes for a decade & not only have I seen what makes a great athlete, I have seen what can destroy an athlete

More often than not, it’s as much (if not more) of a process of avoiding what will KILL your progress vs. even doing the “right,” things to get better

I’d say the things on this list are a pretty good place to start when it comes to things you should avoid doing if you want to have success!

Healthy athlete on the left.

Athlete who actually strength trains in-season on the right. 💪

Stop dropping the weights when the season starts.

Research shows consistent in-season strength training reduces injury risk by 50%+ in youth and team sport athletes while maintaining (or even improving) performance, power, and resilience.

The ones who stay healthy and dominant all season are the ones who keep training smart, not the ones who go soft in-season.

Save this. Send it to your coach/teammate/athlete who needs to see it.

🤦‍♂️ Are you still afraid to lift, get strong or add size because you’ll “get bulky,” or “slow?”

Seems to work well for high level athletes!

I get it, you don’t have their genetics, right? Well, you are aware heavy lifting combined with proper sprint/plyometric work is one of the BEST ways to improve motor unit recruitment to enhance power output, right?

No one is saying to lift like a bodybuilder, but they are saying you need to go get strong & balance it with a good performance program to enhance your physicality & chances of success!

Improved size = potential to be stronger = chance of producing more power!

Go get in the weight room & follow a basic, quality program while you sprint & jump regularly… thank me later!

PLEASE STOP BEING AN IDIOT & THINKING STRENGTH TRAINING “STUNTS GROWTH.”

No matter how much data & research comes out about the safety & efficacy of properly executed strength/resistance training, some still jam their heads in the sand about it

Just today, this comment was made on something I posted about youth athlete training. The data shouts it from the rooftops: if it’s supervised, progressed properly & done with mechanics properly executed… it’s not only fine, it’s SUPREMELY beneficial

Swipe for my thoughts & for what the most current data says

Are you a young athletes who is STILL afraid of or avoiding the weight room?!

I still think baseball players, coaches & parents are some of the biggest victims of this mentality, but we still see it across all sports

Like anything, the way you EXECUTE something will have the biggest impact on what it does for you. Lift responsibly, constantly measure your performance & health along side of it? Great. Lift like an idiot? Some things will eventually go wrong

Poor ex*****on by a small few doesn’t mean you throw the baby out with the bath water. Proper strength training will keep you healthy, help enhance your performance & (Chapman is a great example) have potential to increase your longevity

Furthermore, most young athletes are so far away from ever getting “too muscular,” it’s comical. They’d have to live in the weight room for YEARS on end for this to even become an issue

Bottom line? Go strength train with a good strength coach who works with athletes and knows sports. You’ll do just fine (very well).

⭐️ 9 EXERCISES TO BUILD GAME CHANGING AGILITY & ANKLE BREAKING CUTS (Save these!)

Swipe for 9 exercises to level up your agility training!

Stop wasting time time on pre determined drills, get in open space & REACT

1. Foam roller decelerations
2. Foam roller start-stops
3. Partner foam roller stops
4. Partner mirror shuffling into foam roller stop
5. Partner physio ball evasion
6. Moving partner decelerations
7. Forward partner mirroring
8. Lateral partner mirroring
9. Reactive curvilinear sprints

⭐️ 11 MUST HAVE EXERCISES IN A HIGH LEVEL ATHLETE’S PROGRAM! (SWIPE TO LEVEL UP YOUR TRAINING)

Save this list, use these in your training!

1. Plyometric push-up
2. Heavy step-ups
3. Heavy RDLs
4. Dynamic trap bar deadlifts
5. Maximal pogo jumps
6. Heavy sled sprints
7. Heavy chin-ups
8. Multi planar box jumps
9. Overhead med ball throws
10. Maximal heavy sled pushes
11. Rotational med ball throws