http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/18/AR2010071801107.html
By Rick Maese
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Washington Redskins don't report for training camp until July 29, but Donovan McNabb's "Hell Week" is scheduled to get underway bright and early Monday morning in Arizona.
While the weeks that lead up to training camp are generally treated as down time across the NFL, the Redskins quarterback has invited some of his new teammates to his Phoenix-area home for a week of grueling workouts and team building.
"I think it's important for the specialists on the offense to have that chemistry, to have that bond," McNabb says, "where they can trust me and I can trust them."
To that end, McNabb invited the Redskins' receivers, tight ends and running backs to Arizona to take part in his regular offseason workout program. It's the same opportunity he offered in the past few years to his former teammates in Philadelphia. Receivers Devin Thomas, Santana Moss and Malcolm Kelly are among those expected to participate.
McNabb calls it "Hell Week" because of the demanding nature of his workouts, but also because of the extreme summertime heat. Temperatures around Phoenix this week are expected to climb as high as 112 degrees.
"It's a different mindset," McNabb said of the week. "I prepare guys the way I prepare."
The Redskins' players were expected to land in Phoenix Sunday with an itinerary waiting for them. The week was expected to begin with an early wake-up call and the players reporting each morning to Fischer Sports, the 20,000-square foot workout facility where McNabb does most of his offseason training.
There, Brett Fischer, McNabb's trainer, will lead the group through workouts and exercises nearly identical to the ones the quarterback does during the offseason.
"For them, I think it's an eye-opener what we're doing," said Fischer, whose resume lists him as a physical therapist, an athletic trainer and a strength-and-conditioning specialist. "I think it's an eye opener for them, comparing themselves with their quarterback, with how hard he's working out here. To me, it's him telling them, 'Hey, I'm taking this thing seriously to the next level. Let's go to the next level.'"
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The daily routine focuses on the athlete's core -- abdominals, the lower back, gluteal muscles and hips -- and involves everything from traditional weights to resistance bands. Fischer likes to focus on balance, flexibility, joints and areas that most athletes tend to ignore in their regular workouts.
The group also will spend plenty of time on cardio, running steep hills in the desert heat until they finally take a break in the early afternoon.
"People, when they come in here and they see what he does, they're shocked," Fischer says. "They go, 'Man, he pays attention to every little detail in the workout.' And he's here from 8 o'clock until 10'clock. They go, 'I didn't realize he worked this hard. I didn't realize he had all the flexibility, all the core, all the lifting, all the things done for his body.'"
The rest is at the link above ...
By Rick Maese
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Washington Redskins don't report for training camp until July 29, but Donovan McNabb's "Hell Week" is scheduled to get underway bright and early Monday morning in Arizona.
While the weeks that lead up to training camp are generally treated as down time across the NFL, the Redskins quarterback has invited some of his new teammates to his Phoenix-area home for a week of grueling workouts and team building.
"I think it's important for the specialists on the offense to have that chemistry, to have that bond," McNabb says, "where they can trust me and I can trust them."
To that end, McNabb invited the Redskins' receivers, tight ends and running backs to Arizona to take part in his regular offseason workout program. It's the same opportunity he offered in the past few years to his former teammates in Philadelphia. Receivers Devin Thomas, Santana Moss and Malcolm Kelly are among those expected to participate.
McNabb calls it "Hell Week" because of the demanding nature of his workouts, but also because of the extreme summertime heat. Temperatures around Phoenix this week are expected to climb as high as 112 degrees.
"It's a different mindset," McNabb said of the week. "I prepare guys the way I prepare."
The Redskins' players were expected to land in Phoenix Sunday with an itinerary waiting for them. The week was expected to begin with an early wake-up call and the players reporting each morning to Fischer Sports, the 20,000-square foot workout facility where McNabb does most of his offseason training.
There, Brett Fischer, McNabb's trainer, will lead the group through workouts and exercises nearly identical to the ones the quarterback does during the offseason.
"For them, I think it's an eye-opener what we're doing," said Fischer, whose resume lists him as a physical therapist, an athletic trainer and a strength-and-conditioning specialist. "I think it's an eye opener for them, comparing themselves with their quarterback, with how hard he's working out here. To me, it's him telling them, 'Hey, I'm taking this thing seriously to the next level. Let's go to the next level.'"
ad_icon
The daily routine focuses on the athlete's core -- abdominals, the lower back, gluteal muscles and hips -- and involves everything from traditional weights to resistance bands. Fischer likes to focus on balance, flexibility, joints and areas that most athletes tend to ignore in their regular workouts.
The group also will spend plenty of time on cardio, running steep hills in the desert heat until they finally take a break in the early afternoon.
"People, when they come in here and they see what he does, they're shocked," Fischer says. "They go, 'Man, he pays attention to every little detail in the workout.' And he's here from 8 o'clock until 10'clock. They go, 'I didn't realize he worked this hard. I didn't realize he had all the flexibility, all the core, all the lifting, all the things done for his body.'"
The rest is at the link above ...