0

USD

Search products, brands, workouts...

WE SH IP TO ALGERI A VIE W D E TAILS

Green Bay Packers AJ Hawk Tough

Training Football Workout

2 days after Super Bowl 45 AJ Hawk lay on an operating table

to repair his wrist. 3 weeks after having the pins removed, A.J.
put on a training display.

Article courtesy of STACK media.

Two days after leading the Green Bay Packers to an epic Super Bowl championship, A.J.
Hawk lay on an operating room table as doctors inserted pins into his wrist to repair torn
ligaments and stabilize the joint. This isn't how Super Bowl champions typically celebrate
their victory, but A.J. is hardly typical.

A.J. didn't injure his wrist during his standout performance in the championship game.
The ligaments were torn way back in October, when more than 300 pounds of opposing
NFL lineman fell on top of him, mangling his wrist in the process. That's right, the heart
and soul of the Packers' defense played most of the regular season, playoffs and Super
Bowl with a severely damaged wrist—and no one had a clue. A lightweight cast was the
only indication of injury as A.J. quietly battled every Sunday. Fans and the media were
unaware that he had been hurt. To this day, A.J. shrugs off his manly display of
toughness. "It's just part of the game," he says.

Although the injury and cast caused a handful of possible interceptions to slip through
A.J.'s grasp, the high-energy backer covered the field sideline to sideline, racking up 111
tackles and three picks during the season. "Yeah, I had a little wrist injury last year," A.J.
says with a chuckle. "I tore some things in there early in the year, but I knew I could play
through it, because I was still able to run around. If you can't run, you can't play. I just got
used to playing with it."

Wasting little time after his surgery, A.J. returned to his training home, D1 Sports Training
in Columbus, Ohio, almost immediately after the pins were inserted. When he showed
up with his wrist still sporting a post-op cast, Mike Durant, training director at D1, was
shocked. "Even we didn't know A.J. was hurt during the season," he says. "Then the guy
shows up right after having surgery and is ready to train. He didn't miss a single workout
this offseason."

To work around the healing wrist, Durant and A.J. manufactured a special harness that
strapped A.J.'s arm to different weight machines and other modes of resistance without
placing any stress on the surgically repaired joint. The 250-pound linebacker spent his
offseason strapped to iron, and he loved every minute of it.

"A.J. is the toughest and most old school guy I've met," Durant says. "The guy will play
and train through any injury. You would have to cart him off the field to get him out of a
game. When he was training in here right after his surgery, he never complained or said
he couldn't do something. I had to look at his face to detect that he was in pain. That's
how I knew when to shut something down."

A.J.'s humble, blue-collar approach to football and life has always been part of his
identity. After lettering in varsity football as a freshman in high school, an impressive feat,
A.J. received his letterman's jacket as a Christmas gift from his parents. Other members
of the team wore their jackets as badges of honor. A.J.'s jacket got little mileage on his
back. "I never wore it," he says. "It wasn't really my thing. I never felt right wearing it. It's
like wearing my Super Bowl ring now, I don't want to look like I'm showing off."

Another way he's not showing off: A.J. still rolls around in the 1996 Ford Bronco that got
him where he needed to go in college.

Like most individuals who consistently do things the right way, A.J. received life lessons
and support from a strong family. Whether it was his father rebounding for him as he
shot free throws at 2 a.m. (A.J. was a three-sport athlete) or his two older brothers
guiding him through his first weightlifting sessions as a pre-teen, A.J. first learned the
importance of hard work at home.

"I had two older brothers who were great athletes and taught me everything," he says. "I
would see how hard they worked and how good they were, and I just wanted to be in
their spot. They led by example and instilled the importance of that type of leadership in
me. I still don't mess with those guys. They still scare me [laughs]."

His lesson in leading by example makes A.J. a cornerstone of the Green Bay Packers
organization. "If I am doing the right things all the time, guys will see that and want to do
the same," he says. "If you are always out there yelling, no one is going to pay attention to
you when it matters. I make my comments mean something when I speak. Guys see
right through you when you are trying to be something you aren't. I have a hard time
respecting those types of leaders."

AJ Hawk Martial Arts Training

Legendary Workouts
A.J. had plenty of time to polish his leadership skills at Centerville High School (near
Dayton, Ohio) each summer. Arriving every morning at 4:45 a.m., he led his teammates
through legendary workouts lasting until 11 a.m. Their day wasn't complete until A.J. and
company had ground through three hours in the weight room, two hours on the track
and an hour of 7-on-7. "Those workouts were brutal. It was awesome," A.J. recalls. "It was
like training for a triathlon, but it's what made me who I am. I got through them and
learned to enjoy them. Everything after that was cake."

Although A.J.'s current workouts are quite different from the ones he did at Centerville,
the level of intensity hasn't dropped. Three weeks after having the pins removed from his
wrist, A.J. put on a training display for STACK that showed his injury was a thing of the
past. His muscular body was firing on all cylinders as he kicked, punched and exploded
his way through an hour-long dynamic workout that challenged every aspect of his
athleticism.

"I don't spend hours and hours in the weight room," he told us. "I like to keep moving and
never sit down, so that I'm in there sweating with my heart rate up during my entire hour
in the weight room. I am not a fan of wasting time by hanging out and chatting."
The non-stop workout A.J. performed was aimed at improving his full-body strength,
increasing the dynamic flexibility and explosion of his hips and enhancing his first-step
quickness. Durant says, "An NFL linebacker or any athlete who plays in space needs that
first-step quickness, hip flexibility and explosion. He recently got the pins out, so we hit
his upper body with more of an endurance exercise."

A.J. began with a martial arts session consisting of explosive punching and kicking drills.
Durant challenged A.J. to imagine kicking or punching him and the protective pad
through the wall; and at times, it looked like A.J. came close. Durant, who is a 225-
pound, steel-limbed beast himself, was often sent several steps backward after receiving
a blow.

"Whatever A.J. does, it's powerful," Durant says. "Whether it's running, lifting, punching or
playing football, what separates him is power. Football is all about separation—if he's on a
blitz, when he makes contact with a fullback, his initial contact is going create
separation, which allows him to get by him. That is what he has, and that is what we are
working on today."

Functional Martial Arts Training

Durant: This improves dynamic flexibility of the entire body. Rarely on the field will A.J.
perform a single-joint movement. He has to explode with his full body all at once. This
also forces him to be on one foot and generate power from that position, which is
extremely functional. It turns into prehab for his ankles, knees and hips.
A.J.: Working with my hands is huge for me as a linebacker. I have to be able to get
someone off of me when he comes out to block me. He's usually going to be 6'5", 335
pounds coming at me. You can't be banging on those guys with your head all day.
They're so big and long, they can just grab you, so you have to get away from them. I'll
use my hands to chop them down and get them away from me and keep them away
from my body.

How to do it: Perform each of the following drills as explosively as possible for
specified duration. Master movement first, then work for speed.

Sets/Duration/Rest: 2-4x15-30 seconds each drill, with 30 seconds rest.

Ankle Band Shuffle With Punch

Assume athletic stance with resistance bands around ankles.
Explosively shuffle two strides right, deliver powerful two-handed punch to
partner's pad in front.
Explosively shuffle two strides left, deliver powerful punch to pad.
Continue back and forth for specified duration.

Benefits: Hip and glute strength // Upper-body power

Straight Left, Straight Right, Kick

Deliver straight left punch, straight right punch, then front kick into partner's pad in
front.
Repeat combination explosively while alternating legs for specified duration.

Benefits: Dynamic hip and hamstring flexibility // Upper-body power

Straight Left, Straight Right, Duck and Tackle

Deliver straight left and straight right into partner's pad in front then duck
underneath his hook.
Immediately take two explosive steps toward partner and perform wrap and run-
through to simulate tackle.
Repeat combination explosively for specified duration.

Benefit: Full-body tackling power

Hand Blocking
Assume athletic position facing partner.
As partner quickly chops hands toward you from different angles, use forearms
and hands to block each movement for specified duration.
Benefit: Hand quickness

Shuffle and Side Kick

Assume athletic stance with one partner a few yards to right and another partner a
few yards to left.
Perform two explosive shuffles right and deliver powerful side kick to partner's pad
with right leg.
Shuffle to left and deliver powerful side kick to partner's pad with left leg.
Continue shuffling back and forth and kicking for specified duration.

Benefits: Lateral movement // Lower-body power // Hip flexibility

PowerMax 360
The PowerMax 360 is a platform with two independent handles that move 360 degrees.
It applies constant resistance in every direction, meaning that there is no inertia or
negative recoil.

Durant: If you explode forward with a cable attachment and then stop, the weight is
going to pull you back. With this, A.J. can explode forward and stop. The harder he
pushes, the harder the resistance. Then there is resistance coming back in the opposite
direction. This was very handy when his wrist was in a cast because we were able to
strap his arm to the handle above where his injury was.
A.J.: This is the toughest part of the workout. You go as hard as you can for 30
seconds, it's a full body workout and it really gets your heart rate going. It's the closest
thing you can do to get the feeling of a seven- or eight-play drive when you're tired on the
field, and that's the point I want to get to.

How to do it:

Perform the following exercises on a PowerMax 360 resistance machine or (if one
is not available) use resistance bands or have partner provide manual resistance.
Rest 60 seconds between exercises.

Single-Leg, Single-Arm Punch and Row

Assume athletic single-leg stance and raise opposite knee.
Using hand on side of balancing leg, explosively punch and row against resistance
for specified duration.

Sets/Duration: 1x30 seconds each arm

Benefits: Hip, knee, ankle stability // Core and upper-body strength and endurance

Split Stance Punch and Front Kick

Assume split stance and hold both handles in front.
Explosively punch and row 5 times with each arm in alternating fashion.
Perform explosive kick with back leg to partner's pad in front.
Continue for specified reps; repeat with opposite leg.

Sets/Duration: 1x30 seconds (about 5 kicks each leg)

Benefits: Upper-body strength and endurance // Lowerbody power // Hamstring

flexibility

Chest/Posterior Delt Fly

Assume athletic stance and hold handles in front.
Explosively perform Rear Delt Fly by bringing arms out to the side and back.
Explosively perform Chest Fly by bringing arms together in front.
Repeat continuously keeping arms as straight as possible.

Sets/Duration: 1x30 seconds

Benefits: Chest, back and shoulder strength and endurance

Kettlebell Strength Circuit
Durant: This is a slower exercise combo that develops strength in his lower body. It is
performed with lighter weight since he hit his legs harder earlier in the week.

How to do it: Circuit the following exercises three times resting 60 seconds between
circuits.

1. Kettlebell Bulgarian Squat

Assume split stance with toe of rear foot on bench behind you.
Hold kettlebell in hand opposite front leg.
Lower hips until front thigh is parallel to ground.
Drive up to start position and repeat for specified reps.
Repeat set on opposite leg.

Sets/Reps: 3x10 each leg

Benefits: Glute, hamstring and quad strength // Hip flexibility

2. Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL

Balance on one leg holding kettlebells at sides.
With balancing leg slightly bent and back flat, bend forward at waist until kettlebells
are just above floor.
 Return to start; repeat for specified reps.
Perform set on opposite side.

Sets/Reps: 3x10 each leg

Benefits: Glute, hamstring and hip strength and stability

3. Kettlebell Partial Swing

Assume athletic quarter-squat stance holding kettlebell between legs.
Keeping arms straight, drive through heels and explode upward with hips to bring
kettlebell up to chin level in front.
Return to start position with control and repeat rhythmically.

Sets/Reps: 3x6

Benefit: Hip explosion

Join over 500k subscribers who receive weekly

workouts, diet plans, videos and expert guides
from Muscle & Strength.

First Name

Email

Choose Your Goal

Subscribe Free

45 SHARES

0 STARS 0 VOTES
RATE THIS

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Off Season Football Training Workout LPHC Training: The Staple of Strength 8 Training Tips For Your First Obstacle
Checklist Course Rac

Tim Tebow's Upper Body Muscle Building Story Of Olympic Weightlifter Cheryl Runners: Compartment Syndrome Vs.
Workout Haworth Shin Splints

About The Author

STACK
STACK provides credible information, tools and services to help active
sports participants get better at the games they play and the lives they lead.
View all by STACK »

0 Comments + Post Comment

HELP & SH IPPING M&S RE WARDS

Help C enter How to e ar n points?
C ont ac t Suppor t Rewards Cat alog
Your Ac c ount
Order S t atus FOLLOW M&S
Shipping & Retur ns

C ONTACT U S
Muscle & S treng th, LLC
1180 Fir s t S treet S outh
C olumbia, SC 29209
PH : 1 - 8 0 0 - 5 3 7 - 9 9 1 0
Email : click here

JOIN OUR NE WSLE T TER

Build muscle, lose fat & s t ay
moti vated. Join 500,000+
new slet ter sub scr iber s!

First Name

Email Address

Choose Your Goal

Sign Up

About Ca re e r s Wr i te fo r U s A ffi l i a te s Te r m s o f U s e P r i va cy Po l i cy C o o k i e Po l i cy
© C o py r i gh t 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 9, M u s c l e & S tre n g th L LC . I m ag e s c o py r i gh t o f th e i r re sp e c ti ve ow n e r s .