Former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees is a fierce competitor on the football field, but he's also a champion in the weight room. Brees embodies the essence of what it means to prepare at an optimal level. His high-caliber training efforts were highlighted in a recent edition of Men's Health, specifically because of the vigor he demonstrates off the field. Strength and conditioning coach Todd Durkin exemplifies the type of guidance a professional athlete needs in order to perform at a high level on a frequent basis. The workout regimen he's developed to help propel Brees to stardom has now been made public, so that all gym-goers can train like champions.

What is Athletic Strength Training?

The ultimate goal of athletic strength training is to enhance an athlete's functional mobility and improve his or her athleticism. Vigorous bouts of circuit training are often implemented into this type of training in order to fuel fat loss, increase endurance and maximize speed. Brees' customized workout consists of four circuits which each include three exercises. Each circuit allows for 20 to 30 seconds of total rest time in between sets and roughly one to two minutes of rest after each round. Three rounds of each circuit are performed, totaling 12 rounds. Short bouts of sprint interval training are then performed in segments of 30 seconds after each circuit has been completed.

Superbangs and Kettlebells

A total of 12 exercises are included in Brees' workout regimen, all of which include either the use of superbands or kettlebells. These fitness tools are utilized as opposed to barbells and free weights because they serve the purpose of maximizing functional mobility, which is crucial for athletes. Athletic training should include exercises that focus efforts on the muscles used during competition. This enables athletes to become more dynamic and explosive in game situations. Fitness tools, such as superbands, also help stretch the ligaments and tendons in muscle joints, which prepare the body for the brutal circumstances of repetition in athletic circumstances, like throwing a football at high velocities.

Kettlebell Burpee with Shrug

All exercises incorporated into Durkin's customized training program for Bress include complex movements that exercise fast-twitch muscle fibers. Multi-joint exercises, such as the kettlebell burpee with shrug, work the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips.

The kettlebell burpee with shrug is performed by holding a pair of kettlebells at your side, pushing your hips back, bending your knees and lowering your body into a squat position with the kettlebells touching the floor. You're then required to kick your legs into a standard pushup position, do a pushup and return to the starting point. The culmination of those movements represents a single repetition.

Other exercises, such as the kettlebell pushup, require less movement, but demand more frequent repetition.

Superband Pulldown

Conventional weight training wisdom typically ignores the fact that heavy lifting has potential to induce serious harm on the ligaments and tendons in muscle joints. This is what makes utilizing the superband an integral part of Brees' workout.

The superband pulldown exercises the lat muscles without copious amounts of weight. It requires placing the band around a stable object, such as a pullup bar, and threading it through itself so that it's tightly secured. The exercise is performed by pulling down on the band with two hands while sitting two feet behind the anchor point. A single repetition is completed by leaning back, pulling the band to your chest and returning to the start position.

Other superband exercises include complex movement, like squats with single-arm row and rotation. Proper execution of all exercises included in Brees' workout regimen will ultimately enable you to increase your natural athletic ability while building muscle mass.