ideal linebacker body for varsity football?

[tacoking09]

Hello everybody,

Im pretty into football and would love to to become a linebacker. Ive been scrawny my whole life. But once i got into football, i got this confidence boost. Im pretty much a hard hitting/fearless type of guy. But this is when i paly with my friends. i need to get with the big boys now.

Im at 5'11 not skinny but of above average build. I come in at 165ish. My top weight was 168 at the beginning of the summer but it dropped cause of my cutting.

I couldnt do football this year but im plannin on trying out next year. Id love advice from anyone out here who plays linebacker or some kinda defense. I need to get big and i dont mind if it means i dont have a six pack. But i do wanna get huge. I gained 30 lbs since my JV season and went from 135 - 165. I gianed a bit of fat but most of it was muscle. however i hit a plateau. Once my cut is done... by the end of the month i plan on going on a bulking phase nonstop.

But i just wanna know what would be an ideal weight for me to get to. I wanna bulk up but not to the point where im too slow to play linebacker. Please help! lol.

[usermj9111]

Probably around 190 to 200 pounds for a varsity senior linebacker. If you get up by around 180 pounds, but keep and improve your SPEED (180 lbs. and fast is better than 200 lbs. and slow), QUICKNESS, skill level, and coordination, you should be set.

That being said, if you want to play college football most of your offers are made during the second half of your junior year.

[swolepatrole]

Depends on the size of the school and its competitiveness. Check out the guys who start at the position in your school? They any good? How big are they? Maybe check out the recruiting lists on various websites and see what some of the best linebackers in the country look like. At 5'11" it's gonna be tough to get next-level size, but it just depends on how much you're willing commit to get there.

[The_LB_43]

height isnt very important 5'11" you should be around 190-210 and you need a minimum speed of 4.9 and thats only if you hit like a tank

dont bulk/cut
just eat a ****load of clean foods and supplement with protein and a multivitamin and (if you can afford it) creatine.

[Trev91]

Hey wassup buddy.
Alright check this out. I came from a highschool that went to Championships and was always a competitive school and i was there strong side linebacker. Me and my backers lifted and ate foods that would make us gain weight almost like a competition. We stuffed ourselves with steak and chicken all the time and were always trying to get bigger. I weighed 230 and was 6ft tall. I loved my size BUT was never satisfied with it. I wanted to be 245 and run a 5'0 on my 40 because i was shooting for a football scholarship.
However i graduated at 230 and remained 6ft tall and got a few small offers from some west coast teams. Like the guy posted above me...it's all about the size of your school and if they have a good team. My school was a high division so they needed meathead linebackers. Our 200lb guys were corners and recievers. If your a hit em up kinda guy then build yourself up bigger and LIGHT the other team up. Best times of my life buddy, you can never get back that feel of those lights, crowd, and field once your done so MAKE IT HAPPEN.

[TheHitStick]

get bigger but try to maintain/gain speed. going to be rough but im gonna be doing the same thing son lol

[billy_dean]

Probably around 190 to 200 pounds for a varsity senior linebacker. If you get up by around 180 pounds, but keep and improve your SPEED (180 lbs. and fast is better than 200 lbs. and slow), QUICKNESS, skill level, and coordination, you should be set.

That being said, if you want to play college football most of your offers are made during the second half of your junior year.

if your 200lbs of muscle your gonna get put on the line.. atleast at my school and we had a pretty good team that beat the team that won states in the regular season

[Danger_Close]

oh hai

[guineapig71]

Almost all the LB's I've played with were 5'10"-6'2" and 190-215 across the board. If you can get up that weight and keep your 40 around 4.8-5.0 you should be fine. You have about a year until the beginning of next camp so Start eating and lifting like an animal. Focus on your compound lifts like Deads, Squats, Cleans, Bench, Military press.

My advice would be to talk to the coach after this season is over and let him know that your interested in playing and start attending off season workouts with the team so you know whats going to be expected of you come next june. Also when your in the weight room and in OTA's work your ass off. Its hard getting started in a sport where all your competition already has 2 years opf high school experience.

[deron2007]

You really don't have to be that big. When i played we have a linebacker that was 5'11 170 soaking wet and he was the D captian and leader in tackles with 103 and 3int in florida 5A and the reason he had those numbers was because he knew how to use HIS HANDS to get off the block and he played LIKE A MAD MAN. He never cared about his body and would give his body for the team. play all out on every play USE your HANDS and you will be fine. You will probably end up at strong safety depending on your school. If you are placed at SS you will probably be a guy that the coach puts in the box to smash heads.

Protien, 1gallon water, creatine

p.s. I played CB and it pissed me off that he got those damn interception lol

[jhashey]

The ideal linebacker body is one that works hard every play, loves to stick people, and has the brains to read the line and not get caught staring in the backfield.

Give me that and I dont care if they are 5'6 or 6'6, 180 lbs or 250 lbs.

[Dennis71]

my senior year all of our LB'ers were around 5'9-5'11 and around 190lbs


but our MLB (a sophmore) is about 6'0 220lbs and had about 160 tackles last year

[Dietdude]

Doesn't really have to be a special 'size', that said, the position is a brutal one. Expect linemen in your face, and backs running at you with full steam. Realizing that, size will allow you to sustain the head cracking jolts from those forces play after play. But, if you get good at shaking linemen, can read offenses, study tapes, can pick up audibles, and have the speed to get to where the ball is, like the other poster said, it isn't about size, it is about attitude and what you do when you are on the field.

Go in at your best size and condition wise. Realize also that if the offense puts 2 or 3 guys on you in practice just to keep you at bay...this is a good thing. Because when one guy commands 2 or 3 ...somone is free.

GL

[IH33]

I have three varsity letters from football in high school while playing linebacker. Sophomore year i didn't get a lot playing time but i got enough for a letter and I was 155 pounds playing inside linebacker. Junior and senior year I started every game except one for a shoulder injury and I played at 185 lbs. I am also only 5'7. Its all about will.

[Cowart69]

if your 200lbs of muscle your gonna get put on the line.. atleast at my school and we had a pretty good team that beat the team that won states in the regular season

I found it very curiious that my son was trying to get up to around 215 pounds for his senior year at OLB (because of this knee injury he wont make it....he will probably be in the 205 range) while still keeping his 40 in the 4.8 range.

Then he comes home one day and says "I gotta make sure I dont get too big....they might put me on the line this next year"

I was baffled by that......but I guess it makes sense if your linemen are not very good and you need size at that spot....it just seems to me that it takes away abilities that the team could use.

So its a fine line........after the football season he will go back to work putting on weight and try to get ready for after hs football in the 220 ish range.

[TheHitStick]

One of our linebackers is a rising freshman who is about 5'5" 185lbs but is fast and strong as anything. For our opening season game last night against the previous State Champions he got a safety on their first drive.

You guys might say we suck cause of how big he is and starting but we also won that game 19-16 =]

He's small height wise but he's extremely aggressive, strong and fast. He's also smart and has great angles.

[Cowart69]

One of our linebackers is a rising freshman who is about 5'5" 185lbs but is fast and strong as anything. For our opening season game last night against the previous State Champions he got a safety on their first drive.

You guys might say we suck cause of how big he is and starting but we also won that game 19-16 =]

He's small height wise but he's extremely aggressive, strong and fast. He's also smart and has great angles.

I have been keeping an eye on the size weights of the DL/LB's at my sons high school ever since his last year of JAAF and I knew he was going to want to play HS football.

Except for some very rare occasions they have always used smaller LB's.....I dont know whether that is just the crop they had to choose from or they just preferred it that way......the bigger guys were on the line and the LB's were smaller, quick, and athletic.

[TheHitStick]

I have been keeping an eye on the size weights of the DL/LB's at my sons high school ever since his last year of JAAF and I knew he was going to want to play HS football.

Except for some very rare occasions they have always used smaller LB's.....I dont know whether that is just the crop they had to choose from or they just preferred it that way......the bigger guys were on the line and the LB's were smaller, quick, and athletic.

Here's our linebacker's height/size

We run a 3-5 stack so yeah

Strong: 5-10 185 (Best Player)
Sam: 5-9 185 (Inflated height a little lol)
Mike: 6-0 200 (My friend is kind of taking his place, around 6-1 180)
Will: 6-2 175 (My friend, crazy athlete)

Our Nose Guard is actually extremely small but also extremely quick and uses alot of moves to ge tpast the double teams and stuff, then the two ends are bigger but still fast.

[Trev91]

I have three varsity letters from football in high school while playing linebacker. Sophomore year i didn't get a lot playing time but i got enough for a letter and I was 155 pounds playing inside linebacker. Junior and senior year I started every game except one for a shoulder injury and I played at 185 lbs. I am also only 5'7. Its all about will.

A letter in you sophmore year?!?

Was it a letter of interest or a written letter of your performance?

I know teams get letters from all over saying if they keep up the good progress then they could possibly be looked at senior year but thats insane if you had a letter of performance your sophmore year specially at 155lbs and playing Lb. It couldnt have been anything over D3.?

[850fballer]

i played for a small school in florida 2b class. our safetys were 210 and 220. our olbs were 220-240.

[Nerrg]

A letter in you sophmore year?!?

Was it a letter of interest or a written letter of your performance?

I know teams get letters from all over saying if they keep up the good progress then they could possibly be looked at senior year but thats insane if you had a letter of performance your sophmore year specially at 155lbs and playing Lb. It couldnt have been anything over D3.?

I think he means a letter for playing varsity football, not a letter from a college

[Paladin13]

If your 5'11'' I would say if your at 200-210 solid by your senior year you'll be fine.

[Tunasauce31]

this^^^