The Program

The California Strength NFL Combine Prep Program has been a grass roots initiative. Over the past 7 years, California Strength has worked with some of the Bay Area’s top high school football players.  As time passed, some of these players went on to flourish at the collegiate level. Many of these players have received NFL Combine Invites or wanted to participate in their respective University Pro Day Events. These players requested that California Strength handle their preparation and as a result, our NFL Combine Preparation program was born. The Program grew quickly in size and sophistication as more and more athletes demanded our services based on the performance of our graduates. Today, the California Strength Combine Prep program is recognized as one of the best boutique programs in the Country.

The Strength of our Combine Preparation Program is our attention to detail. Our Combine Preparation classes are capped at ten individuals. This is significantly smaller than many of our competitors and the intimacy of the group gives us an opportunity to customize each training program to the athlete. Our experts dedicate eight weeks to making sure our players look and perform at the top of their game.

General Assessment:

Our Combine Preparation always begins with a comprehensive physical evaluation.  Our team identifies and addresses prior injuries, muscular imbalances and general strengths and weaknesses.  This evaluation helps us craft a training program that corrects these issues while simultaneously preparing the athlete for the Combine Events.Combine Event Assessment:

Performance in any single Combine event is as much a measure of skill as it is a measure of athletic ability.  Getting a baseline evaluation done across all the Combine Events is a necessary part of the process as it gives us a snap shot in time of the athlete’s abilities. All times and measurements are made using the same tools and conditions to the actual Combine.  Event performances are videoed and evaluated to determine areas for improvement.

40 Yard Dash:

The 40 is the single most important event in the Combine regardless of position.  Most Combine Preparation programs will tell athlete’s that the 40 start is the only phase of the test one can perfect inside of 8 weeks.  We find that due to our smaller class sizes and more individual attention, we can make improvements in start, acceleration, top speed and finish.  As a result we have been successful in routinely lowering our athlete’s time’s from our Event Assessment by 3 - 4 tenths of a second!

225 Pound Bench Press:

The bench press is a measure of strength endurance.  Most Combine Preparation programs will focus on teaching athletes the technique to bench for maximum reps and then practice the test.  At California Strength we believe that developing maximal strength is the key to improving one’s rep max.  Imagine for a moment that 225lbs feel like an empty bar…  How many times could one rep and empty bar?  We focus on developing technique then improving maximal strength and then we train the energy system for the max rep test.  That’s how we produce top performers in the bench press!

Vertical Leap:

The vert is a time tested measure of evaluating peak power output for an athlete.  The test is simple but the master vert technique can make the difference in 3-4 inches.  We teach our athletes how to take full advantage of the counter movement in the jump and we work to increase our athlete’s ability to generate power from the ground by incorporating Olympic Weightlifting into the program.  Our teams of professionals are the best in the Country at teaching and then incorporating the Olympic Lifts into our Combine Preparation Program.

Broad Jump:

The broad jump is another measure of evaluating peak power output for the athlete.  The technique for the broad jump differs from the vert and must be mastered in order to achieve peak performance.  Again, we find that utilizing the Olympic Lifts help our athletes develop their power by teaching them to recruit and coordinate all the muscle groups in the kinetic chain.

20 Yard Shuttle or 5-10-5:

Several scouts and coaches around the Country place the shuttle above the 40 in importance when evaluating players.  The shuttle has a higher dynamic correspondence to the lateral movement executed during a game.  We spend a good deal of time teaching our athletes the most efficient technique based on their specific strengths and weaknesses.  Once the technique is mastered then practicing the drill becomes the focus.  The shuttle is one of the few events where proper footwear is essential.  We will make sure our athletes are outfitted with the best equipment to maximize performance!

3 Cone Drill:

This event is typically one of the athlete’s favorite to run because of all the different components.  It involves the direction change aspect of the 20 Yard Shuttle with full speed 180 degree turn and finishes with a speed cut.  Developing solid technique and running through several repetitions of this drill is absolutely essential. 

60 Yard Shuttle:

The 60 Yard Shuttle is a measure of attitude above all else.  The event is an endurance test that incorporates direction change.  Most Combine participants are exempt from the test, but one should know the drill and be prepared to post a solid time if the need should arise.

Position Drills:

Each position has its own set of required drills.  We seek out professional consultants based on the compilation of our Combine Prep Class.  These professionals work our athlete’s in the exact drills they will face at the Combine and coach our athlete’s to know what scouts and coaches are looking for.

Team Interviews:

Contrary to popular belief, the Event testing is not the only important aspect of the NFL Combine.  Every Team conducts personal interviews during combine weekend. Psychological tests and film review sessions are great ways to assess a player’s intangible quality.  We prep our athlete’s thoroughly for these interviews to ensure they make lasting impressions on coaches and scouts.

Wonderlic Intelligence Test:

The NFL uses a version of the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT).  The test is 12-minutes long and contains 50 questions.  It is designed to measure general cognitive ability. It consists of verbal, numerical, general knowledge, analytical and spatial relations questions that are systematically organized in ascending order of difficulty. It is designed so that few people are expected to complete it in the time allowed. Most teams view different positions as having different requirements, but for the most part the higher you score the better.  Sample tests are made available to our athletes and tips on taking the test are provided.

Strength, Conditioning & Maybe a Little Bodybuilding:

General physical preparation is an important component of our program.  It helps our athletes perform better in the Combine Events but also helps our athlete “look the part”.  We evaluate body composition every week to demonstrate progress to our athletes and to confirm the correctness of our programming.  On average our athletes gain 5-7lbs and lose 1-2% body fat in the 8 week process. 

Rest, Recovery & Nutrition:

Our athlete’s train hard and we need them to peak at the right time!  We have on staff some of the brightest minds in Exercise Science including a PhD, an MS and an RD working to create the most balanced and effective plan for each individual to maximize their recovery.

Hormones play an important role in adapting to any exercise program.  We take advantage of the body’s natural responses to training by tapering our athletes correctly.  By structuring and monitoring the tapering strategy we take full advantage of the changes in the body’s testosterone to cortisol ratios…  allowing our athlete’s to perform to optimal levels on game day!