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Football High School Foundation
Football High School Foundation is a beginner football program that runs 12 weeks at 3 sessions per week. It is built into Ægir Iron and free to load for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster.
What this program is
A 12-week program for high school football players new to the weight room, three days a week. Each day puts a different lift first: the trap bar deadlift on day 1, the back squat on day 2 and the bench press on day 3, with lighter work behind it. Every session has sprint-start practice, a jump and a medicine-ball throw before the lifts, and the jumps and throws take the place of Olympic lifts. Days 1 and 3 open with a skipping drill and add isometric neck holds, and day 2 ends with a light Nordic curl. Sets of 8, then 5, then 3, adding weight only when every rep looks the same, and week 4 of each block is a deload. Train with a coach watching.
At a glance
| Discipline | Football |
| Experience level | Beginner |
| Length | 12 weeks |
| Training days | 3 per week |
| Equipment | Barbell + Trap Bar + Dumbbells + Medicine ball + Band + Plyo box + Open field |
| Season phase | Off-season |
| Loading | RPE targets on the lifts, with sprints set by distance and jumps counted in ground contacts. |
| Price | Free for individual lifters and rostered athletes |
Free for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster. Coaches pay only for roster tools.
How it works in Ægir Iron
Inside Ægir Iron the plan is real Cycle, Block, Week, Day structure. The 12 weeks are grouped into 3 blocks, and the sets, reps and effort targets change from one block to the next. Lifts carry RPE targets rather than percentages, and you choose the weight. If you would rather run a lift off a percentage of your max, switch that row to a percentage in the editor. You load it in a couple of taps, then adjust any session, and a coach can push it to an athlete's account in real time.
Original source
Ægir Iron's template is built from these sources. Under each one is what the template takes from it.
- Petersen J, Thorborg K, Nielsen MB, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Hölmich P (2011). Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men's soccer: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2011;39(11):2296-2303.Football High School Foundation's light weekly Nordic: the exercise only, since its 2 x 4 to 2 x 6 dose is ours
- Daly E, Pearce AJ, Ryan L (2021). A Systematic Review of Strength and Conditioning Protocols for Improving Neck Strength and Reducing Concussion Incidence and Impact Injury Risk in Collision Sports; Is There Evidence?. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2021;6(1):8.The football neck dose: three 10 s isometric holds in each of four directions, twice a week, in every football program
- Fownes-Walpole M, Heyward O, Till K, Mackay L, Stodter A, Al-Dawoud M, et al. (2025). Combining evidence and practice to optimise neck training aimed at reducing head acceleration events in sport: a systematic review and Delphi-consensus study. Br J Sports Med. 2025;59(15):1027-1042.Neck work as a year-round, periodised part of the programme, so every football phase keeps it, the post-season included
- Faigenbaum AD, Kraemer WJ, Blimkie CJ, Jeffreys I, Micheli LJ, Nitka M, et al. (2009). Youth resistance training: updated position statement paper from the national strength and conditioning association. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(5 Suppl):S60-S79.Football High School Foundation: supervised resistance training is safe and effective for adolescents. Cited for the position only; the program's sets and reps are ours
- Lloyd RS, Faigenbaum AD, Stone MH, Oliver JL, Jeffreys I, Moody JA, et al. (2014). Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(7):498-505.Football High School Foundation: the international endorsement of resistance training for youth. No dose is taken from it
Start Football High School Foundation
Open Ægir Iron, go to Program and choose New Program, then the Program Wizard. On the first screen pick your discipline, then choose Football High School Foundation from the cards under WHAT DO YOU WANT TO RUN? It is free on iOS, Android, and the web, with your data synced across all three.