No Gym? No Problem: 5 home exercises for football players

While much of the advances in strength and conditioning equipment have dramatically improved the current athlete's strength, speed, and agility, there are still basic bodyweight movement exercises that can improve an athlete's performance. Bigger and more expensive is not always better.

This article will focus on five bodyweight resistance exercises that will train the entire body. No membership, travel or fancy equipment is needed for these exercises.

1. Push-Ups

An "oldie but a goodie." This exercise, when performed correctly - with the elbows close to the trunk and no arching of the lower back - is a great upper body and core strengthening exercise. To build increased muscle size, perform four to five sets of 15 reps. If power is desired, more weight than your body might be needed, so a weighted vest may be used to increase the intensity of the movement. To improve power, three to four sets of five to six reps is the target. There should be total fatigue at the fifth or sixth rep. If there is not, increased intensity/weight will be needed.