College football players aren’t exactly living the high life this time
of year.
Spring practice is over and kickoff to the season is still three months away. That means players, far removed from the glamour and pageantry of Saturdays, and miles from the attention of local and national media, can be found across the country in the places where sweat is shed and dreams begin – the weight room.
Senior center Enoka Lucas knows that by now.
That’s why the 6-foot-4, 299-pound starter and his teammates will hit the weight room four times per week for a nearly three-hour workout until fall camp begins in August.
“What you do now is going to affect what do you in the season,” Lucas said. “If our offseason work wasn’t so good, the season probably won’t be so good. Whatever you put into your workouts, it will show on the field.
“The offseason is where you see the beginning of the season start.”
That’s all the motivation Lucas needs to succeed in the weight room and the reason he is able to make it through a day that often begins at 9 a.m., ends late in the evening, and is filled with classes, homework and, of course, lifting.
Putting in the time
It’s 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday in the Casanova Center’s workout facility. Lucas and his fellow offensive linemen have convened for their second workout this week. They promptly reported at the same time Monday and will do so on Thursday and Friday.
Generally, Monday and Thursday’s workouts include upper body lifting, while Tuesday and Friday’s are spent on the lower body.
This particular Tuesday workout consists of cleans and squats, areas Lucas has posted personal bests of 341 pounds and 535 pounds, respectively.
Following a quick stretch, Lucas begins this routine with “good mornings” exercises, which target the lower back by leaning the upper body forward and placing the bar near the shoulder blades.
Next, Lucas and lifting partner Palauni Ma Sun perform cleans. Tuesday, Lucas maxes out at three reps of 308 pounds.
From there, Lucas moves on to clean pulls, where he manages 377 pounds, and then squats, which he builds up to four reps of 415 pounds.
With the majority of the heavy lifting done, Lucas finalizes his routine with 45 degree lunges, free-weight lifting and jump roping before 5:45 p.m., when he andhis fellow linemen meet strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe on the practice field for cardio and footwork exercises.
It’s raining, heavily. No matter. Radcliffe herds the players outside.
“For a coach who does everything we do – he’s out there in the rain running with us, and he’s lifting with us – you look up to him,”
Lucas said. “I see him out here every day.”
Finally, it’s 7 p.m. and the day’s workout is over. Now it’s time for Lucas to shower, hit the books, and, of course, get some sleep because more workouts are in store in the coming days.
“We’re pretty dead,” Lucas said after the workout, “especially when you go home and have to study.”
Getting the job done
Lucas, who is entering his final season at Oregon, said his first time entering the weight room as a freshman was admittedly a little intimidating.
Since that time, however, Lucas worked his way into becoming one of Oregon’s key offensive pieces. He started eight games as a sophomore, 12 games last season and is now considered the experienced leader on and off the field for an offensive line that returns every starter.
He owns records among offensive linemen in the bench press (455 pounds) and squat (535 pounds).
Lucas believes that part of his success in the weight room, and consequently on the field, stems from his mindset during lifting.
“I’m thinking about my opponents,” Lucas said. “I’m thinking about the Brandon Mebane’s (California defensive tackle). I’m thinking about my opponents for next year. I’m thinking, ‘I’ll beat you no matter what.’”
The part many don’t see
While many Oregon fans circle Sept. 2 on their calendars in anticipation for the season-opener, conference-opener and homeopener against Stanford, it’s a date the Oregon football players know is a long way off.
There are still months of preparation and effort to put in at the weight room before the pads come on for fall camp.
Still, Lucas admits there is a common misconception that football players can simply show up on Saturdays and aren’t required to put in a considerable amount of outside time.
“We put in time. We put in effort,” Lucas said. “It doesn’t come natural. You’re not just going to come one day and say ‘I’m going to be a football player.’ You’ve got to put time in the weight room like everyone else does.”