Conditioning for football officials.

[Mike Simonds]

Just curious. What do all you guys (and ladies) do to get in shape for officiating football?

Here are the routines I've been following this year:

About 4 months ago I starting SPINNING at our local YMCA 3 times per week. Spinning is a guided group exercise program done on these custom stationary bikes with variable resistence. The normal 1 hour workout starts with a warmup, seated flat, standing run (where we get up off our seats), then back to a seated climb (adding more resistence and slowing our legs down), then finally more standing climbs (standing and finally leaning out over the handlebars and pushing our butts back). I find the movements take me back to my playing days pushing the old 7 man sled around the practice field. We ride for 45 min. and then stretch and do situps/pushups during the last 15 min.

I highly recommend spinning as a great overall way to stay in shape for football officiating.

Our Y just started a sports conditioning class every Thursday. Its a 1 hour class where we alternate between different routines of 3 to 5 minutes each such as shuttle runs, agility drills, exercise band and medicine ball work, and finally stretching.

I've been also exercising my mind reading some good football books. Two of my favorites this year are "Football: Game of the Century" by Bob Oates and "When Pride Still Mattered" a biography about Vince Lombardi by David Maranis. And of course the good old rule and case books and talking to you fine people on these great websites.

I hope all are you are getting physically and mentally prepared for the season. Talk to you soon!