HUNGRY ANIMALS 12-Week Off-Season Strength & Size System
PAC
HUNGRY ANIMALS is a 12-week off-season strength and size system built for football, hockey, and other team sport athletes who need to build a stronger physical foundation for the season ahead.
This program is for athletes who know they need more than random gym work. If you want to get stronger, add useful size, improve force production, and build the kind of physical robustness that transfers back to your sport, this is what the program is designed to do.
The goal of Hungry Animals is simple: build the base.
That means developing the foundational strength, muscle mass, and structural balance that team sport athletes need before chasing more advanced speed, power, or sport-specific performance work. Instead of wasting your off-season with bodybuilding fluff or random “athletic” circuits, this system focuses on the qualities that actually matter: stronger upper and lower body force production, more muscle in the right places, a more resilient posterior chain, and a body better prepared for sprinting, contact, practice, and competition.
The program is built around 3 training days per week:
1 Max Effort Upper Body Day 1 Max Effort Lower Body Day 1 Repetition Upper Body Day
This structure allows you to train hard enough to make real progress in strength and size while still leaving room for speed work, conditioning, field sessions, and team practice if needed.
Over 12 weeks, the program focuses on:
upper and lower body strength development useful muscle mass for team sport athletes posterior chain development unilateral lower body work upper back, trunk, and structural accessory work long-term physical durability and resilience
This is not a generic hypertrophy plan and it’s not a bodybuilding split made for athletes. Hungry Animals is built specifically for team sport athletes who want to use the off-season the right way: build a bigger engine, a stronger frame, and a better physical foundation before moving into more specific speed and performance work.
Best suited for:
football players hockey players rugby or collision athletes team sport athletes with access to a gym athletes who want a simple but serious 3-day off-season structure
If your goal this off-season is to get stronger, add size that actually transfers, and lay down the physical base for a better season, Hungry Animals is built for you.
GENERAL WARM-UP
A
A. Mobility Reset Band Dislocates x 10 Cat-Cow x 6 Scap Push-Up x 10 B. Dynamic Prep 2 rounds: World’s Greatest Stretch x 1/side Arm Circles Small→Large x 10 each direction Seal Jacks x 15
PRIMER / CNS ACTIVATION
B
2 rounds: Med Ball Chest Pass x 3 Plyo Push-Up x 3 Empty-Bar Bench x 8 (fast up)
C
Barbell Bench Press
5 x 5
D
Incline DB Bench Press
4 x 10
E
DB Incline Row
4 x 15
F
Band Face Pull
3 x 15
G
Hanging Leg Raise
4 x 15
GENERAL WARM-UP
A
A. Mobility Reset Ankle Rocks x 10/side Hip Flexor Stretch with Reach x 20s/side Deep Squat Sit x 20s B. Dynamic Prep 2 rounds: Leg Swings Front/Back x 10/side Lateral Leg Swings x 10/side Walking Lunge + Rotation x 6 steps Rest: move drill to drill with minimal rest.
CNS PRIMER
B
2 rounds: Broad Jump x 2 (controlled) Single Leg Vertical Hop x 2/side Empty Bar Squat or Hinge Pattern x 8 Rest: 30–45 s between rounds.
C
Trap Bar Deadlift
5 x 5
D
DB Bulgarian Split Squat
4 x 12
E
Romanian Deadlift with DB
4 x 10
F
Heavy DB Hold
3 x 0:30
GENERAL WARM-UP
A
A. Upper Mobility Band Dislocates x 10 Scap Push-Up x 10 T-Spine Rotation x 5/side B. Dynamic Prep 2 rounds: Seal Jacks x 20 Push-Up to Down Dog x 6 Arm Circles Small→Large x 10 each direction Rest as needed, keep flow continuous.
CNS PRIMER
B
2 rounds: Med-Ball Chest Throw x 3 Plyo Push-Up x 2 Empty Bar Bench x 8 (fast concentric) Rest 30–40 seconds between rounds.
C
DB Bench Press
3 x MAX
D
Rolling Tricep extensions
3 x 10
E
Chin-Up
4 x 12
F
DB Lateral Raise
3 x 15
G
Hammer Curl
3 x 10
ABDOMINAL CIRCUIT
H
Perform 2–3 rounds, no rest between movements: Dead Bug x 8/side Plank x 30 seconds Cable Crunch x 12–15 Side Plank x 20 seconds/side Rest: 60 seconds between rounds.
John Falk
Performance coach and former American football player helping football, hockey, and other team sport athletes get stronger, faster, and more powerful. I work in high-level performance environments, building the strength, resilience, and physical qualities required to perform at a higher level.
Every great season starts long before the first game. Build the strength, size, and physical foundation that separates prepared athletes from everyone else.
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