It may be the off-season for university football, but Huskies’ players know that is no reason to slack off.

In terms of physical training, there is no real time off for Huskies football players; they continue to prepare for next fall’s games with a heavy workout and indoor practice schedule. Huskies players spend approximately 10 hours per week in the gym working on strength, agility and speed. Indoor practices at 6:30 a.m. are twice a week, leaving no time for the players to sleep in either.

Huskies head coach Brian Towriss works with the team’s fitness trainers to make sure players will be ready to face the demands games put on their bodies. From the first kickoff, players need to be ready to perform at their peak both mentally, by understanding the playbook, and physically, by being stronger and faster than their opponents.

Huskies defensive lineman Zach Hart feels that when it comes time to hit the field, players “should already be ready,” implying that training done away from the gridiron should allow players to be prepared when the time comes to step back on the field.

Hart added that Huskies football players spend more time training off the field than they do on it, so it is especially important that the whole team remain committed to their fitness.

Huskies players, regardless of their position, are expected to maintain the level of fitness they acquired during the season and continue to build on it after the year is over.

With a long break between seasons, athletes can be tempted to slip into habits of inactivity. But Huskies running back Dexter Janke says he keeps lethargy at bay by keeping his schedule consistent before, during and after the football season.

“It doesn’t change too much,” he said of his training schedule. Janke feels the main difference between the football season and the rest of the year is that he is more focused on strength and weight-lifting during the off-season, whereas he puts more emphasis on watching and analyzing game footage while the team is playing games.

Both Hart and Janke admitted they prefer on-field workouts to the long hours spent in the gym, but they understand that the gym is necessary in order to be successful during the regular season.

“The [off-season] work is worth it,” Hart said.

With hard work during the off-season, the Huskies are trying to gain the competitive physical edge over their rivals in order to rack up big wins in the upcoming season.

By training up to eight times a week, the Huskies football squad appears to be doing everything it can to ensure that players will enter the season prepared and ready to battle for a championship.

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Photo: Cole Guenter/The Sheaf