EA Cougars in 4th week of summer workouts

As each weight fell to the floor inside of Escambia Academy’s field house, a loud clang rang out.

Football players were busy Monday morning performing summer workouts for the upcoming fall season.

EA head football coach Hugh Fountain said he averages between 40-45 student athletes who participate each day.

“This is week four for us,” Fountain said. “We took off two weeks at the beginning of the summer.”

Fountain said the workout program will last seven weeks as the Cougars can start practice earlier because of the SECIS Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. EA faces First Baptist of Charleston, S.C. At 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 13.

Fountain said fall practice will begin in the last week of July.

The standard routine this summer for workouts includes working the lower body (squats, leg auxiliaries and speed lifts) on Mondays, upper body (bench press, shoulder lifts, core lifts and explosive lifts) on Tuesday, and legs and upper body on Thursdays, Fountain said.

“We have a couple of kids that we bring in on Wednesday who we’re trying to work on improving,” he said. “Some of the kids come four days a week.”

Fountain said a typical week includes three days of work outs, but some others come in during the weekend for extra work.

“We run every day,” he said. “We come and run every day. We vary our running. Some days we go cross-country, some days we go cardio and some days we go sprints.”

Fountain said he likes to experiment with his workouts by holding the running portion during the workout session.

“We ran during the work out,” he said. “That was brutal for them. When we get together in the afternoon, we don’t run.”

Fountain added that getting the whole team together once a week allows the players to see each other as all of them live in different areas.

Throughout the summer, Fountain said the players have worked on skill development.

Fountain said the summer workout progression has been real good.

“It hasn’t been bad,” he said. “The summer is always the best time because there’s nothing else in the way. They come and have all morning. We’re not in a hurry. Usually, we see our biggest gains in the summer.

“We’re fairly pleased with where we’re at right now,” he said.

Additionally, players will play in 7-on-7s and individual camps throughout the summer.

The ultimate goal for EA is to be peaking by the end of the summer just in time for preseason camp, Fountain said.

“Conditioning wise, we’re trying to get to where at practice, we’re ready to go,” he said.