Published Apr 28, 2020
Russell shares Auburn home workout drill
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Nathan King  •  AuburnSports
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Ryan Russell wants you to break a sweat at least once a day.

That was the Auburn strength and conditioning coach's advice to those stuck at home during this time of social distancing: find a way to get that heart rate up and get yourself sweating multiple times a week.

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"Don't put yourself in a compromising situation where you're going to get hurt doing something," Russell told reporters earlier this month. "... Really, during this time, it's just about staying active and enjoying time with the family and all those sort of things. That can go a long way."

The Tigers won't be returning to campus until at best July 1 after Auburn University said its campus will remain closed through June 30. Gus Malzahn and his staff are hoping to get some clarity for the future from college football's higher-ups soon, but for now, they're taking things week by week, with contingency plans for a return on July 1, July 15, etc.

The way Malzahn sees it, teams that stay on top of their game in terms of conditioning could have an edge when players are allowed to return to the practice field.

"I really believe that the team that comes back in the best shape is going to have a big advantage," the head coach said this week. "Because we're just challenging our guys because when everybody comes back, I assume everybody will come back together at the same time. And the team that's in the best running, physical shape, I think's going to have an advantage because they can start practice a little earlier or quicker or be more efficient."

Early on in Auburn's period of quarantine — when the SEC made its initial ruling that players were not to return to practice and training facilities — Russell devised and disseminated two separate workout plans to his players that are currently spread across the southeast and the country. One regimen was for Tigers with a home weight room and viable workout equipment, and the other was for those without.

For both groups, Russell is encouraging daily cardio and self-weight exercises and drills. Coaches have been telling players in meetings they need to return to campus in "running shape."

In the first of Under Armour's "Home Work" video series, which plans to highlight Under Armour schools' training staffs and their quarantine workouts, Russell instructs viewers through Auburn's Power Speed drill. He implemented it at Auburn to improve explosiveness, muscular application and timing.

Russell will explain the rest. Watch the full video on Instagram below.

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