Do not start with the heavy stuff — how a 12-season lineman sequences his year
In short
NFL players typically retire within four years, yet Washington Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is preparing for his twelfth season and aims to play another four or five. What he credits is not talent but sequence: he starts the offseason with functional movement and shifts toward heavier lifting as the season draws closer, with Pilates handling core strength and recovery alongside it. The reason for that order is simple — when fatigue is already high, continuing to pound is not productive.
Exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson describes an NFL season this way: “You've gone through the wear and tear of basically 17 weeks of car crashes and physical trauma that's hard for most people to understand. Your body needs recovery; it needs repair. The fatigue is probably super high and to continue just pounding is probably not that productive.” The offseason of the five-time Pro Bowler is built on top of that diagnosis.
Why does movement come first?
A body coming out of a season is not ready to get stronger; it is behind on repair. Put maximal loads straight onto it and what you build is compensation patterns, not strength. So Tunsil's preparation begins with functional movement and the load climbs as the season nears. Follow that order and you enter the heavy block with range of motion and positions already secured. Reverse it and the first thing that narrows is the joint angles that can tolerate load at all.
Why is “just pounding” counterproductive?
Adding stimulus on top of high fatigue does not produce adaptation; it produces accumulated debt. As Davidson puts it, what the body is asking for is recovery and repair, and training that ignores the request spends next week's output in advance. An ordinary lifter's week has the same structure — the question is not how many rest days but what the rest is meant to recover.
What is Pilates doing in there?
Tunsil uses it for two things: core strength and recovery. That is the classic slot for accessory work — filling in what the big three miss. The important part is that it does not replace the loading. It comes earlier in the sequence, and it does not disappear once the heavy block starts.
In fairlift terms, the lesson is about time horizon. A Muscle Index is meaningful as a curve held over years, not as one peak day. A plan that burns the next six months for this month's record raises the number once and depresses it for far longer. How to handle the weeks right before a max is covered in tapering, and holding intensity as you age in training hard after 50.
This sequence comes from an athlete leaving a violent contact season. If you are carrying pain or a diagnosed injury, when to move into a loading block is a question for a clinician, not one to settle on your own.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go straight back to heavy loads after a season or competition?
It is not advisable. A body straight out of a season is behind on repair rather than ready to get stronger. NFL offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil starts with functional movement and moves toward heavier lifting as the season approaches.
What happens if you keep pushing while fatigue is high?
The added stimulus becomes accumulated debt instead of adaptation. Exercise physiologist Dr. Pat Davidson compares a season to 17 weeks of car crashes and says continuing to pound in that state is not productive.
What does Pilates do for a lifter?
Core strength and recovery — the two purposes Tunsil names. It does not replace loaded training; it fills the areas the big three do not cover and stays in the program once the heavy block begins.
How long is the average NFL career?
Most players retire within four years. That is why Laremy Tunsil, preparing for a twelfth season, is treated as exceptional; he aims to play another four or five.
What time frame should long-term planning use?
A curve across years rather than a single best day. A plan that spends the next six months on this month's record raises the number once and holds it down for much longer.
Source: Men's Health