Life of a high school football player during the offseason

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) The life of a high school football athlete during the offseason does not come as easily as you think, as it boils down to two major factors.

"Just gotta be kind of consistent," Palm Springs running back Jordan Johnson said. "I mean, it's either you want it or you don't, there's a lot that goes into it. You gotta have to sacrifice a lot of your time and a lot of relationships."

It takes a lot of hard work to be a football player, especially during the offseason, and it all comes down to being disciplined, but most importantly, executing with intent.

"We have the same ladder as every other trainer, but it's like what's the details," half-owner of Category 5 Training Rafael Lamas said. "Why are we doing this? Why are we going through the ladder? Why are we picking up our knees? Why are we pumping our arms? If you're not able to explain the whys, then you know it's hard to relate to these kids, so you gotta have skin in the game, which we do over here."

In these intense workouts, athletes' success stems from striking a balance between pushing themselves to the limit and knowing when to stop.

"We're in season, so now we try to stretch him more, make him very durable and flexible so he could withstand some of these impacts that he's gonna take," half-owner of Category 5 Training Rafael Lamas said.

As training sessions can be hours long. Palm Springs running back Jordan Johnson continues to show up day in and day out as his passion for the game fuels him till the very end.

"I love it, like it's just me, it's who I am, you know, I know the type of player I want to be, and I've kinda, I've seen what, how rewarding it is when you come in here consistently and you just get better," Palm Springs running back Jordan Johnson said.

While there are multiple factors in training to be the very best, it's a harsh reality to make it and stay at the top.

"We're very, you know, detailed, but we're also spiritual because you gotta be sound on all three in order to make it at that level, because if not, then you won't survive," half-owner of Category 5 Training Rafael Lamas said. 

Be sure to stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of high school football.