John Brantley opts for the fastest way to get to practice every day - on scooter - to spend some extra minutes sleeping. He needs it because being on the UF football team is nearly a full-time job.
At the annual convention of the NCAA Saturday, football players said they usually spent more than 40 hours training each week, stated a report Monday from The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Brantley, a UF freshman, said he trains with the team every day for four to five hours, and he doesn't do any extra individual workouts. That's about 35 hours of training.
"Trust me, it's enough," he said.
But according to NCAA rules, it's too much.
Jill Varnes, UF NCAA faculty representative, said a 40-hour week for UF student-athletes isn't technically allowed. Under NCAA rules, student-athletes should only train up to 20 hours a week.
However, Varnes said she hasn't heard of any UF athletes complaining about their training or pressure to do extra workouts beyond practices.
Since extra training enhances a student's participation, voluntary workouts are encouraged, she said.
"If you decide to run every morning at five you made that decision - it's not planned or programmed," she said.
Varnes said overtraining is not a worry because student-athletes know their limits better than any other students breaking a sweat.
"Their relationship with their body is different," she said.
Some student-athletes welcome extra training.
Jason Turner, a UF business senior, spent each weekday afternoon of his sophomore year training for the UF crew team.
Turner said he went to class in the mornings and usually slipped in an hour of weight training to improve his rowing performance.
He left the team after injuring his elbow but said the student-athlete life wasn't unbearable.
"You committed to it so once you commit, I say that's what you signed up for," Turner said.
