Interview with Ikaika

Stephen Tsai interviews Ikaika Alama-Francis. Here's an excerpt:

On his training, during which he improved his strength and quickness.

"When I first started (in 2003), my max (in the bench press) was 225 (pounds). It was a little more than my weight. Now I'm at 405. The first time I broke 400, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe how far I've come. I know I have a long way to go.

"I ran a 4.69 (seconds), 4.71 (in the 40-yard dash). That was OK. I do a lot of sprints. I work with boxes, jumping on them, and on foot drills and changing directions. It helps to play basketball. You're playing a game, but you get to work on your footwork and lateral movement. Basketball has helped me tremendously in football. And you have fun with basketball, too."