For the Penn State football players, preseason workouts began with a warning — be prepared for the pain.

The Nittany Lions' three-game slide down the college football charts at the end of the 1999 regular season was a smear on coach Joe Paterno's record. Despite the 24-0 Alamo Bowl win that capped the season, Paterno told players that the trio of losses was one of the worst experiences of his career.

His solution? Subject players to the toughest offseason conditioning of their careers.

"The offseason was very tough," offensive lineman Kareem McKenzie said. "We had an intent focus on being stronger, better conditioned and more disciplined. The only way you can accomplish those three things is by having a very tough offseason and tiring yourself out and seeing how far you can push yourself."

Pushing the limits began at 5 a.m. on most mornings and entailed sprints, drills without the ball and weight lifting. The strenuous workouts were implemented in the name of becomng a stronger, more disciplined and better-conditioned team. They were also implemented to ensure that the team wouldn't fade in the fourth quarter.

McKenzie said offseason workouts were usually less intense than the regular season and had a few humorous elements. This spring and summer, humor was no where to be found as a boot camp style atmosphere was prevalent.

"It was absolutely the toughest," McKenzie said. "They were intent on beating you into the ground and pushing your body to levels you've never done before."

There was an added incentive to attend and actively participate in the workouts. Defensive end Justin Kurpeikis said players had to pass conditioning tests or they could not report to camp until they did.

"Conditioning drills are an essential to win football games," Kurpeikis said. "When you get into the fourth quarter and you can't push through, then you know you have problems. By being forced to know what it feels like to go past the point you think you can go, you become mentally tougher."

Therefore, players attacked the workouts with added fervor simply to avoid being cut from the roster. They pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion, and even then, they weren't finished. Whether it was leg presses, bench presses or squats, McKenzie said the trainers would continuously add more weight — no matter how tired the players thought they were.

The intensity of the workouts remained steady when players reported for two-a-day regular season practices on August 7.

"At no point did coach Paterno let us rest," tailback Larry Johnson said, "because in the fourth quarter, there's no time to rest. He was really pounding that into our heads. Two weeks might seem short but it's a very long time to practice."

But in the grueling stretch between the start of spring practice and the end of two-a-days, players had the chance to become closer and a more cohesive unit. McKenzie said there's something about hot sun and seemingly endless series of sprints.

"You're drenched with sweat and dog tired," he said. "But you say, 'I'm here to play football and I'm here to better myself.' "