40 yard dash
How to Run a Faster 40 Yard Dash
A strength Training Approach
Nearly every coach, scout, and teammate in the sport of football has one question when it comes to speed—how fast is your 40?
The 40-yard dash isn't just another drill; it's the gold standard for measuring speed in football. It’s the difference between being a prospect who catches the eye of scouts and one who’s overlooked. A mere fraction of a second can separate a good performance from an outstanding one, potentially altering the trajectory of an athlete's career. For players, it’s more than just a test—it’s a moment that can define their athletic prowess and open doors to higher levels of play.
But what makes the 40-yard dash so crucial in football? Unlike the 100 meters in track and field, where sprinters reach top-end speed, the 40-yard dash is all about acceleration. It’s about how quickly you can explode off the line and reach your maximum speed in the shortest amount of time. In the context of football, this is essentially the distance of a big play, where a player’s ability to accelerate can mean the difference between a touchdown and being stopped short.
What many athletes might not realize is that the foundation for a faster 40-yard dash isn’t just about perfecting your running mechanics—it’s about building strength. The connection between leg strength and speed is well-documented, yet often overlooked. Stronger legs don’t just contribute to power; they enhance your ability to accelerate, maintain speed, and ultimately shave precious time off your 40-yard dash.
In this article, we’re going to dive deep into the role of strength training in improving your 40-yard dash time. I’ll share specific strategies and exercises that football athletes can incorporate into their training regimen to build the explosive power needed to boost their speed. Whether you’re a high school athlete preparing for college showcases, or a seasoned player looking to improve your draft prospects, these insights will equip you with the tools to run a faster 40 and stand out on the field.
What Is Speed?
To understand how to run a faster 40-yard dash, we must first grasp the concept of speed itself. At its core, speed is the ability to travel from point A to point B in the shortest possible time. It’s about minimizing the time it takes to cover a specific distance—plain and simple, the quicker, the better.
When most people think of speed, their minds immediately go to running and sprinting, what we often refer to as locomotion. In its purest form, locomotion is about moving efficiently in one direction. This is the kind of speed we see in track events, where athletes sprint forward—sometimes around a bend, but always in a predictable pattern. Track sprinting is what we call a closed skill sport. In this environment, the variables are minimal. Athletes aren’t reacting to an opponent; instead, they’re focused solely on perfecting their form, optimizing their technique, and pushing their limits within a controlled setting. The 40-yard dash is similar to this in many respects.
However, football, unlike track, is an open skill sport. Here, athletes must constantly adapt to a dynamic and unpredictable environment. While plays may be scripted to a certain extent, the reality is that football players need to make split-second decisions based on what’s happening around them. The opponent’s actions directly impact what a player must do—whether it's changing direction to avoid a tackle or accelerating quickly to exploit a gap in the defense. In this context, running in a straight line isn’t always possible when a massive defender is barreling toward you. This complexity is why speed in football needs to be understood through a more nuanced lens.
At Garage Strength, we break down speed into three key components: top-end speed, change of direction, and acceleration.
Top-End Speed is what you see in elite track events, such as the 100 meters, 200 meters, or 400 meters at the Olympics. It’s the speed an athlete reaches in the latter stages of a sprint, where they’re moving at their absolute maximum velocity. In the context of the 40-yard dash, top-end speed comes into play during the last few yards, and in football, it’s often the determining factor in a breakaway touchdown. However, in football, top-end speed is rarely achieved because of the unpredictable nature of the game and the need for frequent direction changes.
Change of Direction can be likened to agility. It’s the ability of an athlete to decelerate rapidly and transition to a new direction with minimal loss of speed. In football, change of direction is crucial—it’s what allows players to make sharp cuts, evade tackles, and execute complex routes. The 20-yard shuttle drill is a common way to measure this in a controlled environment. But in the chaos of a game, this ability is seen in every juke, cut, and quick pivot.
Acceleration is perhaps the most critical component for football players. It’s the ability to go from a standstill to maximum speed as quickly as possible. Acceleration is the foundation of locomotive speed in open-skill sports like football. It’s what allows players to explode off the line of scrimmage, quickly close in on an opponent, or create separation from defenders. In the 40-yard dash, acceleration is the primary focus—it’s the key to clocking a fast time.
Strength training plays a pivotal role in enhancing all three components of speed, but it’s particularly influential in improving acceleration. By building stronger, more explosive muscles, athletes can increase the force they apply to the ground with each step, allowing them to accelerate faster. Additionally, strength training enhances an athlete’s ability to change direction quickly and maintain high speed, even in the later stages of a sprint. Whether it’s through squats, deadlifts, or plyometric exercises, incorporating strength training into your routine is essential for improving speed in football and, more specifically, for running a faster 40-yard dash.
In the following sections, we’ll dive deeper into the specific exercises and strategies that will help you build the strength needed to enhance your speed, dominate the 40-yard dash, and perform at your best on the football field.
Lower Body Power
When it comes to running a faster 40-yard dash, the ability to explode off the line and reach top speed quickly is paramount. This explosive acceleration hinges on the strength and power of the lower body muscles—particularly those that generate the initial force and impulse needed to propel the body forward. To achieve this, athletes must focus on developing key muscle groups, including the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and even the often-overlooked tibialis anterior.
The concept of lower body power can be likened to building a high-performance engine. Just as a powerful engine generates more horsepower to propel a car faster, well-developed leg muscles provide the necessary horsepower to accelerate quickly. The goal is to increase the myofibrillar hypertrophy—the growth of muscle fibers—within these critical muscle groups. This growth not only enhances muscle size but, more importantly, increases muscle strength and power, which are crucial for explosive movements like sprinting.
To build this kind of lower body power, athletes should incorporate a combination of big compound movements and technical coordination exercises into their training regimen. Compound movements, such as squats and their variations, are essential for developing absolute strength. Squats are a foundational exercise for any athlete looking to improve lower body power because they engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, including the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Variations like front squats, split squats, and box squats can further target specific muscles and improve overall strength and stability.
In addition to squats, technical coordination exercises like the snatch, clean, and their variations play a vital role in developing explosive power. These Olympic lifts require a high degree of coordination, speed, and strength, making them ideal for enhancing the neuromuscular efficiency needed to transfer force rapidly from the body into the ground. By mastering these movements, athletes can significantly improve their ability to accelerate quickly, which is critical for shaving time off their 40-yard dash.
Beyond these primary exercises, it’s also important to target specific muscle groups, joints, and areas prone to injury through supplementary exercises. Structural bodybuilding movements—those that focus on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, or the increase in the volume of the fluid within muscle cells—can help build the necessary muscle endurance and resilience. Exercises like lunges, step-ups, calf raises, and tibialis raises strengthen the stabilizing muscles and connective tissues, reducing the risk of injury while enhancing overall lower body function.
Incorporating these various forms of strength training—technical coordination exercises, absolute strength movements, and structural bodybuilding exercises—into your lower body power day creates a more robust and powerful musculature. This comprehensive approach ensures that the muscles are not only strong but also capable of transferring force efficiently from the body into the ground. This transfer of force is the key to accelerating faster, sprinting at higher speeds, and ultimately achieving a faster 40-yard dash time.
By dedicating time and effort to building lower body power, athletes can enhance their sprinting mechanics, improve their acceleration, and maximize their potential on the football field. In the next sections, we’ll explore specific workout routines and drills that can help you develop this lower body power, providing you with the tools you need to run a faster 40-yard dash and excel in your athletic pursuits.
Plyometrics Training
When it comes to strength training for speed, most people immediately think of lifting weights. And while heavy lifting is undeniably a cornerstone of building strength, it’s only part of the equation. To truly maximize your potential for running a faster 40-yard dash, you must also incorporate another crucial component: plyometrics.
Plyometrics are essentially explosive movements that involve jumping—whether you’re jumping onto things, over obstacles, or across distances. These exercises train your muscles to generate maximum force in short bursts, which is exactly what’s needed for rapid acceleration and sprinting. But not all jumps are created equal, and for the most effective plyometric training, it’s important to understand and incorporate a variety of jumping patterns.
One of the key principles of effective plyometric training is to include both unilateral (one-legged) and bilateral (two-legged) jumps. This diversity ensures that you’re developing balanced strength and power across both legs, which is essential for optimal sprint performance. Additionally, plyometric exercises should be performed in multiple directions to mimic the dynamic demands of open skill sports like football. These directions include:
- Vertical Jumps: Movements like box jumps emphasize upward force and are great for building explosive power in the legs.
- Horizontal Jumps: Broad jumps are a prime example, focusing on forward propulsion, which directly translates to sprinting power.
- Combination Jumps: Stair jumps, which combine vertical and horizontal movement, challenge your ability to coordinate different types of force production simultaneously.
- Lateral Jumps: Exercises like Heiden jumps (side-to-side leaps) develop the ability to change direction quickly, which is vital for agility on the field.
- Diagonal Jumps: These movements add an extra layer of complexity, forcing your muscles to adapt to non-linear patterns, which are common in real-game scenarios.
Incorporating omni-directional plyometric movements into your training routine is a must for developing the kind of explosive power and agility needed in football. The ability to move powerfully in all directions, rather than just straight ahead, gives athletes a significant advantage on the field.
Another major benefit of plyometric training is the sheer speed at which these movements are performed. While compound lifts like the clean or squat are excellent for building strength and power, they can’t match the context-dependent speed and force created during a plyometric exercise. When you jump, your muscles must fire quickly and explosively, training your body to produce rapid force and improve its overall speed.
This rapid force production is critical for improving acceleration, which is the key to a faster 40-yard dash. In a short sprint like the 40, the first few steps are crucial—they set the tone for your entire run. Plyometrics help your body learn to recruit muscle fibers quickly, enhancing your ability to accelerate from a standstill. Additionally, these exercises teach your muscles to be more elastic, allowing you to rebound off the ground with minimal energy loss, which is crucial for maintaining speed throughout the sprint.
Furthermore, plyometrics improve your neuromuscular efficiency—the ability of your brain and muscles to communicate effectively. The more efficiently your nervous system can signal your muscles to contract, the faster and more powerfully you can move. This is especially important in the 40-yard dash, where every millisecond counts.
Given the importance of acceleration in achieving a fast 40-yard dash time, it’s clear that plyometric training is not just a supplementary activity—it’s a pivotal part of a comprehensive strength training program. When combined with traditional weightlifting exercises, plyometrics create a well-rounded approach that not only builds muscle but also enhances your ability to use that muscle power quickly and efficiently.
By understanding the role of plyometrics and incorporating them into your regimen, you’ll be better equipped to improve your 40-yard dash time and elevate your performance on the football field
Sample Lower Body & Plyometric Workouts (40 Yard Dash Focus)
The Bottom Line
Strength training is a non-negotiable component for any football athlete serious about running faster 40-yard dash times. But the benefits of a well-rounded strength training program extend far beyond just football. Whether you’re on the gridiron, the basketball court, the track, or any other competitive arena where speed, strength, and explosiveness are key, incorporating these principles and workouts into your routine can deliver transformative results.
The importance of strength training, particularly lower body power and plyometrics, cannot be overstated. These training methods build the explosive strength and rapid force production needed to accelerate faster, reach top-end speed, and perform at your best. By focusing on compound lifts like squats and Olympic lifts and integrating plyometric exercises that mimic the dynamic movements of your sport, you’re setting yourself up for success not only in the 40-yard dash but in any scenario where speed gives you an edge.
But this isn’t just about improving your sprint times; it’s about becoming a more complete, well-rounded athlete. Strength training enhances your overall athleticism, making you more capable in all facets of your sport. Whether you’re evading defenders, driving to the basket, or outpacing the competition, the strength and power you develop through targeted training will make you faster, more agile, and more resilient.
So, if you’re an athlete with aspirations to run a faster 40-yard dash, to boost your lower body power for quicker acceleration, or simply to add effective variety to your training routine, the next step is clear. Head over to PeakStrength.app and download Peak Strength, our cutting-edge strength training app designed specifically with athletes like you in mind. The app offers a comprehensive, science-backed approach to strength training that can help you take your performance to the next level.
Peak Strength is more than just a training tool; it’s your partner in the pursuit of excellence. With personalized workout plans, expert guidance, and the flexibility to train anywhere, anytime, it’s never been easier to achieve your goals. Don’t settle for being average when you have the potential to be elite. Take control of your training, push your limits, and unlock your true athletic potential.
Remember, greatness doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built through consistent effort, smart training, and a relentless commitment to improvement. Start your journey today with Peak Strength and watch as you become the best version of yourself.
Until next time, keep training hard and striving for greatness. Your future self will thank you.
Later.
EARL KUNKEL
3x World Champion Co-Author of the Year
King of the PA Press
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Yo, It's Dane
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
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