subject: Increase Football Speed with These 3 Deadlift Variations [print this page] Increase Football Speed with These 3 Deadlift Variations
How to Increase Football Speed with These Killer Deadlift Variations
Increasing speed and getting faster for football is simple - when you use the right exercises!
Most football strength training programs are a disaster. Sad, since it took a hell of a long time for the football world to catch on to weight training. Then, when it did, it fell into the Flex-inspired bodybuilding laden football training programs. After overcoming the "muscle-bound" theory, bodybuilding style programs made many players just that big, bulky, and slow. Thankfully, some of the top D-I schools started to buck the trend and base their training programs around exercises that would actually help increase football speed The Powerlifts, the Olympic Lifts, and their accessory movements.
Most strengthand speed training programs for football are now have their base in big, compound movements, but some still over-rely on some, and ignore others. For example, I've received about a billion emails from high school players and coaches about Box Squatting. Glad to hear they're using such a great movement; but, when asked about Deadlifting I almost always get the same reply: "We don't do them because we don't want to hurt our backs." And back to the dark ages we go
Box Squats and Box Front Squats are phenomenal football speed exercises! They'll make you bigger, stronger, faster, and more explosive. But, they can be overdone. Squatting in general is overdone, but that's a hate-mail producing article for another day.
The Seat of Power - Your Key to Explosive Football Strength and Speed
Just about anyone who's read even one article about strength training for football knows about the prosterior chain; all the really powerful muscles that run along the back of your bodysometeims known as the muscles you see when walking away.
Box Squatting in all it's forms is excellent for training the PC. However, as I said earlier, it can be overdone. It can also neglect the back and traps, areas we always want to strengthen for football and for looking jacked in undersized T-shirts.
So, if we need to hit all the PC muscles plus the back and traps and build insane football speed, what's the answer?
Deadly Deadlift Variations to Get Blazing Fast for Football
Snatch Grip Deadlift
I think the Snatch Grip Deadlift (SnDL) is one of the most under rated football speed exercises in the world. Snatch Grip Deads just force you into a lower position, thus forcing the hamstrings and glutes to work harder, thus increasing football speed. Plus, the benefit of the work the entire back gets blasted
Whenever you can involve the hamstrings more, the better off you are for building leg strength and especially for speed! If your hams are weak, forget being fast..
If you are looking to get stronger and faster for football; and everyone should be, then the SnDL is the solution. I've found it to be an outstanding indicator exercise. Basically, whenever someone's SnDL goes up, so does their other DL variations as well as their Squats. This is most likely because of the extreme stress placed on the hams and glutes to start and finish the lift. Whenever you can significantly increase the strength in your hams, especially from a "stretched" position, all of your leg exercises will blow up.
Set up to the bar with feet about hip-width apart. Start as you would normally Deadlift, but you will place your hands much further out on the bar.
I get a ton of emails asking about hand spacing. Basically, go as wide as you are comfortable doing, but don't fret about it. I'm 6'1 and my index fingers are typically about an inch outside of the outer rings on the bar. I know you may have seen Olympic lifters go as wide as possible, but I feel this puts unneeded stress on the wrists and shoulders.
Because of the wide grip, you will be in a low position at the start and it may feel a bit awkward, but you'll get used to it quickly.
The SnDL is great for Max Effort work and for multiple sets of low reps. They should be done first in your leg workoutyou don't want to do these with a pre-fatigued lower back! If your legs and back need a boost, try the SnDL for 3 4 weeks, then rotate in another Squat or Deadlift variation.
Romanian Deadlifts
Romanian Deadlifts are a Get faster for Football all-star exercise!
RDLs are similar to a straight-leg deadlift, with the exception that instead of simply bending at the waist and pulling up on the bar, you have the hips travel backwards when bending over. This is a movement borrowed from the Olympic Lifting world, and with good reason; they are one of the most effective hamstring exercises ever invented. For many, the SLDL neglects the hamstrings while overworking the lower back. This is especially true for short-leg, long-torso lifters.
The RDL will probably do more for your hamstrings and glutes (your football speed muscles) than any other exercise, with the exception of Deadlifts. It really is a very underrated movement for both football performance and for aesthetic appearance. I've seen guys' football speed go through the roof after adding RDL's to their training program.
Be sure to keep a flat back; you can use both clean and snatch grips for variation. This is a movement where you definitely want to keep the reps low. 4 X 6 is a good set-rep scheme to start with. Really push those hips back, stretch those hams out, then pop up.
This can be made more difficult by using one DB at a time.
