Speed vs. Size

emdogg

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So I'm 5 ft. 11 in. and weigh 220 lbs. and play football. My 40 yard dash is currently 5.3 but at my position it needs to get quite a bit faster. Now my strength and size is important to me as I still need to deal with offensive lineman, but I'm wondering what's the best way to add speed without taking too big of a hit in the strength and size department
 
SilentBob187

SilentBob187

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Increase your food intake to retain your lean would be my two cents.
 

soontobbeast

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speed really doesn't have a lot to do with your diet.

my brother used to do MMA, and competed in cage fighting when he was 200lbs of muscle.

he was SUPER FAST even still when he got up to 260 and fat.

that being said, your speed will increase with speed training,
 
ThomasRivera

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What you want to do is work on your power. I would suggest talking to one of your coaches, but it seems that you need to work more on sprinting.
 
Rhyno

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You a LB?

There are plenty of ways to get your speed up w/o sacrificing muscular size. Plyometrics, sprinting with resistence (parachute, bands, etc.), and sports specific lifts are great examples.

Hang cleans are a great sports specific lift, but most people I've seen do them have terrible form. Here is an example of a power clean with perfect form:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlbDQUWs0s"]YouTube - Power Clean[/ame]

The only difference between this and a hang clean is the starting point, i.e. above or below the knees. It's a hard technique to master but doing them right will give you tremendous starting power off the line. Start light until you have the form down then increase the weight.

Finally, if you run a google search you will find a ton of info on the topic. The first result off a google search of "football speed training" had plenty of articles:
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/football-training.html



EDIT: Just realized that there are advertisments for programs spliced into the site. The info on the site itself is solid but I'd ignore any links to things that you have to purchase.
 
lonewolf0420

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So I'm 5 ft. 11 in. and weigh 220 lbs. and play football. My 40 yard dash is currently 5.3 but at my position it needs to get quite a bit faster. Now my strength and size is important to me as I still need to deal with offensive lineman, but I'm wondering what's the best way to add speed without taking too big of a hit in the strength and size department
Drill, drill, drill! Run through tires, get down with the lineman during practice, and go at the sled a few times. Keep those legs pumping.

Football is about explosiveness. Learn plyometric exercises. No matter how big that guy is if you keep your legs moving and explode into him, you'll drop him. I'm assuming your familiar with bear-crawls? They're brutal, but effective.
 

emdogg

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Drill, drill, drill! Run through tires, get down with the lineman during practice, and go at the sled a few times. Keep those legs pumping.

Football is about explosiveness. Learn plyometric exercises. No matter how big that guy is if you keep your legs moving and explode into him, you'll drop him. I'm assuming your familiar with bear-crawls? They're brutal, but effective.
Awww man, bear crawls suck, but you're probably right.
Rhyno, ya, I play MLB and I plan to add cleans to my off season routine. Thanks for the advice
 

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