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40-Yard Dash Time -3 Proven Ways to Improve Your Times

40 yard dash time, 3 proven drills to improve your times.   

A faster 40-yard dash can be the difference between getting noticed and getting overlooked. It’s a key metric in football, and many other sports where speed matters.

Shaving even a tenth of a second off your time takes more than just running sprints. You need to train smarter. That means focusing on three proven strategies:

Getting stronger with key lifts

Measuring and tracking sprints

Improving jumping ability

When done correctly, these three training methods will make you more explosive, more powerful, and ultimately, faster.

40 yard dash time
1. Strength First: The Right Lifts for Speed

Sprinting fast starts with force production. The more force you put into the ground, the faster you move. The best way to increase force output? Strength training. But not just any lifts—you need the right ones.

The three biggest lifts for speed development:

Box Squat – Build Explosive Power

The box squat is a must for sprinters. Unlike a regular squat, it forces you to generate power from a dead stop, just like when you explode out of your 40 stance.

✅ Key Benefits:

Teaches starting strength, crucial for your first few steps

Builds posterior chain power (glutes, hamstrings, lower back)

Reduces stress on the knees compared to free squats

How to do it:

Set up a box at parallel or slightly below

Sit back under control, pause, then explode up

Keep your shins vertical to reinforce posterior development

Trap Bar & Barbell Deadlifts – Build Ground Force

Deadlifts teach full-body force production, which translates directly to a more explosive sprint.

Trap Bar Deadlifts – Less lower back strain, more quad and glute drive

Barbell Deadlifts – Builds overall raw strength and posterior chain development

✅ Key Benefits:

Strengthens hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors (critical sprint muscles). Reinforces hip drive, a key part of sprint acceleration. Teaches athletes to apply max force into the ground

Programming Tip: Train both variations for maximum benefit. Use trap bar for speed-strength (lighter, faster reps) and barbell for max strength.

Bench Press – Upper Body Strength for Sprint Posture

A strong upper body may not seem important for sprinting, but it plays a key role in arm drive and maintaining sprint posture.

✅ Key Benefits:

Improves arm action, helping with sprint rhythm. Enhances core and shoulder stability, reducing energy leaks. Allows athletes to stay upright and strong when hitting top speed.

How to do it:

Focus on explosive reps (control down, fast up)

Train with both heavy and speed-focused sets

Stronger legs drive your sprint, but a strong upper body keeps you efficient at high speeds.

2. Measure & Track Your Sprints (Especially Flying 10s & 20s)

If you’re not timing your sprints, you’re not truly training for speed. Sprinting is about measuring progress, not just effort.

The best way to track improvement? Flying 10s and 20s.

Why Flying Sprints?

A flying sprint allows you to gradually build up speed before hitting max velocity, helping you train top-end speed without the resistance of a slow start.

✅ How to do it:

Set Up Markers – Place cones at 10, 20 and 30 yards.

Gradual Build-Up – Jog into the first cone (10 yards), then explode into a full sprint. Sprint full speed through cones 2 and 3( 20 yards) and decelerate.

Time Your Runs – Use a laser timer. Lasers are accurate and repeatable. Stopwatches are inaccurate and don’t allow repeatable times.

Compare & Adjust – Track weekly, aiming to improve times.

Why this works:

Acceleration is crucial in the 40-yard dash, and flying sprints help develop that second gear

Sprint efficiency improves, reinforcing proper mechanics at high speeds

Reduces injury risk by gradually increasing intensity instead of always sprinting from a dead stop

🔹 Training Tip: Do 3 reps of flying 20’s once a week and track every sprint.

3. Jump Higher, Run Faster

Sprinting and jumping rely on the same explosive movement patterns. If you can jump higher and farther, you can apply more force into the ground—which means faster sprint times.

The best two jumps for speed?

Broad Jumps – Maximize Horizontal Power and Vertical Jumps for vertical force production.

Sprint speed is all about horizontal force production. The farther you can jump, the more powerful your sprint stride. Vertical jumps will help build your ability to broad jump further.

✅ How to do it:

Start in a half-squat position. Swing arms back, then explode forward. Land softly, reset, and repeat

🔹 Goal: Aim for 5-8 feet+ depending on size and strength.

Vertical Jumps – Improve Quick Power

Vertical Jumps train rapid force production, helping sprinters explode off the line.

✅ How to do it:

Use something to measure your vertical jumps(Just Jump Mat! or OVR Jump Mat). Focus on quick, powerful jumps. Land softly, absorbing force properly.

🔹 Training Tip: Keep reps low (3-5 per set) and high quality.

Bringing It All Together

If you want to run a faster 40, your training needs to be structured and focused on what works.

1️⃣ Get stronger – Use box squats, deadlifts, and bench press to build explosive power

2️⃣ Measure your sprints – Use flying 10s & 20s to track and improve top-end speed

3️⃣ Improve jump ability – Use broad jumps, box jumps, and bounds to develop power

40 yard dash
🔹 Training Plan Example:

4 days of strength training.

1 sprint-focused days (timed flying sprints, resisted sprints)

Jump training 3 times per week (before sprinting or lifting)

Results don’t come from just running more. They come from targeted training that makes you faster, stronger, and more explosive.

Start training with intent—and watch your 40-yard dash time drop. 🚀. Need Help? Book a Free Introduction Consult today!

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