How to Run a 4.2-second 40 Yard Dash!

In my previous blog post, I revealed my Top 9 Drills to Improve Acceleration Technique. That blog post was well-received from my readers due to it’s “timely” nature. You see, it’s Combine training season and 75% of the “Ask Joe” questions I receive during this time of year pertain to improving the 40 yard dash. 

Running an impressive 40 requires a powerful start and acceleration; therfore, athletes and coaches love learning new drills that will potentially help with that portion of the race. The drills I revealed should be “staples” in every athletes speed training program; but the bottom line is those drills don’t mean sh#t if you can’t ‘put it all together’ when it comes time to actually run your 40! So I decided to take a video of four of our elite level athletes “putting it all together” during a recent technical speed session. This session focussed on perfecting each individual athlete’s 40 yard dash stance and first 10 yards.

Although I’ve answered countless questions on this topic over the years; I figured what better way to learn than to watch four athletes that have all been officially clocked at 4.2 seconds in the 40 Yard Dash! I really don’t think there are too many gyms on this planet that have this level of speed & talent training together in one group at one gym.  

So without further ado, check out this very special “behind the scenes” look at our “4.2 Crew” working on their 40 starts…

Notice the incredible angles they were able to hold while getting in their stances >> positive shin angles, flat back, and the strength to hold themselves up even though their front hand is placed behind the front shoulder, etc. Before they even started running, you could probably tell they were going to explode forward just by the angles they were holding in their stances.

By the way, did you notice the incredible physiques these guys possess?? One of the reasons they’re all able to hold that “advanced” stance is because of their insane upper body strength.

Ironically, all these guys can bench press double their bodyweight. But before you go and order a pizza so you can “get your bench up” with the hopes of running a faster 40; please take note that the four athletes shown in the video have single-digit bodyfat percentages! As you can see, strength alone isn’t good enough. As I’ve stated time and time again, relative strength is the key to sprinting speed! 

Hope you enjoyed this ‘sneak peek’ of an actual training session with elite athletes. One of the things I’m going to try and do more of is provide my readers with actual workout clips…performed by actual athletes…that are actually getting results in the real world!!! (This type of information is something that is definitely lacking in our industry.)

In my old age, I’m getting kind of sick of reading articles that are based on “theory” and written by “experts” whose client list is shorter than Mini Me! 

-Joe D. 

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*Got a question, comment or feedback pertaining to this blog post? If so, leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you guys right here.