Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry finished the 2019 NFL season with 16 rushing touchdowns and 1,540 rushing yards on 303 carries. He powered his team to the AFC championship by pummeling the New England Patriots and Super Bowl favorite Baltimore Ravens, compiling over 375 rushing yards through the first two games of the 2019 playoffs.
Many have compared him to former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch due to the Heisman Trophy winner’s aggressive style of running and brute strength. Henry’s power and ferocity don’t come from sitting around during the offseason.. His workout routine includes several unconventional workouts along with plenty of peaceful, afternoon naps. Let’s take a look a what makes Henry one of the most dominant running backs in the National Football League.
Lower Body Workout and Speed Training
Since entering the league in 2016, Henry has earned the reputation of one of the strongest running backs in the NFL. His incredible physique is a testimony to how hard he works off the field. He incorporates heavy weights and speed training into his workout.
When it comes to his lower body, Henry focuses on squats and deadlifts. During his back squat workout, he performs four sets of four repetitions at 400 pounds. He’ll then move on to hex bar deadlifts, in which he performs four sets of six repetitions at 500 pounds.. Rather than implement speed training on a flat surface, such as a running track or treadmill, Henry prefers to train outside. Throughout the offseason, Henry takes to the slopes (minus the snow and skis) and mostly works on uphill incline sprints.. He will perform quick footwork drills while holding a football before shooting up a dirt hill for a 20-yard sprint to finish off the repetition. Prior to training camp, Henry might perform 10 uphill sprints. But once OTAs start, he’ll reduce that amount to five-six sprints.
Upper Body Workout Routine
Henry isn’t able to push defenders to the ground with his patented stiff arm without a proper upper body workout routine. While the bench press and power cleans are his “go to” exercises, he implements other basic upper body workouts.
Although he can bench 440 pounds, his press routine consists of 4 sets of 5 repetitions at 375 pounds. He’ll occasionally drop the weight to 180 and perform 22 straight reps to burn some extra fat and increase his heart rate.. His power clean workout consists of three sets of three repetitions at 315 pounds. Henry says he likes to keep his total reps for each workout low in order to focus on power and strength.. The former Alabama running back’s bicep curl routine is nothing to scoff at either. He performs four different sets for each arm at varying weights with zero rest in between:. In addition to Henry’s no rest bicep curl workout, he also performs several weighted bar exercises also with no rest in between. With an 85 pound bar, he does 10 sets of 10 reps each of rotating skull crushers, chest press, standing rows, overhead press, and bicep curls.. Along with weighted bar shoulder shrugs, Henry’s other sets include pull-ups, rows, and jump rope. His past workouts have also included tire flipping and pushing a Ford F-150 all while wearing a weighted vest.