It’s no secret that speed is an essential asset at every position on the football field.

To maximize speed, athletes primarily must strengthen hamstrings, gluteals, quadriceps and stabilizers of the lower back, according to Jace Derwin, lead sports performance specialist at Volt Athletics, a USA Football partner that builds training regimens for high school and college athletic programs across the country.

In winter, when snow and freezing temperatures tend to keep many athletes captive indoors, it can be difficult to get outside and work out on the field or track.

“During the winter, it's important that athletes focus on developing a foundational strength level and improve the amount of force they can produce,” Derwin said. “Training sessions should … target core stability, balance and help to isolate the development of the posterior chain.”

Gym workouts Derwin suggests to strengthen these muscle groups and increase speed include squats, deadlifts, hang cleans, lunges, single leg Romanian dead lifts and good mornings.

While these exercises will “increase the amount of force athletes can produce” and “increase power in sprinting abilities,” Derwin said, there is more to speed than pure strength.  

Acceleration is vital, and having a quicker first step can be the difference between a run that is squashed at the line of scrimmage and one that breaks for a 50-yard touchdown.

“Using challenging start positions or reacting to a signal can be easy and fun ways to work on the quick burst acceleration,” Derwin said. “Plyometric drills like high skips and bounding at the beginning of workouts can help refine leg drive and speed of motor recruitment in running specific patterns.”  

The quality of reps is more important than the quantity, especially for speed and quickness drills.

“We all want to be the hardest working person in the room, but fatiguing yourself when training quickness is counter intuitive,” Derwin said. “Get enough rest between drills or reps so that you can hit it hard and fast each time, always aiming to move faster than the last. Keep the reps moderate and avoid getting so fatigued you can't produce faster speeds.”  

Here is an example from Derwin’s of a training session that targets speed and acceleration:

• Warm up. Complete a thorough, dynamic warm-up, focusing on moving through multiple planes and preparing multiple movement patterns (five minutes).
• Light foam rolling or band mobilization of the hips, glutes, quads and hamstrings. Some skipping and light bounding mixed with form drills for sprinting (five to 10 minutes).
• Box jumps, hurdle jumps or triple jumps. Do three to five sets of five jumps each, progressively adding height or distance to each set. Each one should feel technically perfect while being near maximal effort.
• Cone drills or speed ladder. Work on quick feet, good body position and challenging movement demands. Start easy and progress to more difficult demands, either with more changes of direction or by adding in jump cuts, spin moves or position-specific drills. Rest fully between each rep, making sure each one is performed with precision. Eliminate sloppy movement and engrain control. Four drills run three times each.
• Short speed acceleration sprints. Start from standing, then to a three-point stance and finish with lying on the stomach or facing the opposite direction. Complete seven to 12 sprints in all. 
• Cool down. Finish with more mobility, foam rolling and some light stretching to cap it off.
• Total workout time: 45 to 90 minutes

Working out with a planned training schedule will enhance performance because it “eliminates guessing, prioritizes certain methods, and allows scheduled breaks to avoid plateaus and risk of overtraining,” Derwin said.

Rest between workouts is just as important as the workouts themselves. With proper scheduling and the correct applications of these exercises, any player can improve his or her speed this offseason, even while the snow continues to fall.