“We mix it up quite a bit—upper body, lower body, leg workouts,” Gurley says. Rainbow Hop. Why Runners Need Upper Body Strength. Get your upper body primed for power with this back and biceps workout created by Kennedy and demonstrated by Runner’s World+ Coach, Jess Movold. So, when training as a running back, you have to focus on speed, strength and power. A couple great exercises to try: single arm rows; single arm + single leg shoulder press; alternating chest presses; holding a pair of light dumbbells and running with your arms; Here’s a short, circuit to incorporate into your training plan 2-3x per week to meet your upper body needs quickly! I try and switch it up every week, but I do a lot of quad exercises, leg extensions, deadlifts, and hamstring curls to help build muscle, my core, and gain stamina. Increase the weight if you find it too easy to do. For more information please read our, Battering Ram: Todd Gurley Is the All-Pro Face of Football in Los Angeles, VR Fitness Is a Serious Workout, Seriously, This At-Home Lower Ab Workout Will Crush Your Core, Drink A Fairlife Protein Shake To Improve The New You This New Year, Enjoy The Wonderful Taste Of Chef’s Cut Real Jerky With No Sugar, The 5 Best Workout Floor Mats For The Home. 10 of the Best Upper Back Exercises You Can Do at Home. Men’s Journal has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Here are some workouts I’d recommend skipping for a while if you want to lose muscle from arms, shoulders and upper back specifically. You can also view these 5 Best Upper Body Exercises on YouTube here.. This list of upper-body exercises will help you build the upper body you’ve always wanted. Reverse the motion to your starting point and continue for the number of reps. Why Gurley does it: Running backs need strength in their lower body and muscle to break through tackles. Remember, they’re more than just beach muscles; a little extra upper-body strength goes a long way to increase running performance. Almost every upper-body exercise actually also works your core, so you get a nice 2-for-1 benefit. Gurley spoke to Men’s Journal about his training and revealed some of the essential exercises he uses to dominate on the field. Lean upper body back about 45 degrees. STRENGTH EXERCISES Perform workouts III and IV on back-to-back days, followed by two days off. | Extend your arms and push the weights straight up, pause, and lower slowly down. Raise up your hips off the ground, then flex your knees, bringing the ball as close to you as you can, feeling the work in the hamstrings as you move. Upper body exercises will help to improve your overall fitness levels, and can define and help with maintaining good running form. Lift the barbell back into starting position to complete the rep, making sure to fully extend your hips. To build upper-body strength, perform chest presses, flyes, curls, rows, kickbacks, pulldowns and pushdowns, using a cable machine or free weights. Medicine Ball Exercises for Youth Athletes, How to Crush Your Entire Body in 10 Minutes Using One Weight Plate, How To Do A Single-Arm, Single-Leg Push-Up, 2 Foam Roller Workouts For Strength, Not Recovery, Chris Johnson's 9 Speed-Building Exercises, Get Faster for Any Sport With This 12-Week Speed Workout. You can do this using an exercise/physio ball. Don’t shrug your shoulders or lean back. Training and building your back is very hard work, but nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. Muscular Emphasis: Pectorals, Triceps, Deltoids. Although it’s not quite what Aaron Donald can bench, for a running back that’s insane. Benefits: This move might look simple, but there’s actually a lot going on — specifically … Swing your arms as you jump up and land on the box. Therefore, it’s essential to include at least one rowing exercise in your routine for both back width and thickness. However, this program is designed to make your muscles grow — we’re not trying to maintain anything here. 3 Exercises to Make You a Better Runner >>>. “I’m always squatting when I work out. Instead of using single-joint, bodybuilding exercises, these exercises target many muscles at once so you can build muscle and better movement patterns. With elbows bent and hands together, rotate torso to the right, then rotate torso to the left. How to do it | Whether he’s speeding untouched through the hole for a massive gain, hurdling over opponents to avoid a tackle, breaking through defenders for touchdowns, or tossing Packers linebacker Clay Matthews aside with ease, Gurley has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. Why Gurley does it: Squats are a key exercise for Gurley (and his favorite) in building his lower-body strength and power. Prepare your body for this plyometric exercise by performing a few normal push-ups. “We mix it up quite a bit—upper body, lower body, leg workouts,” Gurley says. Do this workout for 4 to 6 weeks during the off-season and reap the benefits. You can easily build up your upper back strength at home with little to no equipment. No Isolation Workouts For Your Upper Body . Here’s a sample workout for any runner who wants to add muscle to their upper body. Perform each of the workouts (I, II, III, and IV) once per week. Deadlifts - 3x3 @ 90-95% max You’ll get there in no time. Former Los Angeles Rams star Todd Gurley is helping to redefine the running back position in the NFL. SAMPLE WORKOUT. We need healthy back muscles to squat, to press, to pull, to push. Do 2-4 sets of 5 reps. 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