Running Back Training: Drills, Lifts and 40 Benchmarks

What running back training is built around

440's running back plan aims for dense, compact muscle and burst in a short space. The speed focus is the first step, the jump cut and staying on your feet through contact, so most of the sprint work is short starts and cuts. Gil Brandt put the scouting view plainly on NFL.com: with running backs, quickness is king.

In the weight room the emphasis is lower body power and a stiff trunk for contact. Squats and hang power cleans build the lower body power you need to run through contact, the bench press covers the upper body, and the Nordic hamstring curl trains the hamstrings on the way down. Lateral bounds, Copenhagen planks and single leg RDLs train the one leg and side to side strength that cutting asks for.

First step burst, cuts and contact balance

Scouts don't only read the full 40. Brandt wrote that the 10 and 20 yard splits are good indicators of a quick first step. The 10 yard sprint start trains exactly that piece: a 2-point stance, no false step, a forward lean and short, hard pushes into the ground.

Cuts are burst in a new direction. Brandt also wrote that a back's burst can be measured in the shuttle run, and the 5-10-5 drill is the combine's short shuttle: two hard stops, each with the outside foot planted low, and a push back the other way. 440 adds a jump cut ladder into a 10 yard burst so the cut ends in acceleration, not a stall.

Contact balance is staying up when a tackler gets a piece of you. Writing for USA Football, coach Chris Booth calls balance one of the most important skills a back can have, because staying upright after contact can be the difference between a short run and a long gain. Run with a forward lean and your feet under your hips.

Vision and patience

Vision is harder to measure than speed or size. PFF's Michael Renner breaks it into three parts: pacing and decisiveness, reading the offensive line's leverage, and setting up blocks. He calls stopping your feet in the backfield the cardinal sin, because it takes much longer to reach full speed from a standstill than from a light jog.

Press toward the hole at a controlled pace, let the blocks form, then make one cut and go. If you are already at full speed before the handoff, you can't change course when the hole closes. USA Football's Keith Grabowski writes that vision can be developed like any skill, which is why the 440 plan includes the bag weave to burst: eyes up while your feet work through the bags, then explode out of the last one.

Ball security and pass protection

Running backs are taught to carry the ball with five points of pressure, though coaches don't all name the same five. 440's version is fingertips over the nose of the ball, palm, forearm, bicep and chest. In his 2025 AFCA convention talk, Alabama State running backs coach Juwan Lewis used the ribs in place of the chest. Carry it in the outside arm, toward the nearest sideline, so a ball that gets knocked loose has a chance to go out of bounds. The ball security gauntlet makes you hold all five points while teammates hit at the ball.

Pass protection is part of the job too. Bill Belichick has described three parts to blitz pickup: blocking the rusher, who can be a linebacker or a defensive back; figuring out whether a linebacker is really blitzing or only showing it to keep you in; and knowing which player is yours. If the linebacker doesn't come, get out into your route so the quarterback has another option. 440's plan puts blitz pickup reps next to the vision drills.

Running Back drill menu

Position training references. The generated daily plan varies with equipment, phase, schedule and readiness. Each drill links to cues, common mistakes and a demo.

Running Back workout: main lift references

Accessories: Lateral bounds, Copenhagen plank, Single-leg RDL, Sled push.

These are baseline offseason prescriptions for experienced lifters. Teens should train with qualified supervision, begin with light technique work and progress only when form is consistent. Daily loads vary with level, phase and readiness. High-school and recreational plans cap percentage loads at 85% of estimated 1RM.

Protein target

440 sets running backs at 1 g of protein per pound of body weight per day.

• 160 lb160 g
• 180 lb180 g
• 200 lb200 g
• 220 lb220 g

Running Back training FAQ