Tebow is known as one of the quickest quarterbacks in the game. During his days with the University of Florida Tim stood out for his running abilities and being able to outrun the defensive. On the field he looked like a running back and QB all rolled in to one. His skills were once again seen during his first NFL combine when he ran 4.71 seconds on a 40 yard sprint- definitely an impressive statistic.
So how does Tim Tebow do it? How does he train in a way that makes him fast and able to outrun even the quickest offensive players in the league?
One thing he does is focus on plyometrics drills, specifically those that work on his hip flexors and fast twitch muscles of his lower body. In order to work on his explosiveness and speed Tebow focuses a good amount of time on drills like the following: box jumps, squat jumps, hurdles and sprints. Many of his sprints are broken down in to short speed drills that range from short 10 yard sprints to 40 yard sprints.
Why Tebow Focuses On Speed and Intervals
Tebow tries to focus on exercises that will help him move quickly from a starting position and being stand still to a quick run to avoid linemen. It is not accident that Tim often ran the ball for constant first downs and was not uncommon to see him run in for touchdowns while in college and he is doing similar things in the NFL.
Tebow’s focus on doing short explosive in order to imitate conditions during the game. It is common for him to do a short sprint of a few yards, rest for less than a minute and do the sprint again. This type of activity is similar to a play sequence in football. One down may last a few seconds, move a several yards, the play ends and in a new play will begin again in only a matter of seconds. Tim’s conditioning drills allow him to expect these conditions on the field and stay quick for long periods of time.
How He Uses Strength Training To Build Explosiveness
Although football players have to stay strong during the season most of their focus on building muscle is during the off season. During these months off it is easier for a player to focus on gaining muscle while working on their conditioning. Once the season begins a player will lay off on weight training.
In order for Tebow to stay competitive on the field and match up against linemen he needs to stay strong by developing strength and muscle. Although this is one benefit to his strength training workouts, another benefit in his weight training is being able work on fast twitch muscles, power, speed and explosiveness.
The exercises Tebow uses to work these areas are power movements like: deadlifts, squats, lunges, power cleans, clean and jerk, shoulder presses and bench presses. The goal is to use multi joint movements that help build muscle while building his power by using major muscle groups.
Although it is not mentioned in interviews and publications it is also very likely that Tim works on his core using various exercises in order to help him twist and turn quickly while on the field. Although many power movements, especially squats, deadlifts, clean and jerk and power cleans help with core development, a common exercise is working on the core with a medicine ball. It is important for players to maintain a strong core both movements and strength in order to withstand hits from linemen.
Along with these workouts he works on his passing and running plays with his team.
