He has been one of the top running backs in the NFL for years.
To stay on top he needs to workout harder than the competition, which isn’t easy
In this article, we will give you the exercises that Derrick uses to stay on top.
And we aren’t just gonna make it up like that ridiculous jackedgorilla site did.
Let’s get started.
Who is Derrick Henry?
I’m sure you know he is, or you wouldn’t be here, but Google likes this kind of fluff info to get the article to rank high so here it is.
Derrick Henry is a running back in the NFL who plays for the Tennessee Titans, as I am writing this.
Derrick was born in Yulee, Florida. His parents were both kids themselves, having him at 15 and 16 years old, respectively.
His father was in and out of prison for various offenses, and Derrick ended up being raised primarily by his grandmother.
High School
He attended Yulee High School, where he was a three-sport athlete playing football, basketball and running track.
Football was his best sport though. As a freshman, he ran for a mind-bending 2,465 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He would go on to have a stellar high school football career with countless awards. He also set the Florida high school record for yards in a single game with a 510-yard performance vs. Jacksonville Jackson.
In his senior year, he racked up an insane 4,261 yards and had an average of 9.1 yards per carry.
Henry was a 5-star recruit out of Florida and was listed as the number 1 “Athlete” (Player without a position)
College
I’ll be brief.
During freshman year, Derrick had limited playing time behind T. J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake. He rushed for a total of 382 yards.
Sophomore year Henry split time at running back with Yeldon and he rushed for 990 yards on the season.
His junior year would be his breakout season. He set SEC records with 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns on 395 carries. He would also go on to win the Heisman Trophy, and Alabama would be crowned national champs.
He would declare for the NFL After his junior year.
NFL
You know what he has done in the NFL, one of the top running backs every season. Let’s move on to Derrick Henry’s workout.
Derrick put up a respectable performance at the NFL Combine. Nothing Earth-shattering, but still pretty good.
He did 22 reps on the 225 lb bench press and ran a 4.54 40-yard dash. He did pretty well on the verticle jump at 37″, and on the broad jump he got 130″.
He also came in at 6′ 3″ and 247 pounds so it’s a bit harder for him to be speedy than it is for the smaller backs.
Derrick Henry Workout
Now let’s get to what you came here for, King Henry’s workout that makes him one of the best RBs in the NFL.
Derrick usually works out with his team at their facility. In the off-season, he works out with Melvin Sanders of SandersFit, who trains a lot of pro athletes to keep them on top of their game.
Derricks’s Favorite Exercises
Squats
Just about every football player out there is doing squats, I bet there are even some kickers and punters that squat. Squats are the king of lower body exercises and are great for running backs because they help with explosive power and leg strength.
Squats are probably his favorite weightlifting exercise. If you look at his Instagram, you will see quite a few posts of him squatting.
Below you can see Henry squatting 455 lbs for some easy reps.
Derrick also likes to do med-ball slams to improve his explosive power and agility. He does this exercise with a 10-30 pound med ball, smashing it down to the ground as hard as he can.
Med ball slams and tosses build power like a power clean but have a much lower risk of injury.
As you saw in the workout video above, Henry also does cable rotations to build the muscles in his core. As a running back or any other athlete, a strong core is important for stability and balance.
Dumbbell Curls
In all the video research I did for this article, I saw Derrick curling numerous times. Are curls a good exercise for running backs? Not really, I think Derrick just like to have those “big guns”
Not surprisingly, Derrick also does the bench press. It’s another one of those staple exercises that a lot of NFL players do for their upper body.
It’s a pretty pushing exercise, and we all know there is a lot of pushing large people around in the NFL
Core Training
If you watched the video above, you will see that Derrick dies A LOT of different core exercises, too many even to list. Core strength is essential for any football player, and it’s clear that Derrick takes that seriously.
One of the toughest exercises out there and one that Derrick Henry loves to do is hill sprints. He’ll find a steep hill, usually close to his house, and sprint up it as fast as possible. It’s great for building leg strength and conditioning for the season and training camp.
He also mixes in some med ball tosses for increased explosiveness and power.
Deadlifts
Another favorite exercise of Derrick’s is the deadlift, particularly with the trap bar. This exercise helps build the posterior chain, which is important for running and explosive power.
Step and Press
Derrick also puts in work with the step and press using the lever arms. It’s pretty easy to see how this could be a very good exercise for football players. It helps build explosiveness and is another great exercise for pushing around those big bodies.
Ski Erg
I saw a couple of videos of Derrick using the skierg machine. This machine is great at improving endurance and arm strength. HIIT type workouts with a skierg can be a real killer.
Single Leg Deadlifts
Single-leg deadlifts are great for building the muscles in your hamstrings and glutes. This exercise really works the entire posterior chain, which is important for athletes but often neglected.
Dumbbell Rows
Henry works in dumbbell rows too. These are great for working the lats and traps. They also help him hold that ball tightly to his body so defenders can’t get it away from him.
You will notice in the picture that Derrick has his leg up while performing the row. That helps to work his core as well while he rows. Derrick does more core exercises than most other athletes in the NFL.
Push-Up Variations
The Tennessee Titans running back does a lot of different push-up variations. Some with the hands close together while lifting a leg and others with his feet on a BOSU ball.
Pull-Ups
Another workout staple of most athletes is the pull-up. While derrick is a big man at 250 lbs he can still rep out quite a few pull-ups. He also likes to go with the multi-grip bar so he can vary his grip.
Sled Pushes and Pulls
Another staple exercise among athletes, sled pushes and pulls are a Derrick Henry favorite. They are another great exercises to work that posterior chain and are great for leg drive and acceleration that running backs need.
Jumping rope has almost become an old-school exercise nowadays, but it is great for increasing foot speed, agility and coordination. Derrick Henry has been known to jump rope in his workouts.
It doesn’t matter how big and strong you are if you aren’t agile. If it were just about size, they would have offensive lineman running the ball.
Derrick does numerous agility drills to make sure he can make cuts on the football field when running the ball to illude defenders. He usually carries a football while doing the drills to make sure he can make cuts with the ball.
Derrick Henry Diet
Of course, Derrick eats pretty healthy. You have to eat right to be able to perform on the field.
According to his interview with GQ Magazine, when it comes to Derrick Henry’s diet, he says, “For breakfast, it’s probably some eggs, some fruit, a glass of milk and water. For lunch, it’s usually whatever we have here at the facility. It would either be a steak, a sandwich—just whatever I’m in the mood for. I never can decide what I want to eat for dinner. It’s either going to be some steak, chicken or pasta with shrimp—or something close to that.”
He also drinks a lot of milk and has been a big milk drinker his entire life.
Derrick also doesn’t mind a cheat meal from time to time. In that same GQ article, Henry says “I think everyone deserves a cheat day. I snack here and there but not too much. I really enjoy eating fruit if I’m going to have snack.”
There you have it, from the horse’s mouth. Don’t believe those other articles out there that pretend to have his entire meal plan, they are just making stuff up for clicks.
Derrick Henry Post-Game Recovery
After a game, Derrick doesn’t do much for recovery. He just likes to relax and watch TV with friends and family.
It’s the day after the game that Derrick works on his recovery. He says “the next day, I start my recovery stuff. That’s hot tub, cold tub, massage, dry needling, ART (Active Release Therapy) and just the whole nine so I can get my body back ready for practice and then the game.”
He can take a beating during those games, and with another game just six days away, he doesn’t hold back when it comes to getting himself prepared.
Final Word
There you have all the exercises Derrick Henry likes to do in his workout. The guy is a workout freak, so there are probably more exercises than are listed here. I don’t think there are many exercises he doesn’t do to be honest. He is a beast and it’s no surprise he’s one of the best running backs in the NFL. So if you want to be like Derrick Henry, make sure you include some of these exercises in your workouts. Good luck.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.
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