When you see Myles Garrett on a football field, it almost looks unfair. He’s faster than guys half his size, stronger than linemen who outweigh him by fifty pounds, and explosive enough to wreck an entire game in one snap.
That doesn’t just happen because he’s a freak athlete. It’s the result of years of smart training, brutal workouts, and a diet built to fuel dominance in the NFL.
Garrett’s routine isn’t some random collection of lifts and protein shakes. It’s a blueprint for building raw power, speed, and durability at the absolute highest level of football. And the scary part? Most of it can be adapted to your own training if you’re willing to put in the work.
Who is Myles Garrett?
Myles Garrett didn’t just stumble into sports. He was born into it. His dad played in the NBA, and both his mom and sister tore up the track at the college level.
Growing up in Texas, Garrett attended Martin High School in Arlington, where he spread his talent across football, basketball, and track. No surprise, football stood out. In 2013, he took home the Landry Award as the top player in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
By the time he graduated, Garrett was a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the nation. He chose Texas A&M, and right away, he proved why the hype was real. As a freshman, he broke the school sack record in just six games.
From there, he only leveled up. Two-time All-American, dominant stats across the board, and a constant nightmare for quarterbacks. By 2017, the Cleveland Browns made him the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Since then, Garrett has carved out a reputation as one of the league’s most feared defensive ends, specializing in doing exactly what he loves best, hunting quarterbacks.
How Did Myles Garrett Do at The Combine?
Not surprisingly, Myles was a monster at the NFL Combine. He blasted out 33 reps on the bench press with 225 lbs, ran a 4.64 40-yard dash, jumped 128″ on the broad jump and had an incredible verticle jump of 41″, which puts him in the 98th percentile of everyone at the combine.
Not bad, considering he weighs over 270 lbs. I guess that basketball he played in high school paid off.
Myles Garrett Workout
Alright, let’s get to what you came here for. What kind of workouts does Myles do, and what exercises does he like? Let’s get into it.
Exercises Myles Garrett Does
These are the exercises Myles Garrett focuses on to be a beast on the field.
Deadlift – Usually with a trap bar.
The deadlift is great for athletes because it works all the muscles of your posterior chain, which is important for power and speed. In the video below, you can see him repping 610 lbs on the deadlift along with some other lifts.
Med Ball Slams
Med ball slams are one of the best exercises out there to help build the explosive power that athletes need to excel. This exercise targets the muscles in the core, shoulders, and arms. Can you imagine how strong the ball must be that Myles slams so not to split open? Seriously heavy duty.
Landmine Press
Myles loves the landmine press and is even rumored to do landmine press catches where he actually lets go of the weight at the top and catches it, then performs another rep. That could be painful if you miss one of the catches.
Back Squats
Myles can squat with the best of them. Below, you can see him working his way up to 675 lbs for two reps. Back squats are a staple exercise for football players because it targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, which are important for powering through opponents on the field. Think about it. He has to try and push those massive offensive linemen around to get to the quarterback. You need a strong squat for that.
Myles absolutely loves box jumps. For one thing, they are a great way to build explosiveness. For another thing, he is really good at them. Remember, he did have that 41′ verticle jump at the combine. He has also been known to do box jumps with a 40 lb dumbbell in each hand and make it look effortless.
Of course, no workout routine would be complete without the bench press. Myles put up some serious weight on the bench press. He needs to be able to press a lot of weight if he is going to be pushing linemen around.
Goblet Squats
Along with back squats, Myles also likes to hit the goblet squats. Goblet squats are good for hitting the quads and glutes.
Kettlebell Swings
As a football player, it pays to be as explosive as possible. Kettlebell swings are another exercise that helps build power and explosiveness. In his Instagram post below, you can see him doing a workout with kb swings, goblet squats, push-ups, and pull-ups.
Myles loves to do pull-ups to build up his upper body strength. This is an old-fashioned exercise, but it’s still one of the best out there for building overall back and arm strength. He likes to use the multi-grip bar so he can vary his grip from wide to narrow and at different angled grips, as you saw in the Instagram video above.
Sled Pushes and Pulls
We have talked about how important sled pushes and drags can be to athletes in other articles, so it’s no surprise that Myles likes to use these as part of his training as well.
Plyo Push Ups
Myles likes to mix in plyo push-ups as part of his workout routine. Plyo push-ups help with explosive power and upper body strength.
Hang cleans are a great exercise for developing explosiveness and power, which is something that all athletes need to excel. Below you can see a video of him doing cleans with light weight as well as some pretty impressive benching mixed in with other exercises.
Barbell Rows
It’s not just about pushing heavy weights. Sometimes, you need to pull them to. Barbell rows help strengthen the back muscles, which are essential for maintaining posture and preventing injury.
Battle Ropes
In football, there is a lot of hand-fighting between offensive and defensive linemen. Battle ropes help keep his arms in shape for a whole game’s worth of hand-fighting and give him the extra cardio he needs for the game.
Incline Dumbbell Presses
Another important exercise if you want to have the strength to push your opponent around the field is the incline dumbbell press. We found a video of Myles doing incline presses with 100 lbs in each hand and it was way too easy for him.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics are always a part of Myles’s workout program. Plyometrics are great for building power and explosiveness. Between all the videos there are of him box jumping and doing the mini hurdles, it’s clear that Myles also works hard on his plyometrics as any athlete should.
Dumbbell Split Snatches
Myles loves to do split snatches with dumbbells. Split snatches are a great way to build power and explosiveness, which is important for athletes who need to be able to move quickly and powerfully. It’s no wonder Myles has been so successful on the field.
Rotational Med Ball Throws
Myles also likes to mix in rotational med ball throws as part of his workouts. Rotational med ball throws are a great way to increase power and explosiveness while also working on the core muscles. Are you noticing a theme here? Lots of exercises to build explosive power, not just strength.
Banded Wood Chops
Myles loves to have a strong core, one of his favorite exercises to keep his core strong is doing axe chops with bands. This exercise really works on the obliques and helps keep the core strong.
Myles also likes to hit the lat pulldown machine and do dumbbell shrugs, and I’m sure there are others. There aren’t many exercises out there he doesn’t like, actually.
This should give you an idea of what Myles Garrett’s workout routine looks like. He focuses on a lot of exercises that help build explosive power as well as strength, which are both important for a football player. He also likes to mix in core work, which helps with balance and stability.
If you want to train like Myles Garrett, then this is a good place to start. It’s not easy, but it’ll help take your performance to the next level.
Myles Garrett Diet
Myles Garrett eats with purpose, but he’s not chained to a strict, cookie-cutter meal plan. If he wants to trim weight, he’ll scale back to just two snacks and one massive meal, keeping the rest of the day fueled with water. Simple, but it works.
When it’s time to bulk, breakfast becomes the highlight. Think French toast stacked high, a big omelet, and plenty of fruit. Lunch doesn’t usually move the needle for him, so most days it’s just breakfast, a few snacks, and then a big dinner.
That dinner? Usually steak or ribs with mashed potatoes and broccoli piled on the plate. The kind of hearty meal that fits a man built to chase down quarterbacks.
And yes, he’s human. Pizza, ice cream, even a Cinnabon if the craving hits, Garrett doesn’t overthink it. He trains so hard it hardly matters.
He also has a private chef during camp, which makes the whole thing look like a Food Network episode. Honestly, watching the meals get plated up will make you wish you had the same setup.
Final Word
So that’s the way Myles Garrett trains and eats. Will following his exact blueprint turn you into the next NFL superstar? No chance. Garrett’s a one-of-one, built with genetics most of us can only dream about.
But here’s the good news. If you take pieces of his routine, the lifts, the explosiveness, the way he fuels his body, you will get stronger. You’ll move faster. You’ll carry more muscle. And that’s a win worth chasing, even if you never line up on Sundays.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic with over 25 years in the industry. He’s run half marathons, tackled mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, and coached everything from wrestling to girls’ soccer.
Along the way, he’s tested hundreds of supplements and built a deep well of supplement knowledge. His work has appeared in Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review, and more. Today, he’s the editor-in-chief of this site, still training hard and helping others reach their goals. Connect with him on LinkedIn below.
