20 Workouts Exercises For Speed and Explosiveness For All Athletes

Athletes in nearly every sport are looking to develop explosive power and speed in order to jump, swing, accelerate or spot at a moment’s notice. This type of explosiveness deals with a combination of two factors, power and speed. Think of a track sprinter who darts off the blocks. Within split-second muscles are activated throughout the body in attempts to get to the finish line first.  Here’s some exercises to help develop these attributes to enhances your game.

Hurdle Hops

Line up four to six hurdles in a straight line with about three feet between each hurdle. From a quarter-squat position, jump over each hurdle. Do 4 to 6 reps.

Depth Jumps

Standing with toes on the edge of a study bench or box, step out and go down. Upon contacting the ground, immediately jump. Repeat six to eight times.

Ankle Jumps

From an upright posture and slightly bent knee position, jump straight up. Concentrate on pulling toes up towards the shins. Repeat six to eight times.

Multi-Directional Hurdle Hops

After setting up five hurdles equal space apart, get into a quarter-squat position and hop forward and lateral over each hurdle. Perform this exercise four to six times.

Running Leaps

Stand and take a few steps forward, keeping your body low. Then jump off the left leg, land on the right and push off again from the right leg. Repeat six to eight times.

Double Kettleball Swing

With legs hip-width apart, place two kettleballs between your feet. Push back with butt, back flat. Swing kettleballs between your legs and back through and up to chest level. Put the kettleballs down to complete the repetition. Repeat eight to ten times.

Depth Jump Into Medicine Ball Throw

From a raised platform, hold a medicine ball underhanded. Step off the platform and as soon as your feet touch the floor, jump and throw the ball behind you as far as possible. Repeat six to eight times.

Barbell Power Snatch

From a deadlift position, shoulders over the bar with back arched, extend the knees and hips and pull the bar off the floor. Lauch the bar up from the top of the knees to the hip, then pull to mid-chest level using the elbows. Immediately catch the bar from underneath and bend knees to lower the bar back to mid-thigh level. This intense exercise should be performed 10 to 12 times.

Plate Jump

Holding a plate in each hand, swing them back behind you bending your body downward. From this position, swing the plates forward with sufficient force, jumping and moving the plates upward to the head.  Repeat 10 to 14 times. 

Lateral Sled Drag

Load a sled with weight, face the sled and grab the handles to the rope and lean away from the sled. Keep the body low, drive feet firmly into the ground and stay low for about 20 seconds. This exercise helps with acceleration and increases strength in hips and glutes. Repeat eight to ten times.

Medicine Ball Throw

Hold ball with both hands at chest level. Lower into a squat position and push the ball into the wall and catch off the bounce. This exercise is great for overall power and speed. Repeat eight to ten times.

Clean Pull

With barbell on the floor, stand in front with feet at shoulder width. Squat down and grab the bar and use your legs to stand up. With hips forward, raise your calves and bend knees to lower the weight back to the floor. This exercise is excellent for increasing both lower and upper body strength. Repeat the exercise six to eight times.

Long Box Jumps

Simply perform a horizontal jump to the box. Upon landing softly on the box, immediately stand upright. This is a stretch-reflex type exercise that helps increase power and explosiveness. Perform this jump about nine to twelve times.

Kettlebell Rotational Lunge

This exercise is great for overall leg strength, foot stability, and lateral core strength. To perform this exercise, stand upright with feet at shoulder width. Hold a kettleball with both hands in front of chest. While making a lunge with the left leg, twist your upper body in to the right side. Repeat with opposite leg and opposite twisting direction. Do 12 to 15 repetitions per side.

Dumbbell Jump Squat

The is one of the best exercises to increase explosive strength and power. With dumbbells held each side of your body, squat down and explosively jump with as much force as possible. The key to this exercise is to avoid bend in the arms and land softly. Perform this exercise 12 times.

Split Squat Jumps

With a barbell behind your shoulders with one foot back and one front, switch foot positions with a quick jump. Move feet back and forth with great force and quickness.  Repeat eight to 12 times. The exercise is outstanding for increasing strength in the calves.

Dumbbell Split Jerk

This exercise is one of the best for improving overall conditioning as well as increasing strength in both the upper and lower body. Stand with feet at hip width with a dumbbell in each hand at your side. Bring dumbbells up to shoulder height with the palms of your hands towards your head. Perform a squat and then explode up while raising the dumbbells over your head. Bring dumbbells back to shoulder height as you return to start position.  Repeat this exercise 12 to 15 times. 

Seated Box Jumps

Start by sitting on a box facing a sturdy, elevated platform. Swing arms back and when swinging them forward, shift your body weight and forcefully explode off the ground. Land on top of the platform and then jump back down.  When performing this exercise, you can focus on increasing explosiveness. Perform this exercise six to ten times.

Cleaning From Blocks

This is a great exercise to boosts rate of force development and training speed.  Lifting off blocks adds the same benefits in terms of explosive power than cleans right off the floor. The difference is there is less risk of lower back injury from the blocks.  When performing this exercise, drive the chest up while hips are dropped, keeping your eyes looking forward. Jump straight up and shrug the bar. After the bar passes your shoulder, be sure your elbows are facing forward.   This exercise is best performed ten to twelve times.

Explosive Pushup

While in standard pushup position, lower your body by bending elbows until chest nearly touches the floor. Press up explosively until your hands leave the floor. This exercise helps improve overall performance by increasing strength of all major muscles in the upper body, as well as speed and endurance.  For best results, do three sets of 12 repetitions.