How to Do Running Back Drills

Start by jumping rope or doing light line hops for one minute to warm up your the muscles in your calves, then spend a couple minutes lightly stretching them to help prevent cramping during the workout.

Do a variation on the squat jump. Load the weight bar for a warm-up set and progress into weights heavier than you would use for a squat jump. Make a slight bend at the knees and drive up using the calves and ankles to accelerate upward. At the heavier weights, you may not be able to leave the floor, but that's okay as long as the movement is still explosive. Do one set of 15 reps at a light weight and three sets of eight reps at a heavier weight where you barely leave the ground.

In between sets of the squat jumps use the same weight and rock back on your heels to work the muscle on the front part of your shin. This is called your tibialis anterior and keeping this muscle strong and balanced with your calves will make you stronger as well as prevent shin splints. Do 10 reps after every set of squat jumps.

Move to a star pad. If you don't have one, just imagine or tape down a cross pattern like a four-square box on the playground. Hold onto two dumbbells and standing on one foot hop from one box to the other. You can change up the pattern in any way you want. Just hop for 30 seconds before switching to the other leg. This exercise will not only build up the main muscles of your calves but will also build up the tiny muscles that help stabilize your ankles. As you get better. Tape down dots farther away from each other and jump for longer periods or hold more weight. Do three sets of 30 seconds for each leg with no rest.

Drop the dumbbells and make a much bigger square to jump in. Using both feet, bound from one dot to the next for 10 seconds. Then rest for 20 seconds. Do this for three sets. Bounding with no weight and both feet for a short period of time very closely simulates a game environment when a running back would hop side to side, backward and forward to avoid tacklers.

Start your cool down. Do not skip this step. It is important that a running back has not only strong but flexible ankles to avoid injuries caused by rolling ankles during cuts. Take twp minutes at the end of your workout to stretch your calves and the sides of your ankles. Don't forget to stretch the muscles on the front of your shins as well to prevent shin splints.