Ja’Marr Chase’s Explosive Workout: Sleds, Split Squats and Speed That Lasts
UPLIFT IRON CLUBWhy Chase Trains for Repeatable Speed, Not Just One Fast Sprint
Ja’Marr Chase can make an explosive route look effortless, but a receiver does not get to perform a single clean sprint and call it a day. He must accelerate against a defender, slow down without losing balance, cut into space, absorb contact and do it again after another play. That combination explains why the Bengals star’s training is built around several athletic qualities rather than one spectacular gym number. His October workout breakdown emphasizes speed, explosiveness and conditioning together. The most useful lesson is not a secret exercise: it is the way each part of the session serves the demands of the sport.
Start with acceleration. The first few steps determine whether a receiver creates separation, and those steps depend on projecting force into the ground while maintaining a useful body angle. Top speed matters too, but acceleration and maximum velocity are not interchangeable. An athlete can improve the first ten yards without becoming meaningfully faster over a flying sprint. Chase’s track sessions allow him to rehearse running mechanics and receive coaching feedback away from the chaos of a football play. Turf work then adds turns, starts and stops that make the skill more specific to the field.
Conditioning is the other half of the picture. A powerful athlete who loses sharpness after several high-intensity efforts may be less effective than a slightly slower athlete who can repeat quality work. Chase has described conditioning as central to his preparation, which makes sense for a position requiring repeated bursts throughout four quarters. That does not mean every workout should become an exhausting circuit. Sprint quality normally requires enough recovery to keep technique and output high, while separate conditioning work can build the ability to recover between efforts.
His broader offseason preparation reinforces that distinction. Team staff and his private speed coach have described year-round work involving field skills, weight-room training, movement correction and planned recovery. The schedule changes with the phase of the offseason rather than repeating the same maximal session every day. For an ordinary lifter, the translation is straightforward: choose one quality to prioritize, train it while fresh, and use the rest of the workout to support it. If speed is the priority, sprint before heavy leg fatigue. If muscle is the priority, do not turn every lifting set into a race. Progress comes from training the right quality consistently, not from collecting the hardest-looking drills.
Sled Pushes and Backward Pulls: Building Force Without Chasing a Max
Resisted sled work appears in Chase’s training because it places a clear demand on horizontal force production. The athlete drives forward against resistance, and each step has to move both body and load. In the reported session, sled pushes and backward pulls are performed over short distances rather than as endless laps. That keeps the focus on powerful, purposeful movement. It also makes the exercise easy to scale: a recreational athlete can use a much lighter sled and stop as soon as posture or footwork starts to deteriorate.
A good push begins with a firm grip, a braced torso and a forward lean that comes from the ankles and hips rather than a collapsed spine. Drive through the floor with deliberate steps, keeping the body connected from shoulders to feet. Avoid adding so much weight that the feet barely move or the back rounds. If the goal is acceleration, choose a load that lets the athlete keep a recognizable running rhythm. Heavy grinding pushes can still have a place in general strength and conditioning, but they are not identical to sprint training.
Backward sled drags change the pattern. Instead of driving forward, the athlete faces the sled and walks backward under tension, taking controlled steps while the knees and hips extend. This can be a useful way to load the legs without needing a technically demanding barbell lift, although it should not be marketed as a cure for knee problems. In a mixed session, alternating short forward pushes with backward drags adds variety and different force demands without requiring a complicated setup.
The research deserves a careful reading. Reviews of resisted sprint training generally find that sled work can improve early acceleration, but comparisons with equal-volume unresisted sprinting do not establish that a sled is automatically superior. Load, surface, athlete experience and total sprint exposure all affect results. The practical implication is to use resisted work as one tool in a complete speed program, not as a magical substitute for actual running. A simple starting option is three or four short pushes of roughly 10 to 15 yards, with enough rest to repeat the movement cleanly. Add load only after the athlete can keep a consistent pace, and reserve maximal speed sessions for days when the legs are recovered.
Cone Drills, Braking and the Art of Changing Direction
Straight-line speed gets attention, but a receiver often wins a route by changing direction faster than the defender can respond. Cone drills make that quality visible. An athlete approaches a marker, lowers the center of mass, plants a foot, turns and accelerates away. The challenge is not simply touching cones as quickly as possible. Effective cutting requires the ability to slow down under control before producing force in a new direction. Without the braking phase, a fast approach can turn into a wide, inefficient turn.
Chase’s reported turf work includes three-cone patterns and other short agility drills. They create repeated opportunities to practice foot placement and body position at useful angles. On the approach, keep the eyes ahead and take progressively shorter steps when needed. During the plant, allow the hips and knee to bend, keep the foot underneath a controllable center of mass and push away in the new direction. A high, rigid torso often makes a sharp cut harder; a collapsed knee or uncontrolled twist is not the answer either.
Rehearsing a pattern is not the same as developing reactive agility. A memorized three-cone route tests planned changes of direction, while a real defender forces an athlete to respond to an unpredictable cue. Both have value. Beginners can learn braking and turning with preplanned routes, then add a partner pointing to a cone or calling a direction once the basic mechanics are reliable. This progression is more useful than immediately racing through a complex ladder pattern with sloppy steps.
Quality matters more than the number of repetitions. Four to six focused attempts with full recovery may teach more than twenty fatigued attempts where every turn gets wider. Start around 70 to 80 percent effort, gradually raise speed, and stop if the athlete cannot maintain control. Timing can help, but do not chase a faster stopwatch reading by cutting corners or shortening the course. For a lifter who rarely sprints, begin with low-speed lateral shuffles and controlled five-yard cuts before attempting aggressive full-speed deceleration. The goal is to become stronger and more coordinated in the exact positions where a game demands control.
Bulgarian Split Squats and Incline Presses: The Strength Layer
Single-leg exercises and incline presses support speed training by building strength. The split squat challenges balance and leg drive. The incline press develops upper-body pushing strength. Start light, move smoothly and progress when technique is reliable. A stable front foot and a controlled descent make the split squat easier to learn. A regular split squat with both feet on the floor is a good starting option.
For incline pressing, set the bench at a moderate angle and keep the shoulders comfortable. Lower the dumbbells steadily before pressing them upward. Avoid turning every set into a maximum attempt. Athletes who sprint also need energy for movement practice, so strength work should fit within the total weekly plan. Two or three controlled sets can be a sensible starting point. Add weight gradually as repetitions become consistent, and allow time to recover before the next demanding lower-body workout.
The workout described for the Bengals receiver includes a compact dose of Bulgarian split squats and incline dumbbell presses after speed and power drills. That order reflects a tradeoff: heavy lifting builds strength, but too much fatigue can reduce the quality of subsequent fast movements. When the goal is sprint speed, high-quality acceleration work belongs near the beginning of the session. The lifting portion should then reinforce the athletic qualities already practiced, not overwhelm them.
Progress can be measured with controlled repetitions, stable positions and modest increases in load. One-sided leg training also makes differences between the legs easier to notice. That does not mean both sides must always lift identical weights or that every imbalance is a problem. Use the movement to build capacity gradually. The strongest plan is one that can be repeated week after week without compromising the next speed session.
Medicine-Ball Power, Mobility and Conditioning That Supports the Next Rep
Chase’s session also includes medicine-ball slams, band-assisted mobility and a low-intensity air-bike finish. Those details might look like accessories beside the sprinting and sled work, but they reveal how the workout is organized. Mobility prepares the positions an athlete needs, medicine-ball throws provide a chance to express power without grinding through a slow heavy lift, and the cooldown shifts the session away from repeated explosive efforts. None of these tools needs to be complicated to be useful.
Rainbow medicine-ball slams involve moving the ball in an arc from one side of the body to the other before driving it toward the ground. The movement asks the hips and trunk to coordinate with the arms. A light ball that can be moved quickly is often more appropriate than the heaviest ball in the gym. Brace, rotate through the hips and torso together, and avoid twisting the lower back while the feet stay rigidly glued in place. The reported workout uses five repetitions per side, which keeps the emphasis on crisp, powerful efforts rather than fatigue.
Band-assisted mobility can be used before sprinting to rehearse ankle, hip and shoulder positions. It should make the next movement easier to perform, not become a thirty-minute ritual that leaves the athlete tired. Try a few controlled hip-opening movements, ankle rocks, marching drills and progressive accelerations. Each warm-up choice should answer a practical question: what position or pattern does the next drill demand? If a movement already feels good, extra stretching may not improve the session.
The air bike serves a different purpose. Ten easy minutes after training can provide a controlled transition toward rest and add a small amount of low-impact aerobic work. It is not necessary to turn the cooldown into a brutal interval test. Building aerobic fitness is useful for athletes who must recover between high-intensity efforts, but the hard conditioning sessions should be scheduled deliberately rather than hidden inside every cooldown. For recreational athletes, one or two separate aerobic sessions can complement lifting and speed work without turning every day into a maximal challenge.
Taken together, these elements create a session with a beginning, middle and end: prepare the joints and movement patterns, practice speed while fresh, produce power, build strength, and finish with manageable conditioning. That sequence is more transferable than any individual gadget. The smartest version is the one an athlete can repeat with consistent quality across several weeks.
A Practical Chase-Inspired Workout—and the Limits of Copying an NFL Star
An everyday athlete can borrow the structure of Chase’s training without pretending to follow his professional schedule. Begin with eight to ten minutes of mobility, marching drills and easy accelerations. Then complete four short runs of 10 to 20 yards at a speed that allows good mechanics, resting generously between efforts. Move to three controlled sled pushes over 10 to 15 yards, followed by three to four planned cone-drill repetitions. If the athlete is new to sprinting, these should be submaximal practices rather than timed all-out tests.
After the speed work, perform two sets of six to eight split squats per leg and three sets of five to eight incline dumbbell presses. Add two or three sets of five light medicine-ball slams per side, focusing on crisp movement rather than exhaustion. Finish with five to ten minutes of easy cycling and a short cooldown. That is a complete athletic session, but it is not an exact copy of Chase’s professional training plan. It is an editorial adaptation of the principles behind the reported exercises, scaled to a normal gym and a normal recovery budget.
Most recreational lifters should start with one such session per week. Someone who already runs and lifts consistently might add a second day, but spacing demanding sprint sessions apart helps maintain quality. Increase one variable at a time: perhaps another short sprint, a little more sled load or a small dumbbell increase. Do not raise speed, distance, weight and frequency together. A written log of sprint distances, loads, rest periods and how the movements felt can show progress without relying on a single dramatic personal record.
Be especially careful about confusing a public workout feature with an athlete’s medical status. Chase exited a game on October 4 after a reported concussion, and a training article published later that week should not be interpreted as confirmation of medical clearance or current on-field availability. His historical and offseason training principles can be discussed independently of his return-to-play process. Anyone with concussion symptoms, dizziness or another acute injury needs appropriate professional assessment rather than a high-intensity workout copied from a sports feature.
The lasting takeaway is the balance. Sprinting develops the skill of moving fast. Sleds provide a different force challenge. Cone work practices braking and reacceleration. Split squats and presses strengthen the body that performs those skills. Medicine balls train rapid force, and conditioning supports repeated efforts. An athlete does not need every drill in every workout; each choice should serve a purpose. For lifters who want to feel more athletic without abandoning muscle training, a well-placed weekly speed-and-strength session can add useful variety while keeping progressive overload, recovery and sound technique at the center.
Functional-fitness shirts, tanks and workout gear for athletes who train strength, conditioning and everything in between.
EXPLORE COLLECTION
