It's only 40 yards, right? Many football players and coaches place a great deal of importance on the 40-yard dash as it factors into starting lineups or sitting on the bench. Some coaches, scouts and trainers use it as an indicator as to a player's overall speed on the field. But a comprehensive picture of a player's performance encompasses both speed and agility. Maintaining a good fitness routine that includes exercises targeting these skills helps players stay ahead of the competition.

Conditioning and strengthening the muscles remains a central part of the workout. Incorporating a series of strength and power lifting exercises such as the bench press, leg press, squats, lunges, leg curls, leg extensions, tricep-pushdowns, and front raises helps build and maintain the muscles necessary for explosive running starts often needed when playing on the field.

Running against resistance, such as up hills or with a partner and resistance bands, trains the body to develop muscle fibers for this particular movement.  Removing the resistance enables the athlete to perform the same exercise at a faster pace. Continually repeating this technique helps increase speed.

In addition, completing a series 20, 40, 60, 100 and 200-yard sprints during the workout conditions the body for short-distance running and also helps improve players' speed. Start with three sets of 20, resting about thirty to sixty seconds in between runs. Then follow with three sets of 40, three sets of 60 and so on.

Develop your core. Incorporating training exercises such as crunches and stabilization sets, where athletes hold positions like the plank, side plank and bridge position for 30 to 60 seconds helps strengthen the core. These muscles play an integral role in controlling motion in the hips and spine when you run. Stabilizing the core helps maintain good running technique when players become fatigued.

Practicing tire drills prepares players for short quick movements often used when running patterns on the field. It enhances coordination and speed necessary for successfully completing plays during practice or a game. These type of drills in particular help wide receivers, running backs, fullbacks, and tight ends.

Some coaches include plyometric exercises as part of their routines. These workouts focus on high intensity training drills to develop strength and speed. The most common include jumps and hops, such as squat jumps, frog jumps, or skipping in a running motion. In addition some jumps feature hopping onto a step or box two-to-three feet off the ground as quickly as possible, while others highlight jumping from side-to-side over an object about 10 to 12 inches off the floor.

Alternate your workouts so as to allow your different muscle groups to recuperate. Perhaps on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays players can focus on aerobic exercises, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays they do weights and plyometrics.

Training with a partner can help keep the competitive edge strong. Sometimes when players exercise on their own, they lose motivation to continue working out on a steady basis. Finding a fellow teammate, friend or family member to work out with during the week can help maintain a steady routine.

Article by Anel Laj