Vernon Davis’ Top 3 Exercises Every Athlete Should Do

We recently traveled to Washington D.C. to team up with Muscletech athlete and Pro Football Player, Vernon Davis, to bring you some of his All-Pro training secrets.

Vernon kicked things off by filling us in on 3 exercises he believes every athlete should do.

And as a former champ, 2x Pro Bowler, and surefire future Hall of Famer, you’d be wise to incorporate some of these tips into your own training regimen.

1. Box Jump

Number one on Vernon’s key exercises for athletic performance is the box jump. As Vernon mentions, the benefits of box jumps are to create more explosive power, as well as stamina.

Vernon finds that by performing box jumps, he is better able to control his body positioning on the football field. It allows him to practice staying low and exploding straight up which directly carries over to his performance on the field.

If you’re a beginner, Vernon recommends starting out with just your bodyweight. Then, when you’re ready to turn it up a notch, grab some weight. The added weight will give you more resistance while allowing you to work on controlling your body during the movement (now holding onto a weight).

2. Sled Push

Next up on Vernon’s list of most important exercises athletes should be doing is the sled push.

Playing football is all about keeping your body under control and staying pad level. That’s where sled pushes come into play. Nothing emulates staying low and driving your feet quite like a sled push does.

Vernon recommends athletes, especially football players, perform sled pushes multiple times during the week. Not only do they help you train your body to stay low and under control, they also help you train to be explosive overall.

Sled pushes help you get faster, quicker, stronger, and you move weight amounts you’d never imagine being able to push. When you add weight to the sled, make sure you’re comfortable, but also be sure to challenge yourself. If you take it easy, you’re not going to get better.

3. Squats

The third and final exercise Vernon prescribes to athletes trying to improve their performance is the squat.

Performing squats activates so many muscles in the body. There’s a reason why it’s known as one of the “big 3” barbell lifts. By performing squats you work on your lower back, core, glutes, quads, hamstrings, you name it!

And they help athletes stay low and under control, while training complete explosiveness. You want to take your time going down and then explode up out of the hole. That explosiveness carries over into any and everything you do.

Wrap Up

There you have it! Vernon Davis’ top exercises to increasing athletic performance.

Be sure to incorporate Vernon’s exercise recommendations into your own program.

Do you have any other exercises you think will help fellow athletes? Leave us a comment in the comments section below!