If you're reading this article, then you already know about the beast that Derrick Henry is. He’s listed at 6'3" and 252 lbs, which is basically “tight end size” playing running back. That extra mass is a big reason defenders bounce off him like they hit a vending machine.
Take Your Fitness To The Next Level
Henry’s power running style is backed by an offseason routine built around strength, explosiveness, speed, conditioning, and staying durable. He’s also famous for posting wild-looking training clips, like unstable push-ups and balance drills that make you question physics for a second.
| Quick Answer: Henry trains like a power athlete. Big lower-body strength, explosive jumps/throws, sprint and agility work, then hard conditioning. Most people should copy the structure, not the chaos. |
| Key Takeaways | What it means for your training |
|---|---|
| Strength is the base | Prioritize squats, hinges, pushes, pulls, and progressive overload. |
| Explosiveness is trained, not hoped for | Pair heavy lifting with jumps, throws, and short sprints. |
| Speed and agility are non-negotiable | Add 1-2 days of acceleration, change-of-direction, and deceleration work. |
| Conditioning keeps the engine running | Sleds, hills, intervals, and tempo runs beat “random cardio” for athletes. |
| Recovery is training | Mobility, tissue work, and sleep help you stay consistent long-term. |
Derrick Henry Training Principles
When he’s not in the team facility, Henry’s offseason work is built around the same pillars you see in elite field sport training: get brutally strong, stay explosive, move fast, and keep conditioning high enough that power doesn’t fade late in games.
- Power and Strength: Henry’s training emphasizes heavy lower-body strength (think squat variations, hinges, and loaded carries) and explosive lifts. The goal is simple: produce force fast, and keep producing it when you’re tired.
- Speed and Agility: Being big is cool. Being big and able to accelerate, cut, and re-accelerate is what makes him a nightmare. Ladder work, cone drills, and sprint variations build foot speed, coordination, and change-of-direction skill.
- Endurance and Conditioning: Running backs do repeated high-output efforts with short rest. Conditioning work helps him maintain speed and power deep into games, while also improving durability across a long season.
Important: Henry’s “unorthodox” exercises are usually accessories. They are not the foundation. If you want the results, earn them with the basics first, then sprinkle in the weird stuff after.
Sample Derrick Henry Workout Routine
We don’t have Henry’s exact day-by-day plan, so the routine below is a sample based on the common elements of his offseason training style. Use it as a template you can scale, not a script you must follow.
How to scale this for normal humans: Keep the structure, reduce the total volume. Start with 2 strength days + 1 speed day + 1 conditioning day, then build up if you recover well. If you are beat up, drop a day and get stronger, not more exhausted.
Day 1: Lower Body Power
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Back Squats | 4 | 6 |
| Banded Deadlifts | 4 | 6 |
| Banded Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 8/leg |
| Box Jumps | 3 | 10 |
| Weighted Sled Pushes | 5 | 20 yards |
Day 2: Upper Body Strength
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Chained Bench Press | 4 | 6 |
| Overhead Shoulder Press | 4 | 8 |
| Pull-ups | 4 | Failure |
| Dumbbell Rows | 4 | 8/side |
| Plank Variations | 3 | 1 min hold |
Day 3: Speed and Agility
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Ladder Drills | 5 | 30 yards |
| Cone Drills | 5 | 30 yards (lateral movements) |
| Resisted Sprints | 4 | 40 yards |
| Shuttle Runs | 4 | 10-20-30 yards |
| Medicine Ball Throws | 3 | 10 |
Day 4: Full-Body Strength and Conditioning
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Power Cleans | 4 | 6 |
| Tire Flips | 3 | 10 flips |
| Farmer's Walk | 4 | 40 yards |
| Battle Ropes | 4 | 30 secs |
| Stair Climbs | 5 | 3 mins (w/vest) |
Day 5: Recovery and Mobility
| EXERCISE | TIME |
| Foam Rolling | 15-20 mins |
| Dynamic Stretching | 10-15 mins |
| Yoga or Pilates | 30-45 mins |
Safety note: This is athlete-style programming. If you have knee, hip, back, or shoulder issues, scale the loads and swap exercises as needed. Consistency beats “hero workouts” every time.
Derrick Henry FAQs
How much does Derrick Henry bench?
There isn’t a universally verified, current one-rep max bench number publicly available. What we do have from testing data is his NFL Combine bench press: 22 reps at 225 lbs. That should tell you enough about his baseline strength, especially at running back size.
What does Derrick Henry eat in a day?
Henry has talked about intermittent fasting, but he’s also clarified that “eating at 4 or 5” is not his daily routine. He’s said that schedule is something he does sometimes around body treatment or IVs, while in the offseason he typically eats earlier (around 1-2 p.m.), and often has a lighter morning intake like avocado, spinach, and kale when he gets into the building.
Wrap-Up
Derrick Henry’s training is a masterclass in building a power athlete: heavy strength work, explosive training, speed and agility, then conditioning that actually matches the demands of football.
You probably do not need the circus exercises to make progress, but you can steal the blueprint. Get stronger, get more explosive, move faster, and recover like it’s part of the job. That’s how you build your own “King Henry” version, without needing an NFL schedule to survive it.
Check out the Christian McCaffrey Workout if you want to see how another top-tier NFL running back trains.
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