How the elite defensive end builds the lower body speed and strength to dominate in the NFL.
This story is part of Men's Health's Get NFL Strong package, a series of stories that explore the different kinds of physical and mental fitness it requires to succeed in the toughest sport on earth. Read all the stories here.
THE NFL SEASON is a grind. Chase Young knows that well. The New Orleans Saints defensive end has played four pro seasons—and just twice has he managed to play at least 15 games. When he’s been on the field, Young, a New Balance athlete, has been a beast; he racked up 7.5 sacks in each of the two seasons where he saw plenty of action. But injuries have long held him back.
That’s why Young’s chased a different goal this season: He wants to actually get stronger during the season. And in July, the 6-5, 265-pound lineman explained how he’d pull that off. “With the right strength coach,” he says, “you can get stronger throughout the year.”
Key to that quest for Young is that he continues building lower-body strength. He’s on a one-year deal with the Saints (a deal rooted in incentives and playing time) and he’s focused heavily on strengthening his legs to cash in. “I’ve been working my full body–getting my groin activated, working on my hips and ankles,” Young says. “Trying to be as functional as I can and doing my best to maintain that function.”
It’s all a new focus for Young. When he was in college, the Maryland native once went viral in 2020 for bench-pressing “infinity pounds,” “an ungodly amount of weight” according to the Internet (Young says his bench press max is 425). But building his quads and glutes is more critical this season. It’s lower-body drive that powers a defensive lineman when he’s pushing a blocker out of his way, and it’s lower-body power that fuels the ability to sprint after the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.
To that end, Young has fallen in love with lower-body lifts. Squats, he says, are essential, and Young makes sure to train them with a full range of motion, thighs getting below parallel on every rep. And yes, that sometimes means going lighter, says Young. “If it’s a day where my coach wants me to get real mobile and super low, we call it, that day I might go 135 (pounds), 10 reps per set,” he says. “That will stretch my hips, my groin out, with enough weight that it’ll stretch and get work at the same time.”
Other days, he’ll go powerlifter-heavy, working up to 345 pounds. “I like squatting, I like a bar on my back,” Young says. “I feel like it’s also good for your lower back because it loads up your spine. With the sport we play, that impact, that’s the only other way we can get your body used to - basically ready for that impact. So squatting is definitely a big one.”
The Young Lower-Body Lift
Not that Young just squats. Attack these lower-body lifts to build leg strength like Young.
Split Squat
Young has also incorporated split squats, standing with a bar on his back, right leg forward, left leg back, left heel off the ground. From there, he’ll bend at the knees and hips, lowering until his left knee nearly touches the ground, aiming to lower for 3 seconds. Then he’ll stand explosively. Do 3 to 5 reps, working with a light weight. “Working toward getting comfortable and getting strong in that movement, because that’s a movement I have to be real functional in,” Young says.
Depth Jump to Broad Jump
The classic depth jump teaches your body to absorb force into the ground – and sets you up to redirect that force too. Young stands on a 1-foot-high box, then drops off of it, making sure to land with knees bent. Do 3 to 4 reps. Then add in a jump after the landing; step off the box, land with knees bent, and immediately jump as far forward as you can. “That teaches your body, helps your twitch, gets you twitched up,” he says. Do 2 to 3 sets.