Developing a powerful stride is important for creating first-step quickness and overall speed. Powerful legs allow you to apply more force into the ground with each stride and propel forward at a faster speed.
Employing multi-jointed lower body exercises against resistance, like Olympic Lifts and plyometrics, forces the legs to produce strong and explosive contractions—making these exercises primary generators of a powerful stride.
But in addition to weight room exercises, build your powerful stride with on-field drills like the Bull Rush. Unlike weight room exercises, it improves muscle power with the same movement pattern as running. This helps develop the kinetic chain—the coordinated path of muscle activation—of the movement, so newly-gained lower body power directly translates to on-field speed.
Watch the video above to see how the Columbus Crew perform the Bull Rush.

• Assume starting stance, facing partner
• Lean slightly forward against partner’s hands
• Sprint against partner’s resistance, powerfully driving legs into ground
• Perform for specified distance

Sets/Reps: 4-6×10 yards with one minute rest