Introducing one of the best NFL Combine performances of all time. Saquon Barkley’s workout proved to be stronger than Joe Thomas, faster than Devin Hester, and had a better vertical jump that Julio Jones. Barkley can lift heavy, run fast, and jump high. Pretty good physical traits to have in the NFL.
Who is Saquon Barkley?
Barkley was born in the Bronx, NY and moved to Bethlehem, PA when he was younger. While attending Whitehall High School for four years he racked up over 3,500 yards and 63 touchdowns, earning a four-star recruit rating in the process. Barkley was then recruited to play at Penn State starting in 2015.
Saquon’s Career at Penn State
From 2015-2017, opposing teams were run over by Barkley and Penn State. He ran for over 1,000 rushing yards each of his three seasons at the school, topping out at 1,496 yards his sophomore year. That year Penn state made it to the Rose Bowl after winning the Big Ten with a record of 11-3.
After a 35-28 victory over Washington at the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, Barkley declared for the NFL draft.
NFL Career
Saquon was drafted 2nd overall at the NFL draft by the New York Giants. He accumulated over 1,300 rushing yards and 15 total TDs in his rookie campaign. Barkley’s performance earned him the Offensive Rookie of the year honors.
Although the Giants have only won 9 times through Barkley’s first 2 seasons, he definitely is not the problem. Let’s take a look at the famous Saquon Barkley workout.
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Squat and Bench Press
Barkley lifted 29 reps at 225 lbs as a running back. That is 5th most among all running backs who are 235 lbs or smaller. During a Penn State charity event, Barkley beat that number when he put up 30 reps.
This guy really has superhuman strength for someone his size and for someone who has his speed. His one rep maximum is 405 lbs! Maybe not Aaron Donald numbers on the bench press but not too shabby.
The only reason Saquon didn’t go higher was because his strength coach at Penn State wanted to limit his training to prevent injury. One thing is for certain – Barkley can lift.
A big reason Barkley is such a workhorse running back is due to his lower body strength. This guy spends a lot of time strengthening his legs and can squat 650 lbs! Barkley can lift 5 reps at 525 lbs which is an incredible feat as well. These are big numbers and put him right on par with Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffery’s fitness regime.
Saquon Barkley Workout
Like most running backs, Saquon really focuses on his lower body strength during his workouts. He once said that the hex-bar deadlift was his favorite lift because it’s great for power and protects the back more than a traditional deadlift.
Barkley also stated that squatting and deadlifting is best for younger players looking to improve explosiveness. Moving large amounts of weight quickly helps speed up the rate-of-force development in the muscles involved. This is important because it allows the athlete to recruit the more powerful type of muscle fibers (type II) faster.
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