Tyrann Mathieu’s Super Bowl Workout
One of the most-watched events in America, the Super Bowl, just happened with a surprising twist that stunned the millions of viewers that watched it.
Super Bowl LIV hosting the Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers had everyone’s heart racing (especially if you’re a 49ers fan, poor thing) as the 49ers led the game 20-10 with less than seven minutes left in the 4th quarter.
During the Chief’s downfall, you see an inflamed defensive leader in fumes saying who-knows to his brooding teammates on the sidelines. This was none other than Tyrann Mathieu.
What happened next was astonishing. The 49ers never scored again and the Chiefs fought there way back and outscored the 49ers 21-0 in the final half of the 4th quarter.
After watching this, you might be wondering how you can increase your athletic ability for your chance to be under the bright lights with millions of people watching you conquer every American kid’s dreams, winning the Super Bowl.
Okay probably not. But maybe you’re a recreational athlete or just want to increase your athletic ability.
And one of the best ways to measure your athletic ability is by your vertical jump. Your vertical jump measures your power output. The more power you have, the better athlete you will be.
For an NFL defensive back like Mathieu, power is critical to being in the league.
You may not be an NFL champion or have the athletic ability of Mathieu, but you can surely get your vertical closer to his. (Some of you explosive beasts will even match his vertical or surpass it.)
How Big is Tyrann Mathieu?
How Big is Tyrann Mathieu?Many of you remember Mathieu as the “Honey Badger” for his dominant performance as an LSU Tiger.
In the NFL he’s not the biggest guy only standing at 5 feet 9 inches, but he weighs a solid 190 pounds.
With speed, skills, and talent, he’s able to compete at the highest level and win a Super Bowl ring.
As an NFL safety, Tryann Mathieu focuses on speed, strength, and power when he trains.
Key Characteristics of Mathieu’s Body
Mathieu’s NFL Combine Stats
- 4 reps on the barbell bench press (225 pounds)
- 4.5-second 40-yard dash
- 34 inch vertical
These numbers are average for a defensive back in the NFL. That means Mathieu relies on other attributes such as his football IQ to be able to compete at the level he does. Which explains his ranking in interceptions. He ranked 11th in interceptions during the 2019 season.
For an ordinary person, a 4.5 forty and 34-inch vertical is staggering.
So although a 34 inch vertical isn’t anything crazy by NFL metrics (top NFL vertical jumps hover 45 inches, absolutely INSANE), it’s stellar for a recreational athlete.
The key to having Mathieu’s athletic attributes relies on relative strength and genetics. Although we can’t do much about the latter, their’s plenty we can do about the former.
Your relative strength is how strong you are for your size. Simply put, the lighter you weigh and the stronger you are, the more relative strength you have. This is common in powerlifters.
So for relative strength, it’s better to be the guy that weighs 170 pounds and can squat 315 pounds than the 225-pound guy that can squat 330. Although the 225 pounder has more absolute strength (total strength), the 170-pound guy is stronger for his size. He has more relative strength so he will, therefore, be leaner, faster, and be able to jump higher.
Many people think that in order to increase your vertical you need to do all these crazy vertical workouts. And while these will definitely help, it comes secondary to increasing your relative strength.
If you have excess weight and body fat and not enough muscle, there’s not much you’ll be able to do to increase your vertical.
By getting stronger on compound movements and lowering your body fat, you’ll become more explosive than ever.
Tyrann Mathieu Super Bowl Workout Routine
First, we’re going to focus on increasing your strength and lowering your body fat. This is what’s going to increase your vertical jump the most. Then, we’ll focus on hitting explosive exercises that will get your vertical to the next level.
Strength Training
Monday (Back and Shoulders)
- Barbell Deadlifts 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Weighted Pull-ups 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Seated Cable Rows 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Barbell Seated Military Press 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Lying Rear Lateral Raise 2 sets x 6-8 reps
Wednesday (Chest and Arms)
- Barbell Incline Bench Press 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Barbell Bench Press 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Barbell Curl 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Skull Crushers 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Cable Pushdown 2 sets x 6-8 reps
Friday (Legs & Abs)
- Barbell Squats 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dumbbell Lunge 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Leg Press 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Leg Press Machine Calf Raises 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- Hanging Leg Raises 2 sets x max reps
- Front Plank 2 sets x max reps
This is strength training so the weight will be heavy, and the reps will be low. Make sure you’re resting 3 minutes between each set.
After building strength and lowering your body fat, then you’ll want to do exercises that focus solely on increasing your vertical. That means single-leg movements, power exercises, and plyometrics.
Power Workouts (after you’re at the proper body composition)
- Power Cleans 5 sets x 3 reps
- Dumbbell Jump Squats 5 sets x 3 reps
- Depth Jumps 5 sets x 3 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squats 5 sets x 3 reps
When you’re increasing your strength and power output, the focus is on max exertion and low volume. Low reps, heavyweight, and max exertion is essential when you’re training for power.
It’s also important to note that outside of these workouts, making sure you’re on the right nutrition plan will get your body composition to the desired level for an explosive vertical.
We recommend taking creatine which is a supplement that increases your muscle mass and strength.
Champion
Tyrann Mathieu is an elite athlete who just won a Super Bowl. You may not be a Super Bowl champion, but you can get your vertical to the level of one.
Who’s your favorite football team? Tell us below, we’d love to know! (Mine blew a 24-0 lead against the champs. That’s right. The Houston Texans.) To get more workout tips, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
