Intense Soccer Fitness Program

1. Intense Soccer Fitness Program
2. Intense Soccer Fitness Program Schedule
3. Intense Soccer Fitness Program Workouts
4. Soccer Fitness Workout
5. Intense Soccer Fitness Program Reviews
6. Intense Soccer Fitness Program Workout

1. Speed, agility, strength, explosiveness, and stamina—these are all traits soccer players need to go hard for 90 minutes in a game. But how do players get into such good shape?
2. Calf Raises: A minor but essential workout when it comes to a soccer player’s wellbeing. As it is with any sports injuries are highly prevalent in soccer and can happen for multiple reasons. One of the most common injuries that occur in soccer is shin splints and as a preventative, soccer players are advised to calf raises.

Soccer or football as it's called in most of the world is a game that requires a wide range of fitness to play at an elite level. You need not only good cardiovascular fitness; you need core strength, speed, agility and stamina. All of this in one player who can play a full 90 minutes or more, at as close to peak level as possible. How do you reach this goal? Simple, hard work and dedication to being the best you can be.
The components of soccer fitness training include the following: proper warm up, sprint training, Power training, agility training, speed training, and recovery.

Fitness/Stamina/Endurance is one of the most important areas of being a top level footballer, however it is one of the most neglected. It's true that fitness.

Proper Warm Up

You need to start your soccer work out by doing light jog to warm the muscles up. This is followed by a dynamic (active) stretching of your muscles. Stretching is especially important for the optimal performance of your body. The warm up is an area of sports that is most commonly overlooked when it comes to performance enhancement training.

Sprint Training

Sprint training should mirror the game. You should sprint for 30 seconds and then jog or run lightly for 60 seconds. Why, because this is how you run in a game. How many times does a soccer player sprint the field for more than a 30 second burst? Almost never, so why train that way. Some coaches for example, have their players jog for miles at 50% intensity. Do you want your athletes chasing the ball at 50% of what they are capable during a game? Then why would you have them train at 50% intensity, rather than at the intensity level they will experience in a game. It makes no sense. Train the way you play. Two important notes: never start sprint training or a game, until you are properly warmed up and stretched: and Do not do sprint training the day before a game. Always allow 48 hours of recovery before a game.

Power Training

Let's start with Power. I define power as the quick and strong movement of the leg; starting from the hip, to the knee, and ending at the ankle. Olympic (Power) Lifts and Plyometrics help to develop these areas.
The Olympic (Power) Lifts include: the push jerk, split jerk, clean, clean pull, clean high pull, and Dumbbell Snatch.
The Plyometric exercises include: jumps, hops, and bounds. These exercises use the body's weight as resistance.
Power also includes strengthening your upper and lower body. Lower body exercises include: squats, single leg squat, step ups, and lunges. The upper body exercises include: Bench press, push ups, pull ups, lat pull, shoulder raises, curls, extensions, and wrist rolls.

Agility

Next is Agility. Agility is the ability to change direction while running or moving. Sometimes we call agility 'quickness.' We've all been at a game and heard someone say, 'that guy's quick.' Quickness should not be confused with speed, it's related but it's not the same thing.
There a variety of agility drills that can be done, including: running around poles, working with an agility ladder, or even jumping over step hurdles.

Speed

The final aspect to consider is Speed. We've all heard the old saying, 'Speed kills.' In soccer this is probably truer than in almost any other sport. The ability of a team to have the endurance and stamina to run the pitch successful for the complete game is critical to success at the highest levels. It's one of the most important attributes of any player. Speed comes to play everyday, and speed never goes to be coached. The faster, and quicker you can become, the better all around basketball player and athlete you will become.
Speed exercises include: sled pulls, band runs, and hill runs.

Recovery

Intense Soccer Fitness Program

I cannot stress enough the importance of recovery. Too often I see coaches destroy players with their 'No pain no gain mentality.' When you push your players 100% you need to give them a day off or at least do an active recovery day. The key thing to remember about recovery is that during the workout all you are doing is breaking down the muscle and the muscle fiber. When you are recovering or sleeping, that is when the rebuilding process occurs, this is when we are in essence getting better. So keep that in mind the next time you choose your post workout meal, and deciding what time to go to bed. You should ask your self this question “How good do I want to be?” Then make some of those tough decisions that come up in life.

I hope this article helps you get started on your own fitness program. I know if you use it you will improve not only your performance but also your enjoyment of the game.

If you feel you'd like an individual assessment of your soccer skills please complete the contact form below and we will send you a complete packet of information.

Thanks for reviewing our Soccer Fitness Section. We look forward to seeing you on the field. Below find some additional articles that you may find interesting.

Jeff

SOCCER OFF SEASON FITNESS PROGRAM

SOCCER PLYOMETRIC DRILLS

Soccer is perhaps the most demanding of all sports.

In the modern game (at any level) soccer training and conditioning is essential.

Few sports are played on as large a playing field, lasting as long and without regular rest periods.

Players cover 8-12km during a match, consisting of 24% walking, 36% jogging, 20% coursing, 11% sprinting, 7% moving backwards and 2% moving whilst in possession of the ball (1).

Soccer players posses excellent endurance with VO2max reported to range between 55 and 70 ml/kg/min in elite performers (2,3). The game is played at an average intensity close to the lactate threshold – approximately 80-90% of maximum heart rate (4,5).

How important is the correct type of endurance training in soccer?

The greater a player’s aerobic capacity, the more ground they cover during a typical game (5,6). Additionally, improved endurance also increases the number of sprints completed in a game (7). By improving the VO2max of youth soccer players by 11% over an 8 week period, a 20% increase in total distance covered during competitive match play was manifested, along with a 23% increase in involvements with the ball and a 100% increase in the number of sprints performed by each player (5).

What about other forms of conditioning?

Strength training now plays a major role in soccer. However, simply lifting weights with the traditional “3 sets of 10 repetitions” approach is not an efficient way to spend training time. Soccer requires a balance of explosive power and muscular endurance. Some players may benefit from increasing their lean mass but even they should focus on converting much of their strength into soccer-specific power.

Strength training for soccer also helps to correct muscle imbalances. Soccer players in particular are prone to developing overly strong quadriceps in relation to their hamstrings and a well-formed strength plan can address this and prevent future injury (8).

The articles below cover all the important forms of soccer training and conditioning. Strength and endurance training is covered in-depth as well as sample speed and agility sessions, flexibility training and warming up and cooling down.

Soccer Training Programs & Articles

The 12-Month Soccer Training ProgramSoccer players have to be the “total athlete”. But it’s never a good idea to cram every type of training into just a few sessions. Here’s the big picture and how all the different types of training fit together…

How to Develop Peak Strength for SoccerStrength training for soccer must consist of more than just lifting weights. In fact strength training, done incorrectly, can actually hinder your performance…

Sample Soccer Weight Training ProgramHere’s a sample late pre-seaon/in-season weights program to get you started…

Intense Soccer Fitness Program Schedule

How to Develop Blazing Speed for SoccerSpeed is more important in today’s game than ever. Every player can become quicker with the right approach…

Five Soccer Speed DrillsUse these speed drills to increase your speed over short distances and off the mark…

Six Soccer Agility DrillsUse these agility drills to improve your foot speed and co-ordination…

Intense Soccer Fitness Program Workouts

Using Soccer Plyometrics to Increase Your Speed and Explosive PowerPlyometrics is a powerful form of training but you MUST get it right…

Endurance Soccer Training – Build Your Aerobic PowerGood aerobic power forms the foundation on which the rest of your fitness is built…

Four More Soccer Conditioning DrillsHere are some drills that improve your skill and touch as well as your fitness…

Off Season Soccer TrainingDoing nothing during the closed season is the worst thing you can do – here’s what you should focus on instead…

Basic Soccer Conditioning ProgramStrapped for training time? Just want a basic routine to get you through thee season. Try this one…

Soccer Warm Up Drills“Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail” as they say. Here are some good warm up drills you can use before sessions…

Soccer Stretching ExercisesFlexibility is so important in ANY sport – yet it often gets forgotten. Did you know that increased flexibility can increase your agility and ability to perform fine skills?

How to Measure Your Level of Soccer FitnessHow important is soccer fitness? Here are some very interesting facts about how fit you have to be…

For Soccer Players & Coaches of All Ages: Significantly improve your own (or your team’s) performance and consistency on the pitch. My complete guide to professional-level soccer conditioning will show you how to beat the competition at any level.

Soccer Fitness Workout

References

1) Reilly T (ed) (1996) Science and Soccer. Chapman & Hall, London, 2564

Intense Soccer Fitness Program Reviews

2) Bangsbo J. The physiology of soccer with special reference to intense intermittent exercise. Acta Physiol Scand 1994;150:615

3) Bangsbo J, Nrregaard L, Thorse F. Activity profile of competition soccer. Can J Sport Sci 1991;16:1106

4) Reilly T . Physiological profile of the player. In: Ekblom B, ed. Football (soccer). London: Blackwell, 1994:7895.

5) Helgerud J, Engen LC, Wisloff U, et al. Aerobic endurance training improves soccer performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001;11:192531.

6) Reilly T, Thomas V. A motion analysis of work-rate in different positional roles in professional football match-play. J Hum Mov Stud 1976;2:8797. 7) Smaros G . Energy usage during a football match. In: Vecciet L, ed. Proceedings of the 1st International Congress on Sports Medicine Applied to Football. Rome: D Guanillo, 1980:795801.

Intense Soccer Fitness Program Workout

8) Gioftsidou A, Beneka A, Malliou P, Pafis G, Godolias G. Soccer players’ muscular imbalances: restoration with an isokinetic strength training program. Percept Mot Skills. 2006 Aug;103(1):151-9.