Strength Training

We have now covered aerobic and anaerobic endurance training for soccer. Part 3, today covers strength training and tomorrow in Part 4 we will examine power and muscular endurance training for soccer.

Soccer players require strength in both the lower and upper body. Nearly every movement in the game from kicking, to tackling, to twisting and turning, sprinting and heading, requires a good foundation of strength and power.

However, strength training for sport is very different from simply lifting weights and trying to lift more and more each session. The bodybuilding mentality still predominates in soccer strength training programs but it's important to remember that for most players, simply adding muscle size and bulk, or even pure strength, is not what they require to play soccer successfully.

There are FOUR distinct types of strength training for soccer. Each one has its place and don't worry... they are not all completed at the same time! In fact, the most effective strength training plan is designed so that one form of strength training builds on another of the course of a season. Let's look at each in a little more detail...

Foundational Strength Training

Foundational strength training does exactly as you'd imagine... it builds a solid foundation or base. It prepares the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons for more intense work in subsequent phases. It is designed to strengthen underused stabilizer muscles and to balance the right and left side of the body. Soccer, like any sport, tends to place uneven demands on various muscles leaving some overdeveloped and some neglected. Overly strong quadriceps is a classic example, placing the hamstrings under an uneven amount of stress.

So many players and coaches overlook this important form of training - particularly if a player is experienced lifting heavy weights. A phase of foundational strength training should occur in the closed season before more intense routines are followed - regardless of how strong and capable the player considers themselves to be.

Guidelines For Foundational Strength Training

• Foundational strength training uses lighter weights for a higher number of repetitions. Aim for a weight you can lift 10-12 times and aim for 2-3 sets per exercise
• Complete 2-3 sessions a week. The same session can be used or some variation of it. Try to leave 48 hours between each session.
• Choose a high number of exercises to target all major muscle groups (i.e. 8-10 exercises). You may want to focus on hamstring exercises such as lunges or leg curls if you feel they are particularly weak.
• Increase the weight gradually over time as the exercise becomes easier and easier. Once you can comfortably perform the set number of repetitions increase the weight by the smallest amount i.e. 2.5kg or 5lbs.
• For bodyweight exercises such as push ups and crunches increase the number of repetitions as the weight obviously cannot be increased.

Maximal Strength Training

Once a solid base has been built, and muscle balance is restored, more intense training can be completed. During the early stages of the pre-season, players should switch from foundational strength training to maximal strength training. Again, this aims to achieve exactly what you would imagine... maximal strength.

Now maximal strength and muscle size are NOT the same thing! Bodybuilders train for muscle size - known as hypertrophy training. A bodybuilder may look very strong, and they are, but their strength is not proportionate to their huge bulk. In order to train for maximal strength, very heavy weights are used for a small number of repetitions. This limits the amount of muscle bulk that is developed but adapts the neuromuscular system so the greatest amount of force can be applied.

Maximal strength training however, is still general in nature. It's purpose is to lay an even greater foundation for soccer-specific power training and muscular endurance training. It's these two forms of strength - power and muscular endurance - that are the most important in soccer.

Power is a combination of strength and speed. Muscular endurance is a combination of strength and endurance. So it makes sense to develop the greatest amount of strength possible so that more of it can be converted into either one of these two. Mid pre-season, the player switches from a maximal strength training program to explosive power training and muscular endurance training. And this will be the focus of tomorrow's instalment.

Guidelines For Foundational Strength Training

• Aim for sets of 6 repetitions or less. The weight chosen should be heavy enough that you cannot perform more than 6 repetitions in a set.
• Aim for 4-5 sets per exercise.
• Select on 4-5 exercises for the major groups such as shoulder presses, leg presses, bench presses, calf raises etc.
• Rest for at least 3-5 minutes between sets. You should aim for almost full recovery between sets.
• Complete 2-3 sessions per week. Each session can consist of the same exercises but do leave 48 hours between sessions.
• ALWAYS have a competent spotter watching every set. Lifting heavy weights is safe so long as you are healthy, supervised and use correct form.
• When you can lift more than 6 repetitions for a set increase the weight by the smallest increment available.

You can find precise sets, repetitions and rest intervals in Total Soccer Fitness  It outlines sample sessions for different levels of fitness and shows you how to fit a strength plan into the overall soccer program. As well as strength conditioning, Total Soccer Fitness also covers:

• Aerobic and anerobic training that will turn you into the fittest player (or team) you know
• How to improve your explosive power on the field with soccer plyometrics (includes dozens of sample drills)
• Strength endurance training, including detailed circuit training routines
• Soccer speed, agility and quickenss training - with lots of drills with and without the ball
• A section devoted to flexibility training and the best types of stretching for soccer
• Warm up and cool down guidelines and pre-match routines
• The complete guide to soccer fitness assessment to get your program off to the right start
• A step-by-step, easy-to-follow planning section that will help you design the perfect program (be it a full 12 month cycle or a pre-season phase)
• Nutrition for soccer - how, when and what to eat for soccer peak performance

This is a sample lesson from Total Soccer Fitness

Read more about Total Soccer Fitness here  - Download Total Soccer Fitness here