Soccer Strength and Conditioning - Some Common Mistakes

By Rupert L. Trubshaw

A soccer strength and conditioning programme is vital if you are going to play to any decent standard as it's one of the most demanding sports out there. There are important basics to getting the right exercise regime that will benefit your game.
Firstly, did you know in a soccer game the average player covers more than seven miles (that is 12 kilometres)? I was astonished to find that out. It's not an even run though - some of that time there will be flat out sprinting, other times you will be down to a walking place. That means interval training, with work followed by rest, is a good part of your soccer strength and conditioning regime as it mimics the real thing.
There is also one more thing that it is a surprise to find out - weight training might not help your soccer strength and conditioning workouts. If you are doing the standard three repetitions of ten, you might be gaining greater muscle bulk - but it could well be at the expense of stamina and recovery. That means you will be left drained for the last twenty minutes - and might struggle with recovery times.
Getting a complete soccer strength and conditioning work is difficult, as you need both upper and lower body work to compete for the ball in the air, to get power when you jump and to hold off players.
The best answer is a form of circuit training, ideally involving replicating some common soccer movements. This can be done cheaply and many exercises may not require weights.

By Rupert L. Trubshaw