It’s been almost 2 weeks since I’ve last posted…by far the longest stretch without a post since I started this site. Sorry bout that but I promise I have been keeping busy and have some content in the pipeline. First up is one of the reasons for my posting absence. 2 weekends ago I returned to my training center for the first time since going ‘on loan’ to the Vancouver Whitecaps as the fitness coach. For my return, I put together a 2.5 hour presentation on training for soccer. The goal was mostly to share what I’ve learned and what I’ve been doing with my staff at Athletic Lab since I left 6 months ago. Here’s the slidedeck from that presentation. As you’ll find, I tend to not put too much content on a slide and fill in the blanks with my actual presentation (I do the talking rather than the slide) so some things may not be absolutely clear. If that’s the case, please feel free to leave a question in the comments section and I’d be glad to answer when possible.
***It appears many of the pictures and charts of the file did not convert well on slideshare. Please feel free to download the PDF for a more complete version.***
Mike Young
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Love this slidedeck presentation. So much great information included, I would recommend this very highly to anyone involved in soccer as a great tool for developing fitness for soccer.
Thanks Ashleigh. I appreciate the feedback.
Hi Mike, thanks for the info deck, and it’s great you’re sharing good information specific to football. I have a few of questions if you don’t mind.
What supplements do you recommend? I take whey protein and couple it with strength training and I’ve benefited and seen tangible results (speed, strength, kicking range). However, I took creatine last season, too, and I strained my quads, continually. I’ve read bits and pieces that there’s a relationship between creatine and strains. This season, I haven’t consumed creatine and my quads have not bothered me at all. I was half as fit last season as I am now. So, what is more likely in your experience, that lack of fitness was breaking down my quads or creatine was pushing for more sprints and reps my quad muscles couldn’t handle?
Somewhat related to the last question. In response to my quad strains, I was stretching a lot more before training and matches and it didn’t help and it might have exacerbated the injuries. Is it preferable just to do a good warm-up incorporating movements you’d be doing in-game? Do you recommend static stretching after games or flexibility stretches? Do flexibility stretches help you gain more speed?
Any info very much appreciated,
Gerard
Whey protein, beta-alanine, fish oil, and creatine are my fave supplements as they have the most research backing. Not all are beneficial for everyone.
I don’t do too much static flexibility work before practice / games but we tend to do quite a bit of dynamic flexibility and joint mobility work prior to sessions and games. I use static flexibility and yoga almost every day following the session.
Flexibility won’t increase speed and might actually hurt it (at least acutely).
Hi Dr. Young,
I love your blog. I think your job with the Whitecaps is super awesome, and my world is a little brighter knowing there is such a thing as a ?sport scientist?.
I’m a Yoga trainer and was excited to see that you use Yoga as part of the team?s training. I was wondering what postures you?re using and why? And why only at the end of practice?
One more question – Reading your blog I’ve been wondering about the team?s off-season training since their training during the season is so intense. Do they have actual training plans they maintain in their time off, or is it up to them to stay fit (like in the NHL)?
Thanks for your work,
Cristina
Sorry for the delay Christina. We’re going through a couple different routines that focus on the hips and hamstrings but are just as much for body awareness and relaxation. Most of the times the actual routines are used as part of the post-game regeneration sessions in the 1-2 days that follow a game. We will sometimes do more movement based Yoga routines prior to sessions but generally it’s reserved for after. Before sessions the warmup is much more dynamic and mobility work tends to be more ballistic (following an appropriate warmup).
They do receive training plans for the off-season. Among other things, they are individualized to the player’s strengths and weaknesses, what they have available to them to train, and duration (some have a longer time off before starting to train than others).
not really, if you’re doing a lot of cairdo it is really hard to bulk up. if you limit your cairdo to about 30mins a day, lift weights 3-5days a week, and take protein, you’ll see a difference (approx 1.2-1.5g of protein per lb). if after 4 months or so you want to get bigger/stronger, then turn to creatine. but for now the only way you’ll bulk up is to limit the cairdo