
I’ve been assisting some international professionals in various capacities with their training and I thought some of my recent email dialog would be useful for this blog. Here are some recent bullet point responses regarding my general format for strength plans for futbol / soccer players. This is unedited responses but it should be clear. If you have any questions post to the comments please.
?Strength can definitely help both with injury resistance and athletic abilities like sprinting and jumping. Great that you’ve started with the foundational work and understand the basic movement patterns. This will help.
My VERY general template that I use with soccer players for a strength session is:
- Lower body explosive lift or plyos (cleans, jump squats, alternating lunge jumps, etc)…typically 4-6 sets of 2-6 reps
- Lower body strength (squat, front squat, lunges, step ups, etc)…..typically 4-6 sets of 5-10 reps
- Upper body push and / or pull (Pullups, Bench Press, etc)….typically 4-6 sets of 5-10 reps
- Lower body posterior chain (RDLs, nordic hamstrings, etc)…..typically 2-3 sets of 8-15
- Rotational or rotational control core (planks, rotational walks, etc)…..typically 2-3 sets of 8-15
Things switch up depending on a variety of factors like skill level, injuries, where we are in the season, the player’s readiness score and what preceded the current training cycle.Do your sprint and plyos before you lift and don’t do too much total volume (~250-400m total volume) in reps no longer than 40m (and usually closer to 20m).
The rep / set / load numbers you suggested (of 70-80% of 1RM for heavy weight training in sets of 3-5 for 5 reps and loads of 30% for explosiveness) are generally correct and what I use much of the time. I often go on the higher end of the rep spectrum (7-10) on strength movements with athletes that aren’t able to spend a lot of time in the weight room. The exception is weightlifting movements like cleans, snatches, etc. Those can be done up to 80-85% of your maximum with lower rep ranges 1-4 reps.
Most of the time we do controlled decent and explosive concentric portion but at certain times of the year we do very slow descents (3-5 seconds) and sometimes when we’re trying to be very explosive we’ll minimize the time of the eccentric / descending phase and focus on fast turn-arounds between descent to concentric….this is what happens in sport.
I like to lift players 2-3 times a week. If they’re under a heavy travel / playing schedule and playing many minutes I’ll reduce to 1x / week with a 2nd day being bodyweight strength circuits on the field. In season, I tend to keep things VERY simple and am careful not to introduce novel training stimuli or new exercises because that’s one of the primary things that’ll cause soreness.
Mike Young
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Great info, Mike. A few questions. Why do you instruct that you do sprints and plyos before weight training? As an amateur player, I’ve paired exercises in order like the split-squat(86%1RM)/jump squat and single-leg-deadlift(86%1RM)/depth jumps and have had success in improving explosiveness (vertically and horizontally) and in limiting injuries. And what do you think of the split-squat and single-leg deadlift? I only have a 35kg set of weights; so, the exercises help me hit that 80%1RM. Also, what exercises in the weight room would you prescribe a player to improve the power of their shots and passes?
Hi Gerard-
Sprint work is best performed and the training stimulus most effective when done fresh. This isn’t always possible in soccer but his specific question related to off-season fitness workouts where the sprints are outside of the context of technical / tactical training.
I think the pairing you mentioned works well. I tend to not do things like that in team settings but I do with individual sport athletes. I’d make sure you allow sufficient rest (~1-2 minutes) between exercises to get the most out of it.
Single leg squats, single leg deadlifts and split squats are all great. I do them all the time.
I don’t think there are too many shot specific exercises….I’d focus on more general qualities that enhance overall power like you’re doing. Side lunges can help with dynamic adductor strength which may be beneficial and I do them occasionally but they are not a staple like the exercises you mentioned.
Thanks, Mike. Keep up the great work on this site.
Hi Mike,
In reference to this post.. Strength training for soccer & the example exercises you have given; what are your thoughts methodology for youth athletes wanting to increase strength & power?
Thanks
Ben
I would keep things simple….teach basic movements like squatting, lunging, pushups, pullups, etc and then ramp them up as appropriate (jump squats, lunge jumps, etc). When appropriate add a load.
[…] 2.?GENERAL STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES FOR SOCCER […]
Fantastic basic tips, Mike. I hope that in other blog you will write your point of view about bodyweight strength circuits (sets, reps, exercises..)
Regards from Croatia
Thanks Sebastian! I appreciate the feedback. Bodyweight circuits are ok and have a role in training but I view them as an easy but not very effective way out of true strength training. Sometimes they are necessary due to equipment and space limitations in team training but if you are creative you should still be trying to do more traditional strength training methods with heavier loads and longer rest periods.
Hello Mike
Some coach head coach without experience in strength and conditioning in my state said is enough 30 to 40 day to prepare soccer team in preseason after they have rest period off season 2 month.
How do build aerobic cond, strength agility, speed, power, and specific conditioning in those 30 days. how to periodisation those ability.
I am glad I found your site/article Mike! I was interested in learning more about taking soccer players to the next level with their strength and conditioning after reading this past month’s S&C from NSCA. Thank you for sharing for other professionals to grow and to be able to help more athletes!
No problem Nick. Glad you found it of value.
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