5'8 165 looking to get bigger but leaner

[Aimahn]

sorry for the lack of before pictures but basically i was always in decent shape from playing soccer for 10+ years but up untill recently i havent really made a point of bulking up due to the intensive cardio that soccer requries. When i started seriously getting into lifting about 4 months ago i was around 154 pounds but with alot less muscle so my question is around what weight do u think i should bulk to while still maintaining my quickness and aerobic capabalities for soccer? and also what my focus should be on my upper body which i feel lags alot behind my legs.

[bodymaestro]

I think it is more of a either you bodybuild or you play soccer. If you just want to improve your athletism and muscularity while being able to play soccer that can be done but if you want to bodybuild seriously then you probably have to give up playing soccer actively. Players like Cristian Ronaldo have excellent physique and muscularity but he'd never qualify as a "bodybuilder".

My problem was not being able to put on weight due to massive amount of cardio that playing soccer involves (10km+ running per match, plus all the training involved). It seems I have a bodytype that loses all extra weight rapidly if I do cardio frequently. Once I cut back on soccer and started to put on weight and muscle to my upper body it become tought to maintain the flexibility and aerobic/unaerobic capacity needed for soccer - I found myself slow to react to playing situations although I had more strenght to hold off opponents and shield the ball etc. I started to do more flexibility training - which is also good for bodybuilding - and did some kick boxing etc. to improve reaction speed and unaerobic capability.

You look very buff and I don't know what your playing style or position is but generally speaking putting on the weight will be tough challenge as I'd expect your aerobic ability (stamina) to decrease at least. You might wanna up your agility and speed training using ladders etc. plus add in sprint work etc. ....

[Uhtred]

Originally Posted by bodymaestro

Players like Cristian Ronaldo have excellent physique and muscularity but he'd never qualify as a "bodybuilder".

Hes as much as one as me, you and most people in this site

Look at where hes started and where he is now.

[Aimahn]

Originally Posted by bodymaestro

I think it is more of a either you bodybuild or you play soccer. If you just want to improve your athletism and muscularity while being able to play soccer that can be done but if you want to bodybuild seriously then you probably have to give up playing soccer actively. Players like Cristian Ronaldo have excellent physique and muscularity but he'd never qualify as a "bodybuilder".

My problem was not being able to put on weight due to massive amount of cardio that playing soccer involves (10km+ running per match, plus all the training involved). It seems I have a bodytype that loses all extra weight rapidly if I do cardio frequently. Once I cut back on soccer and started to put on weight and muscle to my upper body it become tought to maintain the flexibility and aerobic/unaerobic capacity needed for soccer - I found myself slow to react to playing situations although I had more strenght to hold off opponents and shield the ball etc. I started to do more flexibility training - which is also good for bodybuilding - and did some kick boxing etc. to improve reaction speed and unaerobic capability.

You look very buff and I don't know what your playing style or position is but generally speaking putting on the weight will be tough challenge as I'd expect your aerobic ability (stamina) to decrease at least. You might wanna up your agility and speed training using ladders etc. plus add in sprint work etc. ....

you make a good point about the flexibility i noticed as i was putting on the weight my flexbility decreased so i started incorporating more bodyweight style training with a little added resistance and ill definitely be upping the cardio but as you know playing soccer has a way of really shedding the weight so idk if i should just try an bulk a little more or just really focus on agility and speed training and accept the weight loss. with that said however ive always had a sort of stocky build and my aerobic capacity hasnt suffered to badly but i guess the real test comes like you said with all the training and matches

[Monkeybars]

Originally Posted by bodymaestro

I think it is more of a either you bodybuild or you play soccer. If you just want to improve your athletism and muscularity while being able to play soccer that can be done but if you want to bodybuild seriously then you probably have to give up playing soccer actively. Players like Cristian Ronaldo have excellent physique and muscularity but he'd never qualify as a "bodybuilder".

I disagree..

Check out Micah Richards



Heres a brief explanation on his routine. http://soccerlens.com/micah-richards...-routine/4504/

Sure he lifts weights, but most of it is down to genetics. He was that big when he was 16

[bodymaestro]

Originally Posted by Aimahn

you make a good point about the flexibility i noticed as i was putting on the weight my flexbility decreased so i started incorporating more bodyweight style training with a little added resistance and ill definitely be upping the cardio but as you know playing soccer has a way of really shedding the weight so idk if i should just try an bulk a little more or just really focus on agility and speed training and accept the weight loss. with that said however ive always had a sort of stocky build and my aerobic capacity hasnt suffered to badly but i guess the real test comes like you said with all the training and matches

Static streching is still good for improving flexibility. I do that after weights as part of a cool down AFTER training. The streching they use these days for session warm ups is called dynamic streching which is more about doing movements that mimic actual soccer movements (such as for example lunges with body twists). Static has the side effect of temporarily reducing max power.

If I'd be you (18 again ;-) at the gym I'd do leg presses, leg extensions, squats, leg abductors, lots of abs and hyper extensions plus some upper body work outs to give that extra edge in ball winning situations. This kind of menu shouldn't give you any negative effects. Btw, these days (note I'm 30) if I try to play few days after a heavy leg day I'm quite useless because my legs are all sore and stiff from leg training....so if you do heavy leg training make sure to schedule it so that you have enough recovery time.

As part of coaching training I came across scientific studies about weight training impact on soccer player performance. I was surprised to find that, according to those studies, leg extensions have only marginal increase on kicking power (technique is far more important). But if you look at it from the point of adding few percent here and there to your performance you may at the end up total of say 10-20% increase which is huge.

You can use the below chart for adjusting your training menus for specific attributes you are looking to improve:

Conditioning method for maximal strenght
Load: 80-95% of max. strenght
Reps: 5
Sets: 6-8
Rest: 3-4min between sets

Conditioning method for fast strenght:
Load: 60-80%
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 6-8
Rest: 1-2min

Conditioning method for explosive strenght:
Load: 80-100%
Reps: 1-8
Sets: 2-6
Rest: 4.5-6min

Conditioning method for strenght endurance:
Load: 40-60%
Reps: 15-25
Sets: 3
Rest: 45 seconds

Reference
Dr. Verheijen, R. Conditioning for soccer (1998)


Fitness for soccer is actually quite difficult subject but there are plenty of good books around. Just keep looking for answers...

[bodymaestro]

Originally Posted by Monkeybars

I disagree..

Check out Micah Richards



Heres a brief explanation on his routine. http://soccerlens.com/micah-richards...-routine/4504/

Sure he lifts weights, but most of it is down to genetics. He was that big when he was 16

Yeah, I noticed him before and that's one of the big reasons why he is in the Prem and England setup at so early age but he is no bodybuilder. Excellent arms, shoulders and abs but that's probably down to excellent genes more than anything. He still retains good balance (no excessive large traps, shoulders, chest, etc.).

Too bad they didn't give any details what he exactly does at the gym. Interesting point in the article was about the sprint work vs aerobic running. He does look more like a 100m runner...

[tiger04]

Two interesting pics; you need to work on lighting and working out, in general, if that's ur goal. Exactly what are you looking to do? If you are into sports, post in the sports training forum, just my opinion, no offense! They can help you better there.

[Aimahn]

thanks for the replies

yea those pics werent the best the only camera i have access to is a web cam but basically I just wanna focus on really working on my upper body which i feel lags way behind my legs. specifically my back and shoulders but lots of running doesn't really help build the upper body