Soccer Players

[101pro]

Listen I completely understand where you are coming from, and didn't mean to say, "completely disregard weight training," what I meant was that somebody with a decent skill set could outplay someone with a higher athletic capacity. Strength and power, isn't necessary, to some extent. You still have to be reasonably strong to play the sport, and that is one of the main reasons I started lifting weights, although my lifting has interfered with my soccer big time probably due to training incorrectly for my sport.

Also, thank you so very much, for that routine, I might try it. Except I only have two days to lift, you think I could do that twice a week and see results. Also how exactly do you get stronger without getting bigger, does it have to do with simply not following a "bodybuilding" type diet? Or is it the way you lift?

You are right about the skill set, think jerry rice. Power is necessary if you want to be faster. especially in agility and short acceleration. Strength is one component of power.

Gaining weight is about volume. Higher volume = gains in weight. Thats why 5x5 will get you bigger than 5x2 or 2x5. So keep the volume lower and you'll see less size gains.

That's why I used the 10 rep guideline.

The program could be done with results 3x/week easily if you can squeeze in an extra 20 min. if not then up the volume to 15 reps. Still not enough to get swole but it wont interfere with soccer too much. OR some weeks do 2x/week and some do 3x/week and keep total reps at 10.

[lastlieutenant]

I'm training right now for the upcoming season. I'm just playing club at University of Akron and helping out with my old high school team.

But it really is true. The majority of soccer players at the high school level are extremely week. I consider myself to be pretty technically gifted when it comes to soccer, and after lifting for just 3 1/2 months I was just dominating on the field. I hit a 30 yard shot lower left hand corner and it was no big thing. 8 months ago I would have thought it was the greatest thing in the world.

As far as lifts go I'm not very strong, but I put up some ok numbers.

Bench-225
Squat-315
Deadlift-300

I've been recently doing a max of 8 reps per set and moving down to 6 and it's been helping a lot.


But while were on the subject, any of you guys have any running programs I could use? Looking for stuff more geared towards HITT and interval training. I've just been doing shuttle runs and some hill sprint lately, but I'm looking for more.

[lastlieutenant]

I think Cristiano Ronald is one of the most powerful soccer players in the world, if not the MOST powerful.

The way he strikes the ball in unbelievable. And the way he changes direction so quickly? I've never seen so many defenders fall on their ass before.

He gets a lot of **** for being a huge pussy, but you can't deny his skill and knack for the game.

[AmericanPhysco]

But it really is true. The majority of soccer players at the high school level are extremely week. I consider myself to be pretty technically gifted when it comes to soccer, and after lifting for just 3 1/2 months I was just dominating on the field. I hit a 30 yard shot lower left hand corner and it was no big thing. 8 months ago I would have thought it was the greatest thing in the world.

I hit two shots from half field my senior year, one was an impressive strike that curved around a defender. The other one just had the keeper out of position. At that point I was only doing deadlifts (for legs), but you do notice a difference in power.

[Reach_Yeah]

Technique has more to with the power of your shots than strength.

[101pro]

Technique has more to with the power of your shots than strength.

This isn't anyone's argument. The question is as follows:

If proper strength training can improve your speed, agility, ENDURANCE (via running economy: this was the topic of my masters thesis), and strength (basically every variable in the sport other than technique) then why don't soccer players do it?

Please give me a rebuttal with scientific evidence. Cause research is chock full of science supporting the improvements I mentioned.

Their point was that lifting weights improved their game. Simple.

[Reach_Yeah]

This isn't anyone's argument. The question is as follows:

If proper strength training can improve your speed, agility, ENDURANCE (via running economy: this was the topic of my masters thesis), and strength (basically every variable in the sport other than technique) then why don't soccer players do it?

Please give me a rebuttal with scientific evidence. Cause research is chock full of science supporting the improvements I mentioned.

Their point was that lifting weights improved their game. Simple.

Professional footballers do use strength training to improve their game. But not to the point where they bulk which would detract from agility and endurance.

The vast majority of amatuers don't bother with strength training mainly because they just can't be bothered. Call it laziness. Call it not willing to sacrifice that much time for their hobby.

Some strength training can and will aid nearly all soccer players. I don't really think thats an argument. There are some players who don't really need it, but they are the minority.

[DarkGrey]

Here is my take:

first, soccer is one hel of a sport. tough, and demanding.

Soccer players tend to have a poor work ethic for any training outside of soccer. They dont like to run sprints (as in for real SPEED development). Everything is spent on conditioning. They don't take the weight room seriously. No one seems to understand that improving speed will improve your game. No one gets that getting stronger will improve your speed. I could go on and on. I have a ton of experience training soccer players and their culture is not conducive to speed and power development. Culturally they emphasize conditioning too much. This isn;t just me either. I know mike boyle agrees along with many other respected strength coaches. From a coaching standpoint getting the kids to buy into the fact that getting stronger will make them better, or getting faster will make them better is really tough. I'd say about 20% of the kids tend to get it and the rest don't. It is a constant battle.

I should also say that it is cultural. And that comes from the top. So if the older players and coaches believe that a faster soccer player is a better player then the kids will buy in. We just need to wait for all these old coaches to retire and let the younger generation take over. This will change the culture of the teams.

oh and the leg press should not be in your training program. you need big posterior numbers. The p-chain is what makes you fast. That is why squats are better as they use more p chain. RDLs GHRs swings, etc... should all be staples

This statement is horrible. Not only do you lump nearly the whole sport together, you assume most of us train the same way.

Every week my schedule is this:
AM
Monday: Weights, Speed Training
Tuesday: Weights, Plyometrics
Weds: Core/Stability/Balance
Thurs: Weights, Speed
Friday: Weights, Plyo
Saturday: Endurance

and the PMs are all 2-3 hour intense club practices, I play on two teams. I'm not saying there are not SOME players who do not take it seriously, but I can say from playing at a higher level that I see far more football and basketball players who use ****ty workouts, not enough work ethic, etc. than true footballers. Watch your statements.

[DarkGrey]

Professional footballers do use strength training to improve their game. But not to the point where they bulk which would detract from agility and endurance.

The vast majority of amatuers don't bother with strength training mainly because they just can't be bothered. Call it laziness. Call it not willing to sacrifice that much time for their hobby.

Some strength training can and will aid nearly all soccer players. I don't really think thats an argument. There are some players who don't really need it, but they are the minority.

This is also a myth. Quite a few 'amateurs' and pros a like weight train. They myth is the fact that soccer players do such insane amounts of cardio that they begin to back on only lean muscle, as the sheer amount of cardio will begin to have a catabolic effect on bulky muscle not needed. But do not get me wrong, this lean, dense muscle makes for some of the strongest athletes around. Many players are just as strong as their bigger football counterparts, albeit with a better ATP threshold, longer endurance, and faster overall. The strength difference would be slim to marginal.

[lastlieutenant]

This is also a myth. Quite a few 'amateurs' and pros a like weight train. They myth is the fact that soccer players do such insane amounts of cardio that they begin to back on only lean muscle, as the sheer amount of cardio will begin to have a catabolic effect on bulky muscle not needed. But do not get me wrong, this lean, dense muscle makes for some of the strongest athletes around. Many players are just as strong as their bigger football counterparts, albeit with a better ATP threshold, longer endurance, and faster overall. The strength difference would be slim to marginal.

I saw something (not sure if it was in this thread) to the extent that distance cardio for soccer players is useless. Right away I said "what the hell?", but if you think about it, when are you ever running more than 60 yards at a time? There will be some 60+ yard sprints.

Now I'm not saying that cardio is useless. I think it should still be a focus when coming to training, but nothing really insane. I remember during high school my coach would make us run 5+ miles. Why? Idk, I guess he thought during games we ran at a 7-8mph pace the whole time.

Instead I believe coaches need to cut back on distance cardio and focus more on interval/HITT training. 20 yard sprint, slow down, 5 yard burst, change of direction, 25 yard burst. That's how the game works, so we (as a community) should focus more on implementing game like training.

Just my opinions

[pathleteg]

I saw something (not sure if it was in this thread) to the extent that distance cardio for soccer players is useless. Right away I said "what the hell?", but if you think about it, when are you ever running more than 60 yards at a time? There will be some 60+ yard sprints.

Now I'm not saying that cardio is useless. I think it should still be a focus when coming to training, but nothing really insane. I remember during high school my coach would make us run 5+ miles. Why? Idk, I guess he thought during games we ran at a 7-8mph pace the whole time.

Instead I believe coaches need to cut back on distance cardio and focus more on interval/HITT training. 20 yard sprint, slow down, 5 yard burst, change of direction, 25 yard burst. That's how the game works, so we (as a community) should focus more on implementing game like training.

Just my opinions

I agree with you...although, I believe that some balance is needed...

Personally, on the club team I'm on, we have literally never run a longer distance than 300 meter sprints...

I believe that at every practice sprint training should be implemented, even if for 5 minutes... and that maybe every week a 2-3 mile run should be done...

I find that although my sprints help me greatly with club (I play defense for my club team), endurance training is much more necessary with my highschool soccer (I play midfield in HS)...

A couple years ago I had a hardcore coach that would balance these perfectly...we'd do 15 minutes of sprints at the end of each practice, and we would have a 2 or 3 mile run (with a maximum of 6-7 minutes for each mile) every week in between regular practice days... and damn, we could outrun almost any team...

Oh and that coach was crazy, he could easily put up 350 on bench and had played nothing but soccer his entire life

[Dom_88]

I think Cristiano Ronald is one of the most powerful soccer players in the world, if not the MOST powerful.

The way he strikes the ball in unbelievable. And the way he changes direction so quickly? I've never seen so many defenders fall on their ass before.

He gets a lot of **** for being a huge pussy, but you can't deny his skill and knack for the game.

You must have never seen this man play. The explosiveness is ridiculous.

[benoo22]

Check out his Goal Keeper from Brisbane Roar in Australia.

Short but really strong and agile, he kicks the field with ease

click on attachments to view pics. Seen this guy while i was training, aboslute nut in the gym.

Date of birth: Aug 8, 1981
Place of birth: Sydney
Nationality: Australian
Weight: 94 kg
Height: 188 cm

Stats doen 4 years ago, he is now in the 100kg mark

[Bignik92]

I think Cristiano Ronald is one of the most powerful soccer players in the world, if not the MOST powerful.

The way he strikes the ball in unbelievable. And the way he changes direction so quickly? I've never seen so many defenders fall on their ass before.

He gets a lot of **** for being a huge pussy, but you can't deny his skill and knack for the game.

powerful is wrong word its technique which determines how ahrd u hit a ball not power or strength. rugby or american footballers or powerlifters wouldnt be able to kick a ball as far as footballers

[Reach_Yeah]

This is also a myth. Quite a few 'amateurs' and pros a like weight train. They myth is the fact that soccer players do such insane amounts of cardio that they begin to back on only lean muscle, as the sheer amount of cardio will begin to have a catabolic effect on bulky muscle not needed. But do not get me wrong, this lean, dense muscle makes for some of the strongest athletes around. Many players are just as strong as their bigger football counterparts, albeit with a better ATP threshold, longer endurance, and faster overall. The strength difference would be slim to marginal.

I do realise that there are quite a few amatuers who like to weight train. I was one of them. Some do it to improve their football playing, others do it for weight training itself. The vast majority of amatuer footballers though don't do any real weight training. Thats my experience of being an amatuer footballer at a decent level for 8 years and playing for 3 different teams in that time.

The way the game is going, particularly in England, there is more and more emphasis on big, strong, athletic type footballers. It used to be a rare advantage to have those attributes. Nowadays its almost a requirement. Barring the few exceptions, the most abvious being Messi.

I do believe that the right weight training and strength conditioning will help nearly all soccer players. I'm just saying its not vital criteria for being a good soccer player, and at amatuer level most people don't want to put the extra time and effort in, for many various reasons, some laziness, some more valid.

[SoccerGoon]

First of I'd like to say soccer players are very athletic in the categories of speed, reactions, power, balance, flexibility, endurance, agility, and quickness. However Americans and others don't deem them as being athletic because they seriously lack in categories of strength and explosiveness when compared to football, rugby, wrestling etc. also soccer isn't a sport that displays ones athleticism as the main focus. Soccer is a sport of skill and thought not athleticism.

I am junior collegiate defensive midfield:
Bench 265
Squat 405
Pull ups 30
Push-ups.. Idk but more than 100
Leg press.. Idk
40yd 4.5

A professional soccer player would become a professional rugby player or pro football player before they could become a professional soccer player. Just becuz of the time it takes to acquire the technical, tactical, physical aspects of soccer

[kingmode]

A professional soccer player would become a professional rugby player or pro football player before they could become a professional soccer player. Just becuz of the time it takes to acquire the technical, tactical, physical aspects of soccer

your theory seems legit............................................. ...........not.

[LFCKero]

whocares if people think soccer players are scrawny or weak, their body isnt designed to lift or move massive amounts of weight, they are athletes who are required to be very fit and agile and have explosive strength over short distances. They are athletes, they are functional human beings who are extremely fit. for the people who think theyre scrawny and weak etc, no they look like very healthy human beings who are all nice and slim and look healthy and fit. For me bodybuilding has a limit, when you get too big your body starts to look useless, you look like you cant run etc basically you look like a meathead who cant do anything except move large amounts of weight which is not functional at all and doesnt help you playing any sports, basically its useless, whocares if you can bench press whatever, soccer players are much more impressive, they are proper athletes.

[sowilson]

so you resurrect this zombie thread. I'm sure the last poster has been waiting two years for your pithy comments.

[kdutch76]

I'm currently a D1 Men's Soccer player in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The sheer physicality of not only games, but simple training sessions at such a high level would be shocking to those with little-to-no exposure of elite level soccer. That being said, it is not necessary for soccer players to aim for the 1000-1200 lb Club, but strength is still vital at a high level. Overall, endurance and skill are what matter most. Soccer is a very tough sport at a high level, and those who have not played at least on elite level club teams (National League, US Development Academy) do not understand.