Weight Training For Soccer

When you decide to start weight training for soccer you need to understand that it is not about bulking up. It is about Total Soccer Fitness!

And that includes:

Upper Body Strength

Aids in total body explosive power.

Helps you shield the ball from opponents.

Helps you gain position from your opponents.

Helps you perform well on throw-ins.

Injury prevention.

Lower Body Strength

Powerful shots and firm passes.

Jumping above others to win head ball challenges.

Firm tackling to steal the ball.

Improved agility to make those special moves that you have.

Increased speed and acceleration.

Injury prevention.

Performance

To be a top level soccer player you need to be a complete athlete. No other sport requires the combination of lung capacity and physical strength that soccer does. You need the ability to cover short distances of 10 to 20 yards in a hurry, but you also need to be able to last the full 90 minutes of a soccer match. You also need to be able to fend off the opposition and win the challenges in the air. These skills require more than just lifting as much weight as you can. It requires balancing your weight training for soccer to include all parts of your body.

How to Train

If you think you can just go hit the gym and do the standard 3 sets of 10 reps of all the standard exercises and get soccer fit, you are really kidding yourself. Bodybuilders do that to build size and strength. That is not your goal. Unless you want to have little agility and flexibility and look like a giant pylon on the soccer field.

Your training should include:

• Using weights to gain strength and explosive power.
• Circuit training. This will provide both cardiovascular and strength improvement. Try using movements that you would use in a soccer game.
• Plyometrics - a type of exercise using explosive movements to develop muscular power. For example bounding, hopping, and jumping, for the purposes of improving performance in a specific sport.

Is That Enough?

Well of course not. As with any smart soccer strength training or soccer speed training program, you need to follow a healthy diet. You can build your strength and agility, but without the energy to go along with it you will be left behind. So strive for Total Soccer Fitness, and your game will improve greatly!

So work smart, eat well, and train properly. Your soccer training will develop a lean muscled, physically fit, explosively powered soccer physique.

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