Soccer Weight Training

This weight lifting plan will help you prepare your body for playing soccer at a high level.

There are probably many people who think that weight training won’t help you play soccer better. Those kind of people used to say that about basketball, baseball and track, too. We all know that weight training is a major part of sports training now, because it creates stronger and faster muscles.

In soccer weight training, the goal is not to add pounds of muscle mass. The goal is to have muscles that are strong, fast, and have outstanding endurance. Young players like Freddy Adu demonstrate that ideal very well. Upper body weight training for soccer is not nearly as important as weight training for the legs, but we still do it for overall strength and conditioning.

Let’s start our soccer weight training with the legs. Strong legs have the potential to be fast legs. A great example of that is Ben Johnson. I know everybody remembers him as the guy who set the world record in the 100 meters and then failed the drug test back in 1988. Another thing to remember about him is that he could do a front squat with 600 pounds, and that strength is a big reason why he was so fast.

For this weight training program, I recommend beginning with Squats. For a complete explanation of this lift and how to perform it, click here. Now we aren’t just going to do squats, but we are going to do 20 rep squats. That means that after a light warm-up set, you load the bar to a weight you think you can get 20 reps with. Let’s say that you are pretty strong, so you are going to begin with 220 pounds. You get under the bar, with it resting across your upper back, and stand up with it. Step back out of the racks and stand with your feet shoulder width apart or wider. Take a deep breath and hold it as you descend until your hips are slightly lower than the top of your knees. At that point, rise quickly to the full standing position and exhale. Repeat that for 20 reps no matter how tired you get. If it was easy, add some weight. If it was hard, then keep it the same, because that is how it is supposed to feel. Rest for about 5 minutes between sets and do 3 sets total. Take a break for about 5 to 10 minutes and then go to the leg curl machine to work on your hamstrings. You will be doing 4 sets of 15 reps. Here’s the catch. You will also be doing 4 sets of 15 reps on the Stiff-Legged Deadlift in between each set of Leg Curls. Your hamstrings are very important to your speed, so you want them to be very strong. Make sure to stretch them well between each set. Finish your leg workout with 3 sets of 25 reps on the Standing Calf raise machine.

Supplements for Soccer weight training

The upper body workout for the soccer weight training program will be done two days after the leg workout. You will alternate upper and lower body workouts like this: Lower body on day one, no training on day two, Upper body on day three, no training on day four, Lower body on day five, no training on day six or seven, Upper body on day eight, and so on. For example, you would train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week, alternating between Upper body and Lower body workouts.

The Upper body workout will begin with the Incline bench press. Warm up with a set of 10 repetitions and then add enough weight that your next set of 10 reps is difficult. Stay with that weight for 5 sets of 10 repetitions total, stretching your chest and shoulders and resting for about 2 minutes between each set. The second exercise for this portion of the Soccer weight training program is pull-ups. You may choose to grip the bar anyway you want, but I recommend doing them with your palms facing your body to work your biceps as well as your back. On this exercise you will be doing 5 sets, but the repetitions will vary. What I mean is that I want you to do a little less than your maximum possible for each set. If you can do 10 reps, I want you to do 8. If you could do 20, only do 15. If you can only do 5, do sets of 3. By doing this, you will be able to do all 5 sets, and eventually, you will be able to do more and more pull-ups each set. The last part of the upper body portion of this workout is to work your abs. Do 5 sets of 20 or more reps of leg raises. Then do 5 sets of 50 or more crunches or sit-ups to finish things up.

Okay, that’s the Soccer weight training program laid out for your. If you want to know about any of the exercises I have listed, or if you want to understand weight training a little better, go to the Bodybuilding Training section to learn more. Now I know that Soccer weight training is only a small part of the training necessary to become a great soccer player like Pele, or David Beckham, so if you want to learn all about how to become a great soccer player, I have a great program for you right here.

Good Luck with your training!