3 Keys for in-season soccer strength training
Even if you believe that strength training is vital for soccer players, it is easy to get confused about why that is and how to structure it into the very specific expectations and minimal time allotments of the in-season schedule.
The truth is that, unfortunately, many clubs, teams, and players themselves do not utilize their off-season (click here for our article on off-season training!) to get stronger and improve their physical preparedness. This leaves a usually-short pre-season to “get fit again”, instead of transferring new-found strength into new-found power.
And that leaves us hanging in the in-season phase… how do we at least maintain strength when the schedule is busy and players are tired? How can we continue to train and stay healthy while not simply adding unnecessary load?
Let me offer three key staples of in-season programs to help you sort your strength training: Exercise Timing, Exercise Order, and Exercise Selection!
ALSO: if you’re not trying to do this whole programming thing yourself, check out our six-week INSZN training program for gaining strength and speed in the competitive phase, sent straight to your phone via the TrainHeroic app.
EXERCISE TIMING
In the in-season week, the most important appointment you have is Matchday.
That means that, in keeping with the motto “performance matters most”, everything revolves and is planned around Matchday, including strength training!
Generally speaking, for players with one game a week, Matchday falls on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. For away games, travel time and fatigue must also be accounted for.
This leaves six days to make the most of, the first two being Regeneration-Focused, followed by Training-Focused, and, lastly, Taper-Focused.
Regeneration-Focused: Matchday +1 and Matchday +2 hold a mid-intensity Upper Body Session and a complete off-day. Players who do go to the gym, whether to lift or do recovery work, should be in and out within 45 minutes. This is not a time to “improve” anything for athletes who spent more than 20 minutes on the pitch - it’s about managing fatigue and preparing them to train in the coming days.
Training-Focused: Matchday +3 is generally a Lower Body Lift day, with low reps and high intensity, good form and moving heavy weight. While some coaches term this “strength maintenance”, it is possible to improve strength in season with a good progression plan, as long as it does not take away from performance and add unnecessary load - the gym is always secondary to the pitch!
Matchday -3 can involve a Conditioning Session, preferably at high intensity at moderate distance. Most athletes are getting more than enough conditioning (endurance training) on the pitch during team training, so adding more endurance work is rarely necessary in the in-season. Rather, a mid-distance intensity run (think Tempos) can be beneficial on this day.
Taper-Focused: Matchday -2 is a Power and Speed Day. High Intensity, Low Reps. Sprint and technical sessions generally fit into this day.
Likewise, Matchday -1, the day before Matchday, is strictly for “Priming” - to read a more in-depth summary of Priming How-To’s, check out my earlier article on the subject). This is a quick session with the goal of activating players’ neuromuscular systems and preparing them to perform the following day. If travel is involved, this session may have to be simplified and can take place in a hotel hallway or outside. Low reps, high intensity, maximum 30 minutes of power and some strength work, and get out.
EXERCISE ORDER
Fatigue and load management are major themes for sport scientists and strength coaches during the in-season, as we need to regulate how much total volume an athlete takes on during the week (i.e. matches + weight training + team training + travel + stress + decision fatigue, etc.).
The order of exercises again comes back to fatigue and load management; the most tiring, explosive, and technically-driven sections of workouts should come first.
(Disclaimer: there are many ways to program, but that’s not the point of this article. Here is an overly-simplified blueprint for how to structure training in a smart manner.)
Warm-Up: this should go without saying. Since we are usually tight on time in the in-season gym sessions, I use warm-ups to assess my athletes as they move, to prepare them, and to get their (p)rehab in.
Speed/Power: this is the most tiring section of the workout to the nervous system in-season, so it goes first. It’s usually minimal reps. High intensity. Great form. Plenty of rest.
(Here is a video on speed training for field and court sports, in case you need to get caught up!)
Strength: this comes after power; it’s slower-moving, because the weight should be heavy, and less exhausting and explosive. Form should be great; this is not a time to set PRs, only to stay strong. I usually structure with one main lift for the session, followed by 3-4 sets of accessory lifts.
Conditioning: if this is a necessary part of your gym session, it should go last. It’s tiring, yes, but it’s not explosive, as most coaches require endurance work or shuttles. As form and speed aren’t really issues here, it belongs at the end.
Skill/Sport-Specific: preferably your team- and skill-training sessions are not directly after your gym sessions. If so, aim to do those before conditioning. If not, maximize recovery between sessions to get the most out of both - YES, you can do both in one day and still get benefits!
EXERCISE SELECTION
While there are no true “best exercises” for in-season soccer players to have in their workouts, I heavily ride for Deadlifts (Hex or BB), Pull-Ups, Front Squats, Incline Chest Press, Bulgarian/Split Squats, and Dumbbell RDLs/single-leg ham work. These are staples of our in-season training programs for all field and court sport athletes!
The most important thing to recognize, however, is that too much variation in-season is a bad thing. The reason players mostly get “the same” workouts (i.e. the same or very similar exercises each week) is because of adaption; the body gets used to the exercises you regularly do, and that is a good thing. It means the body is becoming stronger and more resilient, and those exercises should be sport-relevant and across all planes of motion.
Variation gets in the way of this by breaking up the pattern - stop changing your exercises! They should change with the cycle, the season, and your psychophysiological needs.
Who doesn’t want to be continually stronger and more resilient in the demands of their sport?
Exactly.