Weight Training For Soccer - Improve Strength and Endurance

Win the challenges for the ball with explosive power

Weight training for soccer is not about building huge muscles. It is about:

Upper Body Strength

Aids in complete explosive power.
Helps you shield the ball from the opposition.
Helps you gain position on your opposition.
Helps you throw well on throw-ins.
Helps to prevent injury.

Lower Body Strength

For powerful shots and firm passes.
Jump above others to win head balls.
Firm tackling to steal the ball.
Improved agility.
Improved speed and acceleration.
Helps to prevent injury.

Performance

To be a quality soccer player you need to be a complete athlete. No other sport requires the physical strength and lung capacity that soccer does. You have to be able to run short distances of 10 to 20 yards quickly, but you also need the endurance to last 90 minutes of a soccer match. You also need to be able to hold off the opposition and win challenges for the ball. These skills require more than just lifting heavy weights. It requires balancing your weight training for soccer to include all parts of your body.

How to Train

You cannot just go to the gym and do the normal 3 sets of 10 repetitions of all the standard exercises and get soccer fit. If you think so, you are kidding yourself. Bodybuilders do that to build size and strength. Your goal is different. Unless you want to be a huge bodybuilder, with little agility, and no flexibility. Hey, you could be a huge pylon!

Your training should include:

Weights to increase strength and power.
Circuit training. This provides 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. With any smart soccer strength training or soccer speed training program, you need a healthy diet. You can build your strength and agility, but without the energy to go along with it just won't matter.

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

Wayne MacLean has over 30 years of experience in the game of soccer. As a soccer coach, soccer player, soccer referee, and all-around soccer fan, Wayne is now adding a new dimension to his love of soccer. He now writes many articles and creates soccer videos to help those that are involved in soccer, are new to soccer, or just want to know more about soccer. Check out my Weight Training for Soccer page.