Mike Staropoli
Physical therapist, founder of GOAL, passionate about ACL rehab and Manchester United.
Consistency of effort over the long run is everything.
Angela Duckworth, “Grit”
If you’d like to check out the published article and are a subscriber to NESJ, click here: 3 Myths on Soccer Fitness.
Today, there are a large amount of soccer training options to subscribe to or follow ranging from skills, fitness, trick shots and exercises. Although beneficial, ultimately it can create some confusion about what is important and what may or may not be true. As always, the best preparation for soccer is the game itself. Building on top of that, we wanted to clear up 3 fitness-based myths in physical perpetration for the soccer player.
Myth #1: Jogging high volume miles is necessary to be match fit.
A large aerobic base is an important component to meet the energy demands of a soccer match. For example, many players think that it is important to run 3-5 miles at a time to be fit to play. However, the intermittent nature of soccer includes high intensity efforts matched with jogging and walking allowing for opportunity to recover and produce maximal effort at a moment’s notice. The greater efficiency in recovery between these moments a player has, the higher likelihood the player will be ready to seize the next game changing opportunity.
Considering these points, developing conditioning and fitness around the variable nature of the game can be more beneficial and promote greater adaptability and preparation. The addition of high volume of steady state jogging undoubtedly promotes a greater aerobic engine however at slower paces which our body adapts to. This isn’t to say this type of training is bad as we occasionally program it with our soccer players at various times of year. That being said, there are more optimal and more sport specific ways we can take advantage of preparation for soccer using a larger amount of high intensity intervals while minimizing the longer time and impact steady state running creates. Two examples of both long and short high intensity intervals are: long- 3-4x 800m with 2 minute rest; short- 2x 4 min of 5s max, 25s rest.
Myth #2: Lifting weights will make you gain weight.
This is pretty common discussion we have both in physical therapy and our training clients. A common misconception around gym-based training and lifting weights is that you’ll gain weight and get slower (next myth). When we break this down and look at some of the science behind this, we can conclude that it is quite the opposite.
The weight gain stigma can be answered quite simply. Whether looking to gain or lose weight, this goal is not primarily accomplished in the gym. It is achieved in the kitchen. With the foundation of a healthy well balance diet, an excess of calorie intake will lead to net gain in weight. It is actually that simple. The majority of clients we work with that have weight gain goals and have difficulty with it are eating less than they think they are. That being said, unless you start eating in surplus of your energy expenditure during practice, matches and training, you likely will not be adding to the scale. Properly developed and coached training programs for soccer players can and should be developed around improving movement quality, reducing injury and force generating qualities of strength, power and speed to be utilized on the pitch. No need body builders here.
Myth #3: Lifting weights will make you slower.
We now know a soccer match is comprised of intermittent bouts of high intensity efforts and speeds paired with change of direction, jumping, jogging and walking. The game defining moments are often those of evading a defender to score or making a strong tackle. These moments require high force output.
Research from Peter Weyand out of SMU has shown, when evaluating elite sprinters, that higher sprint speeds are achieved with greater ground reaction forces meaning how much force we put into the ground when we run. Essentially, the greater force you produce, the faster you sprint. Having the ability to generate greater force, developed in the gym, can be largely influential on a player’s ability to move faster and more efficient on the pitch.
Time spent in the gym can be incredibly valuable. It one area of a player’s game that is often neglected. Coupled with high intensity interval training to improve soccer fitness, you will see results on the field and that these myths don’t hold up.
If you want to learn more about how valuable off-season training is, check out our article on it here.