Athletic Conditioning Summer Workout
Start with Stretches EVERY DAY
3-Step Warm-up
– Step 1
- Aerobic activity: Perform a three minute, low-level aerobic activity, such as jogging, or technical work with the ball
– Step 2
- Dynamic Flexibility:
- These exercises incorporate active movements to stretch the hips and pelvic region targeting hamstrings, hip flexors, gluteus, and groin, which are important injury prevention in soccer.
- Do the following movements five times for each side or position:
- Hip Circles: Hands on hips, thrust pelvis out and rotate in a large circle (hula hoop style)
- Trunk Twist: With stationary pelvis, rotate at the trunk looking over the shoulder in the direction you are stretching.
- Alternate Toe Touches: With legs wide apart, alternate touching hand to the outside of the opposite little toe.
- Knee to Chest: Standing pull one knee to chest and hold for a three count. Reverse position.
- Heel to rear: Pull heel to rear and hold for a three count.
- Cradle Walk: Externally rotate leg, pulling the leg up at the ankle. Release and repeat
- Lateral Lunge with Reach: Step laterally and lower the body to form a 90-degree bend in the knee. Reach with your forearm on your blended knee side to touch your forearm to the ground. Then slowly bring your forearm up and reach with your arm skyward. Trail leg is straight stretching the groin area.
- Forward Leg Swings
- Lateral Leg Swings
- Hand Walks: Starting in a push up position, walk feet up to hands, then walk hands out to a push up position and repeat keep back flat.
– Step 3
- Movement Preparation: Exercises that imitate specific activities performed over a 20-yard distance
- Jog Forward
- Back Pedals
- Skip Forward/Backwards
- Jog Forward and circle arms forward
- Jog Forward and circle arms backwards
- Lateral shuffles, arms side-to-side crossing over body
- Carrioca: standard X-Overs
- Power skips
- scissors kicks
- Forward shuffle: Open hips, lift leg high externally, rotate hips stepping to 45-degrees. Recover and repeat with opposite leg. Perform with skipping motion
- Hip Crossover: Swing leg high upwards and inwards, rotating on forward leg and pivoting on planted leg, ending up facing the opposite direction. Repeat with opposite leg
- Back Drop Ground Touches: Shuffle backwards 45-degrees touching the ground. Recover and repeat opposite side
- Defensive back shuffles
- Wheat Pickers
- Heels to rear
- High knees
- Line steppers
Cardio M, W, F
Run 2 miles, morning, and evening. 4 miles total.
Cardio T, Tr
Run 1 mile morning and evening. 2 miles total.
18 total miles run each week
Cone Test: T, Tr
- Place a marker to indicate your starting point
- Place a marker at five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five yards
- Starting at the first cone, run out to the five and back, the ten and back, and so on
- Perform as fast as you can
- Rest thirty seconds. Repeat according to workout.
- If you are up to ten repetitions, add an extra 15 seconds of rest on 3, 6, and 8.
United States National Team Standard: M, W, F
8-10 repetitions at under 35 seconds each.
25’s
- Place a marker to indicate your starting point
- Set a marker 25 yards away
- Run out and back six times (300 yards total)
- Rest 45 seconds
- Repeat according to workout
USNT Standard: M, W, F
60-70 seconds per repetition.
40’s
- Place a marker to indicate your starting point
- Set a marker 40 yards away
- Run out and back three times (240 yards total)
- Try for your best time on each repetition
- Rest 45 seconds
- Repeat according to workout
USNT Standard: T, Tr
under 55 seconds per repetition.
120’s
- Run hard from one end of a soccer field to the other (100-120 yards): target 19-20 seconds
- Jog back to starting point in 30 seconds or less
- Rest an additional 30 seconds
- Repeat according to workout
USNT Standard: W, Tr
10 repetitions at 17-18 seconds each.
Stairs
- Find a set of stairs (indoor or outdoor) at least two stories high
- Sprint up the stairs and carefully jog down You will need to assess how hard of a workout the stairs are, depending on how many flights you are sprinting
Straightaway/Curve (SAC) M, F
- On a 400 meter track, sprint the straightaway (100 m), then jog the curve (100 m)
- Repeat according to workout (four laps = one mile)
Figure 8’s: Every Day
- On a soccer field, start in one corner and jog the sideline to the center line
- Sprint across the center line to the other sideline
- Jog that sideline to the opposite far corner
- Sprint across the end line in front of the goal to the sideline
- Jog the sideline back to the center line
- Sprint across the center line to the other sideline
- Jog last sideline to end line
- Sprint last end line to starting point One time around the field is one Figure 8 with four sprints.
Good to Great: Friday
This workout works best on a track or outside of a soccer field. If you are on a soccer field, you use the lines of the six-yard box, the 18-yd. box, and the center line. If you are on a track, you will need some sort of markers to set up the 6, 18, and 60 yard lines. Try to hit the listed times. Rest times begin right at the end of the target time. If you finish early, you get more rest time. If you take longer, you get less rest time.
Two laps (800 m) 3:20 (Three minutes, twenty seconds)
Rest 2:00
Shuttle Sprint :35 (Thirty-five seconds) 6 and back, 18 and back, 60 and back
Rest 1:00
One lap (400 m) 1:20
Rest 1:00
Shuttle Sprint :36
Rest 1:00
Shuttle Sprint :37
One lap 1:30
Rest 1:00
Shuttle Sprint :38
Rest 2:00
Two laps 3:30
This is a week to week conditioning program. Start at your level and increase until you can complete an entire set or even improve to add more sets. By the end of the summer/preseason (Whichever you are using this for) all athletes should be able to run two miles in twelve minutes, and should be in peak cardiovascular condition.
This program should be performed while also maintaining a regular schedule with ball skill drills throughout the program. Simple touches, working on foot speed, and adjusting your touches as your body is adjusting physically will enable you to not come back to the sport behind technically, but progressing continually.
Coach B Athletics 