Best Way Train for Soccer Fitness?

O.P.H

Been gettin back into soccer these days and finding it quite tough at times fitness wise. I am quite fit but recently just been focusing on increasing size with full body compound weights sessions every second day and cardio on every other day in between these weights days. Don't think I'll be changing my routine at the moment but if I were to, what is the best type of training to help with stamina and endurance in soccer. I reckon it has alot to do with your core, cause when you get to those final thirds of matches you begin to feel kinda sick if ya push yourself and especially defending, changing directions fast and sprinting stopping sprinting stoping, its a b!tch. If I were to change my sessions I'd like to keep up the weights which would mean I would'nt be able to do any kinda crossfit thing or circuit training for core strength as I need rest time away from weights for recovery. It would have to be just cardio and I only ever do HIIT for cardio. Is that enough for what I'm lookin for, maybe I just need to keep doin what I'm doin and in time I'll get there. Kinda waffling now but any ideas would be cool. Cheers.

O.P.H

Ok I'll simplify my question. I'm gonna keep doing my full body weights cause I wanna increase size and ya need strength for soccer anyway. But instead of the HIIT I'm thinkin of doin circuit/core training for extra core fitness and endurance. This would be made up of bodyweight exercises like push ups, sit ups, burpies etc etc all done in the usual circuit training manner of no breaks between exercises and 2 min break between sets.

My question is would this have a major negative effect on my recovery time after weight workouts and then effect size gains. I would be doin these workouts on days inbetween weights days.

What position ?

O.P.H

Well probably left wing which is the toughest position imo so need the old fitness to be the best it can be but dont wanna stop the weights for fitness training.

What level are we talking about here ? You should focus on sprints, core work, compound movements as you said, hiit training and throw in the odd long distance run.

In my experience, if you did that properly and consistantly, you'd be better off than a lot of the lads currently playing Sunday morning in the Leinster senior league.

PS: Midfield, 80% of the play is over your head so you may not even need to train that much at all. joke.

eroo

Forget about increasing size.. that should only be done in the off season. Focus on lifting heavy, and keeping that strength. For cardio, you should focus on interval training and/or fartlek training. Continous steady state runs, maybe 30-40 mins, could also be done once a week to maintain your aerobic fitness. Your other 2 systems will be worked with 'hiit'.

You don't need much size for soccer.. the emphasis should be on muscular endurance and aerobic/anaerobic systems.

O.P.H

Well I am lifting heavy, I do 5 x 5 full body sessions and HIIT on off days. So when I go back playing I would use soccer training sessions as the cardio and do the weights on the other days.

eroo

O.P.H wrote: »

Well I am lifting heavy, I do 5 x 5 full body sessions and HIIT on off days. So when I go back playing I would use soccer training sessions as the cardio and do the weights on the other days.

Do you do HIIT as well as weights and sessions?

You really only need 1 weights session in season, as that will maintain your strength.

O.P.H

At the moment I'm not playing soccer, just intend to go back to it soon. Right now I train every day, doing full body weights sessions every other day and HIIT on treadmill in between those days.

eroo

O.P.H wrote: »

At the moment I'm not playing soccer, just intend to go back to it soon. Right now I train every day, doing full body weights sessions every other day and HIIT on treadmill in between those days.

Well when your season starts, drop back to 1 weights session and drop at least 1 HIIT session. Otherwise you may overtrain. If your season starts soon, focus on conditioning yourself. If it's a couple of months away, then you could consider bulking up.

O.P.H

Hmmmmm....hmmmmmm....maybe. I'll see how it goes. Hate the idea of cutting back on the weights. I was hoping I could just replace the cardio in my current routine with whatever soccer training or games I do and then just do weights in bewtween that.

eroo

1 session will maintain the strength during pre season. Any more than that is asking a lot of your body imo.