To help you maximize your soccer practice, we asked personal trainers and other workout enthusiasts what are the best workouts for a soccer player. From box jumps to uphill sprints, there are several exercises below that will increase your strength, agility, and overall fitness, specifically for becoming the best soccer player you can be.
Here are nine workouts that will drive the best results for playing soccer:
. Mountain Climbers
. Box Jumps
. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
. Swimming
. Calf Raises
. Cone Drills
. Single Leg Squats
. Yoga and Stretching
. Uphill Sprints
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are a fast and easy exercise that is great for soccer players or players of any sport.
They’re easy to do, require no equipment and are a great way to build up your stamina, which is essential for field sports. You can add this exercise to your Tabata or HIIT routine if you want to maximize your efforts, and increase your calorie burn.
Overall Mountain Climbers are a perfect exercise for soccer, that targets the muscles most used for play while building up your stamina at the same time.
Soji James, Certified Personal Trainer, 1AND1 Life
Box Jumps
You can perform box jumps with or without weight, making them a versatile exercise for any fitness level.
To perform a box jump, stand in front of a stable box or platform that is around knee height. Bend your knees and hips to lower your body into a quarter squat position, then extend your legs and hips to jump onto the box. Land with both feet on the box, absorbing the impact through your legs. Step down from the box and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Box jumps are an excellent way to build lower-body strength and power. Box jumps also help to improve your coordination and balance, two essential skills for any soccer player. In addition, box jumps are a great way to build endurance.
Antreas Koutis, Administrative Manager, Financer
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
One of the best workouts for soccer players is using HIIT training to help boost their endurance and give them the ability to push themselves beyond their limits.
Training this way is also great for increasing your heart rate in bursts with short rest periods in between. This creates an extended energy level throughout your entire match and more stamina to continue performing at your best.
HIIT workouts can push one’s limit by exercising at 80% of your maximum heart rate for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between. Other methods include 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest, etc.
The point behind it is to improve endurance, strength, and stamina by maximizing your effort in a specific period of time and alternating between high heart rate and short rest periods, making it super effective for soccer players.
John Gardner, Co-Founder & CEO, Kickoff
Swimming
Swimming is a great exercise to increase your whole body’s speed.
Moving efficiently in water requires the support of many muscle groups. This helps to develop the muscles of your entire body and makes you more active and faster.
Plus, moving in water requires more strength, which will increase your stamina. Therefore, it allows you to learn how to balance your body while moving around on the field.
Further, you can try kicking in the surrounding water, which I think is great for building up your kicking power. And it also improves your leg strength, which is critical for a sport consisting mostly of running.
Kenny Kline, President & Financial Lead, BarBend
Calf Raises
You can stretch and strengthen your legs efficiently by performing standing calf raises. Your ability to jump higher and run faster will improve because of this activation in your calf muscles. It also helps enhance your balance and lowers the likelihood that you may suffer from ankle and foot sprains or injuries.
This exercise does not require any special equipment; however, some people choose to raise a light dumbbell or kettlebell for additional resistance while performing the exercise.
Steve Pogson, Founder & E-Commerce Strategy Lead, FirstPier
Cone Drills
A cone drill is a traditional way to train soccer players. You can do this exercise in virtually endless ways, but they all emphasize quick and fluid movement.
The main need for this method of training is that you master abrupt direction changes without losing speed. This style of training is the perfect answer for soccer players who want to cover the greatest distance in the shortest amount of time.
You should work on your high crawling, side hustles, and rapid jumps. With this routine, you will improve your speed, agility, and balance. Cone drills can help enhance the performance of soccer players with regular dedication.
Kurt Uhlir, Chief Marketing Officer, Kurt Uhlir
Single Leg Squats
Athletes of all ages know that playing soccer is a great method to enhance their body coordination, boost their endurance, and keep in shape because it is a fun and competitive team activity.
But if you’re not prepared, you run the danger of getting hurt, just like with any physical activity. Every athlete should understand the value of performing strengthening and conditioning activities, regardless of whether or not it is the off-season.
The hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and glutes are just a few of the core leg muscles that single-leg squats target. These exercises promote balance, coordination, and leg strength so you can maintain a good running form and enhanced performance all around.
Additionally, it lessens the possibility of developing common injuries like runner’s knees and leg soreness. Anyone can perform a single-leg squat at home, especially since no additional equipment is needed.
Brad Burnie, Founder, Starships
Yoga and Stretching
As a lifelong soccer player myself, I can attest to how vital it has been for me to do yoga with everything I do on the field.
Soccer is a sport that involves lots of sprinting and quick start-and-stop motions. Therefore, the muscles can easily get tight and even bulky. Quick stretches before and after the games weren’t cutting it.
Once I started doing yoga throughout the week, my body felt tremendous relief. Not only was I able to move more fluidly, but I also got injured less!
I credit this to my muscles and tendons being looser from the regular stretching and strengthening that yoga gives me. In conclusion, I have found yoga to be an immense support to my overall soccer game.
Lionel Mora, CEO, Neoplants
Uphill Sprints
From personal experience, one of the best activities for soccer players looking to increase their performance is speed hill training.
Theoretically, this form of training on hills can appear easy, but if you can picture running while you’re doing weights, that’s how it feels. The slope makes the sprint challenging and makes you work even harder.
This resistant exercise, when performed properly, combines speed and strength training to provide several advantages, including enhancing explosiveness, developing ankle strength, and building stamina. These soccer team workouts can help you as a coach develop the mental toughness and goal-setting skills of your players.
Leonidas Sfyris, CTO, Need A Fixer
