Soccer-Specific Strength and Fitness Training - Warm Up, Stretching, and Flexibility

An adequate warm up program is an important part of any stretching and flexibility regime. The correct balance of warm up and stretching an integral component of any soccer specific strength and fitness training program. Injury prevention is a critical consideration and and important reason behind an individualized warm up, stretching, and flexibility program. Prior in order to initiating a workout program, a routine soccer practice or a match, the soccer athlete must be warmed up and have stretched for a period of between fifteen and thirty minutes, not simply to reduce the chance of injury, but to improve training results and match performance.

The proper warm up routine has several important elements. The elements of a properly structured warm up and stretching regimen must be integrated into a holistic strategy designed to effectively engage all the various muscles of the body in such a way as to be prepared for maximum performance ahead of the workout, practice or competition. Every muscle and muscle group needs to be working fully and together warmed up to be able to reduce the chance of injury, regardless of whether it's because of stress, trauma or strain.

Why is warming up so critical to the overall success of a training program?

Proper warm up before training is vital for a lots of reasons and is responsible for a myriad of benefits. The properly designed warm up routine prepares the athlete, mentally and physically, for peak performance and for physically demanding, mental and physical exertion. While generally there are reasons which are many for this, the most important may be the fact that warm up increases the body's metabolism and core temperature. As a consequence of an overall increase in temperature, there is accordingly a rise in the heat of the various muscles involved in competition and training. Increased muscle temperature, and the associated increase in blood flow, allows for muscles which are ready for strenuous activity, fully fueled, being oxygenated, and supple. Moreover, the warm up will also have a positive, overall cardiovascular effect, increasing both lung and heart function and allowing for even more complete delivery of oxygen and energy providing nutrients to the musculature during periods of peak demand. Once more, this has a ripple effect and the connective tissue, so at risk during periods of strenuous activity, to be warmed up and prepared for activity ahead of the workout as well as competition. The latter is really important, as many sports-related injuries are connective tissue based, as in ACL injuries!

How to Develop a Warm-up Program for a Soccer Related Strength and Fitness Training Program

There are various factors and considerations that come into play when designing a soccer-related strength and fitness training program. Along with diet and nutrition, stretching, warm-up, and flexibility are essential to the entire success of the program. For that reason, we will spend quite a bit of time on the proper warm up design and integration in this article.

It's a given, or perhaps should anyway, it's very important to start with the gentlest and simplest movements and tasks first. The idea is to move from a single motion and movement to the next, a general build taking place, and just as before a ripple effect leading to a fully engorged and oxygenated musculature prior to intense activity. The process of easy to difficult, slow to faster motions and activities, each building and compounding upon additional, fully engaging the athlete's body and optimizing performance regardless of the task involved.

The body, if properly engaged and warmed up, will be at its physical and mental peak prior to intense activity and also the demands of soccer related performance, whether for strength and exercise training, practice or even match play. With the body at peak readiness, optimally engaged mentally and physically, the likelihood of soccer-specific, sports related injuries will have been minimized and the soccer athlete can continue into the training or the competitive area fully prepared. The next step, now that we understand why...is how!

The 4 Parts of a good Soccer-Specific Strength and Fitness Training Warm-up

The very first stage is a basic, overall warm up program. The next stage is static stretching and differs from the third stage, that of soccer-specific stretching and warm up. The fourth stage is dynamic stretching, stretching used to engage and involve the entire musculature, synergistically. The 4 parts are just as essential to the entire success of the program, one building upon all the other, all just as vital. The components come together, in a lot exactly the same way as muscles do, synergistically, all four working in unison to prep the body, physically and mentally; and, also preparing the soccer athlete for whatever is to come. Once again, this process was created to ensure the soccer-athlete has minimal exposure and consequently risk of sports related injuries.

Stage One: overall and General Fitness and Strength Training Warm-up

The general, general warm-up consists of gentle, minimally demanding physical activity. I recommend jogging, no faster that a brisk walk, generally for 400 meters or one quarter of a mile. We then jump on the stationary bike, increasing the intensity and duration from a low tension setting and a duration 2 minutes, to an impressive of medium range tension for as much as 20 minutes; and, in winter we start with the stationary bike. The level of difficulty and also the length of your time on the bike is generally determined during testing and is determined by the soccer-athlete's overall level of fitness. A good indicator that the athlete is starting to warm-up is a reasonable sweat and maybe an elevated heart rate and respiration. The heart rate and respiration are tracked by chart at the coming of the program then weekly; this will help in establishing overall training results, and also will help in watching for signs of overtraining.

The main goal of stage one is to boost the pulse and respiration, an indication that blood and oxygen have been moved at a faster rate through the body. As reported, increased heart rate and respiration will thus increase blood circulation to the muscles and provide for oxygenation and energy source to the muscles during strenuous physical training. The increased nutrients and blood flow for the muscles also helps elevate the entire body and muscle temperature; and, this in turn will provide for a better static stretching stage.

Stage Two: Stepping it Up and Static Stretching

Stage 2 is the static stretching phase and is really the basis for overall flexibility. Given the value of the static stretch, and of flexibility generally, it is always interesting how few soccer athletes engage in it...or any other stretching routine for that matter. Static stretching is constant, easy, and slow stretching of the various muscles groups and is usually very safe; and, it's a really efficient and powerful means of achieving overall flexibility. The largest issue with stretching is in the form and the carry out, how the stretches are actually carried out. The proper way is in a long, one of constant, ballistic-free motion and applied pressure to a certain muscle or perhaps group of muscles. If done properly, the static stretch is very safe and quite beneficial. During the second stage of the warm-up and stretching program, the static stretch must include the many major muscle groups, working from biggest to smallest muscles groups then back again. The entire regimen will generally last from 5 to fifteen minutes, at first; and, taking somewhat less time as training progresses.

So as to properly stretch the muscles during the static phase of stretching, the athlete's body must remain in a position in which the muscle or even muscle group is under constant, applied tension. To begin with, the muscle or even muscle group to be statically stretched is relaxed. Additionally, the opposing muscle groups also are relaxed. The opposing muscles consist of those muscles "in front of" and "behind" the target muscle or perhaps muscle group. Then, carefully and with deliberation, the athlete carefully and slowly places the body under pressure, with focus on the location to be stretched, increasing overall tension to the muscle, or perhaps muscle group. At the point of greatest tension, the stretch is held in place, making it possible for the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to stretch and, when feasible, to lengthen. This stage of the soccer related, strength and fitness training program is extremely great at advancing flexibility. Stage two assists in lengthening muscles and tendons, and in a synergistic fashion impacts ligaments too. The static stretching makes for a greater degree of movement and range of motion. This stage is critical in sports related injury prevention, as it, once again allows for a strengthening, as well as the aforementioned lengthening of muscles and tendons.

Stage one and stage 2 form the foundation for what'll follow. The first through fourth stages form a general and effective soccer-specific warm up and stretching program. The actual warm up and stretching program thus laying the foundation for the training to follow. It's essential that the first 2 stages be completed completely and in the proper fashion before increasing the intensity and moving into stages three and four. The right implementation of stages one and 2 will provide for effective and safe exercise in stages 3 and 4.

Stage Three: Soccer Specific Warm-up and Stretch

In general, if the focus of the warm-up and stretching was on practice and match play, we would now move to paired stretches and various warm ups designed to be competition specific. Nevertheless, because this is largely focused on physical fitness and strength education for soccer-athletes, we often up the level of the stretching to include one more round of static stretching, followed by a number of isotonic related stretches. The main focus in stage 3 must be inside out, largest to smallest and back in. That's, for top of the body a compilation of stretches including the back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, wrists, and hands. The neck is great and important very care needs to be taken when stretching the neck for obvious, and never so obvious reasons. The neck has a range of tiny muscles and muscles groups but, as Woody Hayes once pointed out to me, "as the neck goes, so goes the body." While Coach Hayes is obviously a legendary football coach, but his lesson wasn't lost on his pupil (yours truly). The neck must always get special attention and, as a soccer player, the neck plays a lot of roles, its importance can't be overstated. After the top of body along with the neck, the lower body is next. Included in the lower body are stretches for the gluteus maximus and minimus, the hips, quadraceps, hamstrings, calves, ankles, and feet. Lastly, the abdominals must be focused on, and they receive special attention because, like the neck, they are a determining factor in the entire operation of the body.

Obviously, the stretching program can and often does take up an entire training session, particularly in the beginning and until the routine is set. There are myriad stretches available and any number of them will suffice. Nonetheless, in case you would like to end up with a personalized program, one effective and designed just for you, you will need to engage the services of a professional, and experienced (they are not always the same), strength and fitness coach, one experienced in dealing with soccer athletes, in particular.

By the time the athlete has completed stage three, he or even she should be perspiring and the heart rate of theirs and respiration should be significantly elevated. The thought is usually to add the warm-up and stretching into the general conditioning program is such a way that it has a number of cascading affects and effects on the entire body of the athlete, all with one thing in mind, optimizing overall development and match performance gains. Put simply, it's my desire to see them manage to put it on the pitch!

Stages Four: Soccer Related Strength and Fitness Training, Warm up and Dynamic Stretching

Ultimately, the proper warm-up must culminate in a series of exercises known as dynamic stretching exercises or perhaps just as dynamic stretches. Significantly, dynamic stretches often end up in injury. The primary reason for the increased incidence of injuries due to dynamic stretching has to do with athletes who are not trained properly by coaches who are experienced in working with soccer athletes, or athletes generally speaking, or the athletes themselves simply do not adhere to training guidelines. For the reasons stated above, dynamic stretching should just be engaged in when training with a skilled physical fitness and strength instructor; and, not simply somebody who likes to work out and thought it may be an excellent business to get into! Dynamic stretching has to do with what I refer to as neuro-muscular coordination and is about muscle conditioning, instead of simply flexibility, as the name would appear to imply. The dynamic stretch regimen is generally designed and best suited for top level amateur and professional soccer-athletes, those individuals that are well-trained, and are soccer news real madrid highly-conditioned, competitive athletes. A dynamic stretch routine is usually implemented as a last, ultimate step in a flexibility program adhered to for quite some time and it's evident to trainer and trainee that the "next-level" is appropriate.

Dynamic stretching usually involves movement which is controlled, a bouncing or perhaps pendulum motion, forcing the muscle beyond its normal range of motion. Gradually and over time the level of bounce and also the range of the swing is heightened and increased to achieve an exaggerated range of motion and enhanced flexibility. The most effective illustration of this done in an incorrect fashion may be when young athletes attempt to stretch their hamstrings, one foot crossed in front of additional, bouncing up and down to stretch the biceps femoris. Done in this fashion, the young athlete may cause a micro tearing of the hamstring and risk injury that is serious. But they see others do it and they model the behavior. A formula for disaster...or at the very minimum a blown hamstring! During stage four, it is essential that the athlete integrate dynamic stretches that are soccer-specific. Stage 4 the culmination of the soccer specific, warm up, stretching and flexibility program and will lead to the soccer athlete achieving peak physical and mental preparation prior to training and/or match play. At this stage in the training session, the trainee is prepared for the what will come next, the rigors of an intense soccer specific, strength and physical fitness training program.

Lastly, the most neglected aspect of any training regimen, the warm up and stretching, must come first. Without adequate preparation, both physical and mental, the soccer athlete can't hope to achieve peak performance and optimal training gains. The 4 stage training program is a workout in and of itself and definately will generally take between forty-five and twenty-five minutes to work through. As the trainee becomes used to the routine, its system and the rigors of its, the amount of time it requires to get through it's lessened. Oddly enough, as time lessens, intensity increases...but so does the fitness level of the athlete. Thus, when integrating and off-season, soccer specific strength and fitness training program into your training routine, it is imperative you recognize the significance of diet and nutrition, combined with the right warm-up and flexibility regimen. With the above 2 components in place, we're ready to move on to the next ingredient, the actual soccer specific strength and physical fitness training program.