4 min readTHE FIFA WORLD CUP has taken over North America, and, like so many others, you might have caught football fever. Whether you’re itching to hit your local park for some pickup soccer or you’re already a regular at a rec league, you should consider that there’s more to a good game than just lacing up and hitting the pitch. Especially if you’re beyond your school age days, you can—and should—train for the characteristics that will keep you competitive and healthy in the gym, too.
One of the most underrated characteristics (for soccer, at least) is strength. We’re not talking about the same type of absolute strength you might usually associate with gym workouts, where lifting heavy weights for their own sake is the goal. Instead, the objective is to make yourself stronger in key areas that will help to improve your game and to help bulletproof your body against injuries. This is athleticism training, which will have payoffs beyond just the pitch, too.
Use this four-exercise workout created by MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. to get ready for your World Cup-inspired exploits. You can perform the whole series up two to three times per week—and along with plenty of time on the pitch, your game will be even stronger.
The World Cup Soccer Strength Workout
Staggered Stance Romanian Deadlift
3 sets of 6 to 8 reps per side
This is all about hip extension, Samuel says. The RDL targets your posterior chain, which has the big muscles that are the engine for sports performance. “That is going to be the way that you set up for speed and power on the pitch,” he says.
How to Do It: Start holding the bar at hip level, with your feet staggered. Raise your back heel off the floor, with your toes lined up with your front foot’s heel. All of your weight should be on your planted leg. Push your butt back and lower your torso down, keeping the bar close to your body. Stand back up into hip extension, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Walking Lunge
3 sets of 20 yards
Build even more unilateral strength here. “You are going to be in a lot of tricky positions when you are on the soccer field, so getting some single-leg work is going to help with balance,” Samuel says. He also mentions how important deceleration (slowing down under control) is to sports training—and how lunges are a great way to train that.
How to Do It: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a pair of dumbbells at hip-level. Squeeze your glutes, and, and shoulder blades, keeping your gaze neutral at a point straight ahead of you. Step forward and slightly out with one leg, landing with your heel first. Avoid slamming your knee into the ground. Keep your chest in an upright position, bending your knees to form right angles with both of your legs. Turn on your forward glute muscle to help protect your knees. Drive off the ground with your front heel to drive up, stepping forward into the next rep with your rear foot cycling forward. Keep your torso in a solid upright position by squeezing your core to stay balanced.
Lateral Lunge
3 sets of 8 reps per side
Strength can help you maximize performance—but it’s also extremely important to help prevent injuries. One of the most common sports injuries is in the adductors, the muscles of your inner thighs that move your legs in toward your midline, which can take a beating as you change direction. For more of a challenge, have a partner push you into position.
How to Do It: Start holding a dumbbell in one hand. Step out a few feet with your opposite leg, taking a relatively large step. Land under control. Keeping your other leg straight, bend your knee and push your butt back, lowering slowly, aiming to get your thigh parallel to the ground. Then explosively drive up and to the left back to a standing position.
Kettlebell Swing
3 sets of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off
This exercise is about power, which is important for bursts of activity on the pitch. It will also be a sneaky effective conditioning move.
How to Do It: Start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you. Push you butt back, then lean over to grip the bell's handle. Hold on tightly. Squeeze your shoulder blades, then shift your arms to turn the pits of your elbows outward. Squeeze your abs to create tension. Keep your eyes on the floor to maintain a neutral spine. "Hike" the weight back between your legs, keeping your knees slightly bent. Keep your arms straight. Stand straight up, locking your knees, and aggressively squeeze your glutes to perform the swing. Keep your arms loose, like ropes connecting yourself to the kettlebell. Don't aim for a certain point; allow the momentum to determine how high the bell goes. Allow the weight to fall back down, back through your legs.
Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men's Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
