Programming during the soccer season?

[Huskalator]

Hi,

I am an amateur soccer player and I'm curious what kind of programming I should follow during the soccer season.

My weekly game load is a easy going beer-and-pretzels old man game on Thursdays then a full field very intense and competitive game every Sunday. I play midfield so I run a lot. I have been doing SS for the past two months but it doesn't seem optimal to continue with that during the season(or maybe it is?)

What should I be doing to keep my fitness during the season while also not burning myself out? I don't necessarily care too much about optimal performance on Thursdays but Sunday I need to be on my game.

Thanks!

[Joe Jaloszynski]

Just try it and see what happens.

[Huskalator]

Just try it and see what happens.

Tried it. I am much slower, fatigue easily, and generally very stiff. The level of my play has taken a nose dive.

Any ideas? I'm thinking of calling this experiment a failure and going back to sprints + ab work to prep for season.

[Joe Jaloszynski]

Tried it. I am much slower, fatigue easily, and generally very stiff. The level of my play has taken a nose dive.

Any ideas? I'm thinking of calling this experiment a failure and going back to sprints + ab work to prep for season.

Maybe a heavy day on Tuesdays and a light day on Friday. Maybe.

[Eric Larousse]

definitely this^

[Brian Sloan]

Tried it. I am much slower, fatigue easily, and generally very stiff. The level of my play has taken a nose dive. Any ideas? I'm thinking of calling this experiment a failure

Don't get discouraged. VO2 max tends to improve or worsen very quickly since it's mostly dependent on chemical adaptations rather than structural ones. It'll take a few games to come back. Do the 2 day lifting/2 day playing schedule for a month, and make your decision on the 4th Sunday.

[Gerhard]

Prioritise what matters. Soccer would seem to be that at the moment. Therefore, a reduced frequency and manageable model of weekly intensity and volume should be applied.

Consider, what you need from a cardiovascular perspective on the pitch. You aren't just sprinting, you are using many different energy systems during a 90 minute game. Sprints are good, but I'd recommend incorporating other protocols such as maybe Fartlek training and duration Tempo training.

For strength, stick to the basics. 2x frequency, U/L. Choose your primary exercise for heavy work, say work up to a heavy set of 3-5, do a couple of backoffs. Choose your secondary exercise for a few lighter sets, and do some assistance to cover all the basis.

Upper:

- Bench: 3-5 heavy set, 2-3 backoffs @ 5-10% less
- Press: 3-4 x 6-8
- Arms
- Upper Back

Lower:

- Squat: 3-5 heavy set, 2-3 backoffs @ 5-10% less
- Light Pulling Variant: 3-4x 6-8
- Unilateral (for Soccer specificity) Leg Work (get on dat dere TA muscle too!)
- Core Stability Work
- Some GHR if possible

[DeriHughes]

Hi,

I am an amateur soccer player and I'm curious what kind of programming I should follow during the soccer season.

My weekly game load is a easy going beer-and-pretzels old man game on Thursdays then a full field very intense and competitive game every Sunday. I play midfield so I run a lot. I have been doing SS for the past two months but it doesn't seem optimal to continue with that during the season(or maybe it is?)

What should I be doing to keep my fitness during the season while also not burning myself out? I don't necessarily care too much about optimal performance on Thursdays but Sunday I need to be on my game.

Thanks!

How old is "old man"? Height / weight / current lifts / food intake / rate of change of bodyweight are also useful data

I'd lean towards a twice a week Heavy-Light set-up (Heavy on Tuesday and Light on Friday) but hard to make any concrete recommendation without the above info.

[squatguy]

Hi,

I am an amateur soccer player and I'm curious what kind of programming I should follow during the soccer season.

My weekly game load is a easy going beer-and-pretzels old man game on Thursdays then a full field very intense and competitive game every Sunday. I play midfield so I run a lot. I have been doing SS for the past two months but it doesn't seem optimal to continue with that during the season(or maybe it is?)

What should I be doing to keep my fitness during the season while also not burning myself out? I don't necessarily care too much about optimal performance on Thursdays but Sunday I need to be on my game.

Thanks!

i'm always conservative with my training and lean toward abbreviated and super-abbreviated

for example my current program, i am in week 6 and doing it for 12, i am lifting like this:

monday: squat, 1rm and 10rm, add 5lbs
tuesday: bench, 1rm and 8rm, add 5lbs
wednesday: deadlift, 1rm, 5rm, add 10lbs to 1rm and 5lbs to 5rm
friday: squat, 1rm and 10rm, add 5lbs

althought last week i had toskip the friday squat session and combined the bench and deadlift into wednesday

i might take out the friday squats out completely and move my bench press to that day, so it will be squat monday dead wed and bench fri, one lift a day,

but let's see how i handle this week after taking last friday off, whcih is effectively a 5 day break. my monday squats were amazing, and with the belt, it felt amazing with that short break and the belt

so for you i would say, during season, lift only on a single day, and with 1 or 2 lifts at a max

lift for example tuesday, squat and deadlift, play thursday, play sunday

to me, more than 1 session a week and you will be really hard coring it.

go slower, you will still make progress on a once a week program, and when soccer is over go hard again with just lifting

once a week, two

[Frankie]

Tried it. I am much slower, fatigue easily, and generally very stiff. The level of my play has taken a nose dive.

Any ideas? I'm thinking of calling this experiment a failure and going back to sprints + ab work to prep for season.

How long did you try it for my man?