STRENGTH TRAINING PRINCIPLES

To design an effective strength training program, you must first understand the principles of strength
training. There are three basic principles: overload, specificity and progression.

In order to develop and improve whole-body strength you must overload the body. That is, you must
subject the body to a stress that it is not accustomed to.

As will be mentioned, it is also important that any gains in strength translate to an increased performance
on the field. The exercises you choose must therefore be specific and must mimic the movement patterns
of the sport.

The muscles and body adapts to strenuous exercise by getting stronger. So, to continuously make gains, it
is important that you progress the training program. For example, when developing basic strength, if a
player can perform more than 12 repetitions then you must progress that exercise. Progressing an exercise
can be done in many ways: i) increasing the load; ii) doing a more difficult variation of the same exercise;
iii) incorporating it into a compound or superset; or iv) decreasing the rest periods between sets.

STRENGTH TRAINING GOALS FOR SOCCER PLAYERS

Strength training is a very wide-spread discipline that encompasses a variety of training methods that can
be used, depending on your objective. For example, body-builders use strength training with the ultimate
goal of muscle hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass). Participating in a strength training program will
undoubtedly produce a stronger athlete, but it is important that the exercises we choose translate into an
increased performance on the soccer field. That is, we must determine how strength training can affect the
development of speed, agility, power and other conditioning components, and implement strength training
exercises that will enhance these components.

Developing Basic Strength

Basic strength simply refers to how strong you are. It is a relative concept and it usually expressed in
terms of body weight. The first goal in soccer is to develop basic strength, as this will provide a strength
foundation to do more complex training methods, as well as increase the body’s overall work capacity.
Without a solid foundation, the body will not gain the benefits from more demanding training methods
such as plyometric exercises, and is more likely to sustain injuries as a result of the high physical
demands from games and weekly practice sessions.

A major priority when establishing basic strength is to develop core strength. The core is involved in
almost every movement on the soccer field, and poor core strength will lead to inefficient movement. A
strong core is essential for stability as well as developing good posture and balance, which are essential in
soccer, especially for speed and agility-related movements.