How to Build Football Fitness and Avoid the Post-Season Burnout

It’s called the beautiful game, but football is also one of the most demanding sports on the body. From Sunday league all the way up to the heights of the Premier League, it takes a lot of preparation and nutritional ingenuity to play all season long. But how do footballers keep fit so they can play every week without experiencing burnout?

FIRST THINGS FIRST: HOW MANY WEEKS DOES IT TAKE TO SAFELY BUILD MATCH FITNESS?

Before you begin preparing for the season, it’s important to consider how long it will take to get match-fit for football. 

You should begin your training with ample time so you can hit the ground running, so we advise leaving at least 4 weeks for pre-season training.

THE ART OF CONSISTENCY: THE BEST WYAS TO GET MATCH FIT FOR FOOTBALL

With the football season approaching, let’s look at how best to make use of your 4-week training period. Preparing your body starts way before your matchday fuelling regimen, so what is the best way to build match fitness for pre-season? There are a number of key pillars to focus on here.

1. Stamina

Football is a game that’s won and lost by stamina. How long you’re able to run, sprint, jump, and tackle throughout a 90-minute match often determines how effective you’ll be in affecting its outcome, so one of the primary focuses of pre-season fitness training is building endurance.

Begin with low-intensity cardio work and slowly make workouts more dynamic. Start out light and simple, then gradually introduce more pace and challenge. In the first week, we recommend going on 30-45 minute runs at a relaxed pace to prepare your body for being on the move for an entire half of football, utilising our sports gels to provide essential carbohydrates to power performance. 

Over the next few weeks, you can then incorporate exercises such as:

• Interval Sprints: Either on a treadmill or on a field, run as fast as possible for 3 minutes, then rest for 1 minute. Run for 2 minutes, then rest for 2 minutes. Finally, run for 1 minute, then rest for 3 minutes. You can repeat this however many times you like during a workout.
• Pitch Running: There are a number of ways you can use a football pitch to build stamina. Try running the length of the pitch as fast as you can, then walking back. Next, sprint to the opposite box line, then walk back. Finally, sprint to the halfway line, then walk back.
• Exercise Clock: Place 12 cones in a large circle around the centre circle. Thinking of the circle as a clock, sprint to 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, then rest. Repeat for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Finally, run to every cone and back. 

In addition to these exercises, you can participate in other activities to complement fitness training. Swimming and cycling are two great options, as are 5-a-side football matches played at a fun, competitive pace.

2. Agility

Speed is a key factor in any football match. We aren’t just talking about sprinting speed but passing and reaction speed too. Thankfully, you really don’t need a lot of equipment to develop your agility, just a handful of cones. Here are some of the best agility drills you can do:

• Shuttle Runs: Set up three cones five yards apart. Sprint from the first to the second, then pivot back and return to the first. Without stopping, sprint to the third cone, then pivot back and return to the first. Repeat, and keep the intensity high!
• Cone Shuffle: Set your cones up in a long line and shuffle laterally as quickly as you can between them. Zig-zag and move your feet as quickly as possible, then turn and repeat.
• Tuck Jumps: No cones needed for this one! Simply lower yourself into a squat and jump up, tucking your knees into your chest. Land on the balls of your feet and lower into a squat position, then repeat.

The speed and intensity of these exercises are sure to make you sweat, so be sure to sip water with our hydration supplements added to top up vital fluids and replenish electrolytes lost through sweat.

3. Strength

To overcome the competition, footballers need strength to win the ball back or stand their ground against oncoming attackers. There are many gym workouts available for footballers to build strength, and paired with our protein bars, the following exercises can enhance muscle strength in the areas that footballers benefit from most.

Compound Lifts

By working multiple muscle groups at once, these lifts are great for preparing the body for the demanding movements of a football match. Top compound lifts for footballers include:

• Barbell back squats
• Barbell bench press
• Barbell reverse lunges

Plyometric Exercises

For developing acceleration and explosiveness, nothing comes close to plyometric exercises. Some of the best examples for enhancing kicking power, leaping distance, and power include:

• Box jumps
• Lateral bounds
• Depth jumps

Core Exercises

Staying balanced on the ball and shielding off opponents starts and ends with core strength. Our favourite exercises for strengthening the core include:

• Planks
• Seated medicine ball twists