The last month of training before the season starts should be dedicated to getting season fit. Even if you are not on a sports team and preparing for a new season, you can follow this professional soccer player's guide to getting season fit.
Getting season fit means training at soccer match intensity with a focus on high-intensity interval training (HIIT), according to professional soccer player Lauren Barnes.
This is often referred to as the specific preparation phase of training. During this period, your gym training should focus on speed, power and plyometric training.
A period of general preparation should be completed before the specific preparation block to ensure your body is ready to train at a high intensity.
Below is an outline of the differences between the general preparation period and specific preparation period.
| Mesocycle | Length | Objectives | Session design | Training intensity | Gym emphasis |
|
General preparation period |
2-3 months |
Aerobic power & base endurance training |
Long work intervals and shorter rest |
65-85% |
Local muscular endurance, hypertrophy & max strength |
|
Specific preparation period (Getting season fit) |
1 month |
HIIT with sprint, acceleration & repeat sprint |
Short work periods and long rest periods |
85-100% |
Speed, power and plyometric training |
Soccer ‘Season fit’ training plan
Each training session should include the below warm up and cool down.
Your warm up should consist of:
-
5 minute jog
-
5 minutes of dynamic stretches, running drills and activation exercises
-
4 x 50m run throughs to get your legs up to a high running intensity
Your cool down should consist of:
-
5 minute walk or jog
-
Stretching
-
Clean Lean Protein
-
Adequate fluid replacement to balance sweat loss
Below is what your 4-week training regimen should look like:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|
Week 1 |
Sprint session 4 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 1 minute 5 min rest 4 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 1 minute |
Gym |
Acceleration session Accelerate hard to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 1 minute rest Repeat x 4 5 minute rest Accelerate hard to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 1 minute rest Repeat x 4 |
Rest |
Repeat sprint session 6 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest 5 minute rest 6 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest |
Gym |
Recovery |
|
Week 2 |
Sprint session 5 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 1 minute 5min rest 5 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 1 minute |
Gym |
Acceleration session Accelerate hard to the 18 yard line and run up and back three times 1 minute rest Repeat x 5 5 minute rest Accelerate hard to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 1 minute rest Repeat x 5 |
Rest |
Repeat sprint session 7 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest 5 minute rest 7 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest |
Gym |
Recovery |
|
Week 3 |
Sprint session 6 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 90 seconds 5 min rest 6 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 90 seconds |
Gym |
Acceleration session Accelerate to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 90 seconds rest Repeat x 6 5 minute rest Accelerate to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 90 seconds rest Repeat x 6 |
Rest |
Repeat sprint session 8 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest 5 minute rest 8 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest |
Gym |
Recovery |
|
Week 4 |
Sprint session 7 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 2 minutes 5min rest 7 x 10 seconds sprint, rest 2 minutes |
Gym |
Acceleration session Accelerate to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 2 minute rest Repeat x 7 5 minute rest Accelerate to the 18 yard line and run up and back 3 times 2 minute rest Repeat x 7 |
Rest |
Repeat sprint session 9 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest 5 minute rest 9 x 40 yard sprint, 30 seconds rest |
Gym |
Recovery |
Happy training!
