Re-Season Training
Over 35 Soccer players, are you excited about the prospect of getting back together with your team and having a kick and a beer? If you’re a bit worried about getting injured and missing most of a 9 week season then you are not alone and you should read this carefully as I’m about to outline a program you need to be doing now to have your best chance of staying on the pitch.
Let’s just imagine you started team training in January with a weekly kick around on a weekend, then a weeknight training session once cricket finished with the ovals. You transformed your summer rig into a finely tuned soccer machine ready to play for sheep stations only to have half the season stolen by Corona (not the one in the team esky!)
We know that having a prolonged break from training is one of the leading causes for injury in the next 6 weeks. We predict a massive post-isolation surge in soccer-related muscle and tendon injuries. And let’s face it, once you qualify for over-35’s your peak recovery days are behind you. One good muscle tear could easily end your season. That’s why it’s SUPER important to get your legs ready to hit the ground running when the season re-starts possibly in mid July.
To help you get back on the pitch and stay there Jay McGuinness has created a Re-Season training program to help get you back to your bullet-proof best at season kick-off.
So what does this program use to get you back up to speed?
- Simple, proven strengthening exercises for hamstrings, groin and calf muscles to reduce injury risk
- Aerobic conditioning to ensure you can put in for 45-90 minutes every Sunday
- Sprint ability to prepare your body for the high speed bursts that Over 35 football is known for
- Agility and mobility: to let your legs move in directions they don’t normally go to control and direct a football skillfully
Here’s how:
- Walk, walk-run or run at an easy pace for 45 minutes at least twice a week
- Perform the Fifa 11+ and Copenhagen Groin exercise programs at least twice a week (can be done as warm-up for team sessions. This ticks off the mobility and strength components
- Perform a careful program of sprinting to prepare your legs for the highest demand activity
- Gradually increase the length and intensity of team sessions especially game situations. Early on keep games on small fields for shorter durations (split team up into teams of 4-6 and have a small-sided tournament with one team sitting off. Then gradually open up field size, bigger teams and make game situations longer. This controls running distance and speed as well as kicking volume to manage load on the muscles likely to be injured.
- Similarly, carefully increase the number of long or powerful kicks you perform. Spending an hour shooting and crossing or practicing goal kicks is a recipe for a quad or hip flexor injury. Start with short sessions of short to medium kicks and gradually build up your kicking load.
If you’d like a copy of the program Jay has designed, simply click the links and download BOTH files below
Download “Re-Season” Training Program
If you’ve got a current injury or niggle that’s worrying you before training ramps back up again, prevention is better than cure, make sure you take action now. Feel free to call us or click the button below to book online to get that sorted ASAP.
