Professional soccer players run up to 6 miles during a 90 minute game of soccer. While a lot of this distance is covered at top speed, soccer players also walk, jog and run as they follow the play around the pitch. Covering these sorts of distances requires a high level of aerobic fitness.You can use a number of techniques to increase your aerobic fitness for soccer.
Long Slow Distance Training
Long slow distance training, usually shortened to LSD training, is the term used to describe low intensity aerobic exercise. LSD training can take the form of jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing or any other easy paced cardiovascular exercise. As soccer players need to be effective runners, the most sports specific form of LSD for soccer is jogging or slow running. LSD training develops stamina, increases your ability to burn fat for fuel and also increases capillary density. LSD training should last 30 minutes or more and your heart rate should remain between 60 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek, meaning speed play in Swedish, is a form of aerobic training that uses a variety of running speeds within a single workout. Fartlek places similar demands on your body to a soccer match and is therefore an effective type of workout for soccer players. Fartlek sessions are normally 30 to 45 minutes long and involve variable periods of walking, running and sprinting. A fartlek workout should be randomly organized so that the intensity and duration of your efforts mimics the mixed demands of a soccer match. Simply alternate randomly between bursts of walking jogging, running and sprinting over various distances for the duration of your workout.
Fast Continuous Running
Fast continuous running, FCR for short, is also called tempo or threshold running. FCR is the fastest pace that you can sustain while remaining aerobic. The aim of FCR training is to improve your lactic acid threshold or, in simpler terms, increase your top-end aerobic fitness. FCR workouts are shorter and more intense than LSD and fartlek training -- 20 to 30 minutes at 90 percent of your maximum heart rate is ideal. The aim of a FCR workout is to work as hard as you can but avoid working so hard that you have to slow down. FCR workouts can be performed using most forms of cardiovascular exercise but running is the most sports-specific method for soccer players.
Interval Training
Soccer is a start-stop sport where players chase the ball or an opposing player at top speed and then walk or jog back to their position on the pitch. Interval training is a structured workout that mimics this type of activity. Interval training describes periods of high-intensity exercise interspersed with periods of low intensity recovery. Some interval training sessions involve very short, hard bursts of activity while others use longer, more moderate levels of work. Long and short intervals are useful for soccer players.
As a general rule, the work to rest ratio used in interval training ranges from 1:1 to 1:3. As you get fitter you can increase the length and intensity of the work periods or reduce the length of your recovery periods.
References
- "The Wall Street Journal": Numbers Guy Blog: Tracking How Far Soccer Players Run
- "The Complete Guide to Soccer Fitness and Injury Prevention: A Handbook for Players, Parents, and Coaches"; Donald T. Kirkendall and William E. Garrett Jr. M.D; 2007
- "Total Soccer Fitness"; Ian Jeffreys; 2007
- "Essentials of Exercise Physiology"; Frank I. Katch, William D. McArdle, and Victor L. Katch; 2000
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