Because this is a World Cup year, I have decided to countdown to the tournament by providing a short soccer/fitness related preview of each of the 32 participating nations. In the first installment today, I'm going to take a look at Croatia, who will be opening the tournament on June 12th against host nation Brazil. [...]
Having worked in the fitness industry for my entire adult life, I have been exposed to hundreds of different fitness trainers, with equally as many different types of fitness training methods. It seems that every few months, a new fad (be it a new piece of equipment, exercise video, training theory/methodology, etc..) gets hailed as [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUovKoZWbFs Another in our series of single-leg strengthening exercises. This one is very useful to strengthen the quads, hamstrings, adductors/groin muscles, and glutes, while at the same time improving hip mobility and flexibility. To perform this exercise, stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and toes pointing forwards, holding a medicine ball (or soccer ball) [...]
Anyone who knows me well knows I love running fitness assessments. In my business, we conduct fitness assessments on soccer players 1 day per week, every week, for 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year. Among the tests we use is the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, which is still the best and most [...]
Soccer at the highest level can be very physically demanding. Over the course of a 90-minute game, top level players can run up to 15 kilometres, including 2000-3000 metres at high intensity. All that running has another important effect on players - it causes them to sweat. A lot. More, in fact, over a 2-hour [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMZzHbMjG_I Another great single-leg strengthening exercise that can be done anywhere, including on the pitch - all you need is a bench. The Bulgarian lunge helps to stabilize the hip and knee, while at the same time strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, one leg at a time. To perform the Bulgarian lunge, stand on [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G8n7SOI7_w This is another example of an excellent single-leg strengthening exercise. This one is focused on the hamstring muscles. Hold a stick (broom sticks work best) behind your back, with one arm held over the head and the other arm behind the back. Stand on the leg opposite to the hand that is over the [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0fzWiWtkjw As promised, here is one great example of a single-leg strength training exercise that works very well for soccer players. It targets the knee and hip extensors (glutes, hamstrings, quads) and also the external rotators of the hip, which play a role in stabilizing the hip and knee while running, cutting, jumping and kicking. [...]
Like many grown men, I am addicted to all things zombie. There's something liberated about the premise of societal collapse that allows the story to wander (accidentally?) through all sorts of "real" life lessons. One recurring theme, which was reiterated by Abraham on this Sunday's Walking Dead episode, is the power of the group versus the [...]
A couple of months ago I got the great news that I am going to be an uncle! Of course, because I work with athletes, I immediately began planning the athletic future of my young unborn niece or nephew (that's normal right)?It occurred to me that, although the child will definitely be playing soccer (that [...]