Calf training for soccer players

Discussion in 'Player' started by loden, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. loden

    loden Member

    Jan 2, 2005
    Forest Hills, NY
    Club:
    FC Dynamo Kyiv
    My calves are the muscles that have been getting the most sore after games/practices.

    How do I strengthen them in a way that gives me more endurance and explosiveness?

    I've gained tremendous performance benefits from strengthening my hamstrings and glutes through weight training. For my hamstrings and glutes I did a program of;

    -body weight single leg RDLs
    -2 way lunges
    -RDLs
    -sumo squats
    -regular squats

    I did the above exercises with a 70 lbs sandbag, and the results were great. My shooting, cutting and accelerating instantly improved.

    Now how do I bring my calves up to par so that they stop bottlenecking my performance?

    I don't want to do regular bodybuilding type of weighted calf raises because I've read that you're basically training your muscles to be slow through that type of training. Any good suggestions here?

    Is something like hang cleans my best option? Maybe sled training? I want my calves to be stronger and more explosive.
     
  2. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    My first concerns are with proper technique and post exercise cool down including stretching your calves. I would be reluctant to do strength training, other than maintenance while in season. Sprinting itself is a very intensive power exercise. You generate 3 times your body weight of force each foot strike. And if you are doing a typical warmup routine, it is going to include movements like skipping already.

    I suspect that with your increased quickness and agility, you have also increased your work effort during matches. I would hold off from introducing new strength or power training a couple of weeks to see if your match performance continues to improve.

    I am no strength coach. That is just my view as an old player. Hopefully one of the strength coaches that post here will answer your question.
     
  3. dejansavicevic10

    Jun 12, 2009
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria
    It is kinda hard to say why your calves are sore. Are your calves sore because they are overstretched, or are they sore because they are too tight. I am not sure about your stretching routines. How much stretching do you do? All the exercises you currently perform will work your calves to some degree. Hang Cleans will definitely improve triple extension. You can also do plyometrics, which will help you increase power slightly. However, when you look at the calves, be it gastrocnemius or soleus; they are predominantly slow twitch muscle fibers, and would not benefit significantly from strength work. You can do GHG raises, if you have the apparatus for it in your gym. It would be a movement that would focus more on knee flexion as opposed to hip extension, but it would also work your gastrocnemius. My educated guess is you don't stretch your calves enough.
     
  4. loden

    loden Member

    Jan 2, 2005
    Forest Hills, NY
    Club:
    FC Dynamo Kyiv
    Thank you, sirs. I noted the part about the stretching and will focus more on that. My calves are understretched. I'm going to do static stretches and hard foam roller work more often, especially before going to bed and right after playing.

    So no direct calf work?
     
  5. Jossie Calderon

    Jossie Calderon New Member

    Dec 15, 2013
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Try jumping without bending your knees. That is how much your calves roughly contribute to power.With that said, there is no need to train your calves to their best. They only need to be good enough to endure the 10km-typical running distance of a soccer match.
     
  6. Cowtown Felipe

    Cowtown Felipe Member+

    Mar 12, 2012
    Fort Worth, TX
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've had bad calves for 30+ years starting in high school while playing soccer and running track. I've tried all kinds of stretches. They help some, but have never solved my problems. My only solution has been to stretch as best I can and play / run through the pain - not really a solution. I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone suggests something I haven't tried.
     
  7. Bluesarc

    Bluesarc Member

    Jun 10, 2013
    Club:
    FC Porto
    How many reps and series were you doing for each exercise may i ask?

    Also, how did you manage to keep decent form on the deadlift while grabbing something as unstable as a sand bag? how are you grabbing it?(asking cause i ran into this problem back when i tried the same thing)
     
  8. loden

    loden Member

    Jan 2, 2005
    Forest Hills, NY
    Club:
    FC Dynamo Kyiv
    1. I have a Brute Force sandbag. It's expensive, but based on my research it's also the best on the market for two reasons. It has lots of soft handles in different positions, and it has excellent sand holding pouches that are sealed with some heavy duty velcro.

    This is the one that I have;

    http://www.bruteforcetraining.com/black-athlete.html#.UsF7TPRDs-I

    2. For some exercises you have to adopt the "bear hug" hold on the bag, otherwise there's no real way to keep the weight from shifting extensively. For deadlifts I grab the bag by the handles on the ends.

    3. I log my workouts so below is an example of a workout I did a couple of weeks ago. My legs are admittedly weak, especially my left one as a result of a knee injury/surgery a few years ago, so maybe my volume and workout structure is probably not right for you. I'm also just getting into lunges.

    All exercises are done barefooted to really strengthen the feet and ankles as well.

    Bodyweight single leg RDL 2 x 8 each leg (60 second rest btwn sets)
    Body weight 2-way lunge 1 x 8 (60 seconds)
    Sandbag RDL, 70 lbs 2 x 12 (60 seconds)
    Sandbag sumo squat, 70 lbs 2 x 12 (60 seconds)
    Bear Hug sandbag squat, 70 lbs, all the way down 3 x 8 (90 sec rest)

    Finisher;

    Ab wheel rollout 2 x 8 (60 sec)
     
  9. Bluesarc

    Bluesarc Member

    Jun 10, 2013
    Club:
    FC Porto

    ok, thanks Ioden! i'll just mess around with the work load until it feels right ;).

    Cheers
     
  10. airbornerocks

    airbornerocks Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  11. dejansavicevic10

    Jun 12, 2009
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria
    I think following that routine for any extended period of time will actually end up being counterproductive, because all of a sudden you will starting gaining mass there, which would be counterproductive to generation of overall speed. Great for bodybuilding though!
     
    rca2 repped this.
  12. airbornerocks

    airbornerocks Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    30 days counts as an extended period? Yeah I suppose gaining mass would hurt your speed, but wouldn't it also build lean muscle and build calf strength if you are eating a lean diet aimed towards a footballer?
     
  13. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    #13 rca2, Feb 24, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2014
    Where did you get the idea that increasing the bulk of your calf muscles would increase your speed? It is a rather unusual idea. Body building is different than athletic training. Athletes should be concerned about improving performance, not looks. Althletes should focus training on movements, not muscle bulk.
     
  14. airbornerocks

    airbornerocks Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So you are telling me that 100 calf raises a day for one month while increasing the calf muscle strength will not improve speed? The result is only an inch, and most football players tend to have muscular calve muscles. An inch should not be detrimental to speed. If you can only do 50 calf raises in a row, and the next day you may increase to 60 then failure, wouldn't you say your calf muscle strength has increased?
     
  15. loden

    loden Member

    Jan 2, 2005
    Forest Hills, NY
    Club:
    FC Dynamo Kyiv
    It's not about the mass. Your routine will add tissue that just pumps up with blood well, but serves no functional purpose. I want to build stronger and more efficient calves.
     
  16. dejansavicevic10

    Jun 12, 2009
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria

    Airbornerocks,

    Perhaps, you should actually do it, and let us know if it improves your speed....
     
  17. airbornerocks

    airbornerocks Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Getting stronger helps you run faster, that's about it. Getting stronger calves = increase in speed. Loden you don't have to do "bodybuilding calves exercises". A calf raise is a simple bodyweight exercise, like pressups, bw squats, and more.
     
  18. dejansavicevic10

    Jun 12, 2009
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria
    Yes, that is true, getting stronger generally should make you faster, if everything is else is equal. Typically, that does not happen except, if you are maintaining all the other qualities along the force velocity curve. In addition, you should get strong in areas that can be advantageous to "efficiency" in movement. Lets say, I attached 5lb weights to your shins, how fast would you be? As a soccer player, I think you get plenty of calf work from playing, besides like I explained before in my responses to Loden, your calf muscles are type I fibers(slow twitch). The function of your calf is not to "get strong", but to engage in repetitive motion of dorsiflexing and plantarflexing, as in your entire life. The other part that you seem to be ignoring is the force strength curve. I don't have all day to explain this to you as in writing an encyclopedia, but you should focus more on overall triple extension, as opposed to an isolation movement. It would be like me focusing on my biceps, when I should be working more on my rows or pull-ups, but suit yourself.
     
  19. airbornerocks

    airbornerocks Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Very good information thanks for sharing don't know why you seem to be getting mad. I'm trying to learn about sport specific training....
     
  20. dejansavicevic10

    Jun 12, 2009
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria
    I am not mad, but trying to get my point across without going on and on. Besides, several other forumers have tried explaining that a routine that is picked up from a bodybuilding site is not exactly meant for soccer......
     

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