One week until my league starts - Conditioning Advice Needed!

[Stogey23]

Hey everyone,

I'm incredibly out of shape, about 10 pounds over my playing weight. My cardio is awful, I could hardly play for 45 minutes today during lunch and I ended up with a red face that lasted for a couple hours. I'm also extremely unflexible. My soccer skills are still there, so I'm not worried about that.

I need to get my body in the best possible condition, so I can play 2 35 minute halves next Thursday. I'll be forced to play myself back into shape, this I realize. However, I'm hoping one, two, or three of you could recommend what I should do (daily if possible) between now and then to make me as effective as possible on game day.

I will run as fast as you prescribe and as long as you think I should. One thing I don't want to do though is render myself useless because I beat up my body so badly.

Put me through the ringer, I'm 27 and pretty much injury-free, so I can handle it.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!

Matt

[C. Ronaldo7]

1 week? What you need is a miracle. I am gonna help you a little bit, you just have to be ready to take advice from someone that is a bit younger than you.

1. During the training, try to stay away from dairy as much as possible except after the training for that day is over. (less crampage, also don't eat or drink the other obvious foods that will hinder the training process i.e. soda)

2. 2.5 miles every day at a good pace. (don't wanna get you too tired for the league)

3. Drink enough water so you pee clear

4. If you have a pool nearby, use it and do a bunch of laps, this way you won't get sore but it will still help for your endurance.

5. Eat 1 bannana every day. It will help the muscles.

6. Do plyometrics. (type it in on google and get a training regimen for that)

7. Don't sleep more than 9 hours.

8. Stretch for 10 minuted before and after each run, before you go to sleep and a bit in the shower as well. (stretching lengthens muscles which also makes them stronger)

9. You may be a bit sore so find a hot tub the day before the game.

10. forgot to ad in abdominal work so i am adding it here

Good Luck

[JNINE]

I did a running regime before a soccer camp I just went to. I went on a tread mill and ran 20 minutes in the morning and same at night. 20 minutes on level 6 or 7 will make you run over 2 miles on each. If you do it, run for a bit afterwards (nothing too hard, just a light jog). You feel like you weigh 2 pounds. It's crazy! I did that for 5 days straight.(Saturday Optional). Rest Sunday. I went to the camp. I lasted all day long. I kept going, and going, and guess what? Going. Good luck.

[jtowns3]

Firstly, there is absolutely no time to lose. Get up early, stretch well and go for a 2-3 mile run at a decent pace. what helps me during the runs is to add a variety of short sprints in...to simulate the bursts of speed you will need during a match. after you are done running, stretch, hydrate, and grab a jumprope, use that for about 10-20 mins....it helps you redevelop your fast twitch muscles and will help you sweat out the impurities your body undoubtedly has (sugars, fats, beer...). then rest. rest is important but so is hard work. you have 7 days. you must run but dont kill yourself, leave that for the game. also, get out and play soccer a lot, to get used to the speed of play. situps will help you develop some core strength and add some difficulty to the workouts....and never, ever wait the week before to start training. so stretch a ton! hydrate a ton! run a ton! play a ton! you should be in good shape. good luck. hope this helps you.

[smith07]

1 week? What you need is a miracle. I am gonna help you a little bit, you just have to be ready to take advice from someone that is a bit younger than you.

1. During the training, try to stay away from dairy as much as possible except after the training for that day is over. (less crampage, also don't eat or drink the other obvious foods that will hinder the training process i.e. soda)

2. 2.5 miles every day at a good pace. (don't wanna get you too tired for the league)

3. Drink enough water so you pee clear

4. If you have a pool nearby, use it and do a bunch of laps, this way you won't get sore but it will still help for your endurance.

5. Eat 1 bannana every day. It will help the muscles.

6. Do plyometrics. (type it in on google and get a training regimen for that)

HE shouldn'b be doing plyometrics when he is that out of shape

7. Don't sleep more than 9 hours.

8. Stretch for 10 minuted before and after each run, before you go to sleep and a bit in the shower as well. (stretching lengthens muscles which also makes them stronger)

9. You may be a bit sore so find a hot tub the day before the game.

10. forgot to ad in abdominal work so i am adding it here

Good Luck

[servotron]

Very good advice from all of you.

Of course, 1 week is not NEARLY long enough to get match fit.... take it from a guy who's constantly in your position, only 2 years older :) My skills are there, and I'm a killer forward....for the first 15 minutes. :D

What the above guy said about swimming is stellar advice...you need to get the lungs going strong!

[smith07]

run 50-100-150-200-150-100-50 meters at a 2:1 rest ratio twice

run sprints 3X30/60/90 with 45 seconds rest

run a couple of miles. Don't do too much abs becasue as someone who has been severely out of shape on many occasions, it could take a while to recover

[Stogey23]

Thanks so much for all of your help. I'll be swimming a lot today, and running after work. I'll also follow all of your other advice.

Thanks so much!

[PSsoccer123]

1 week? What you need is a miracle. I am gonna help you a little bit, you just have to be ready to take advice from someone that is a bit younger than you.

1. During the training, try to stay away from dairy as much as possible except after the training for that day is over. (less crampage, also don't eat or drink the other obvious foods that will hinder the training process i.e. soda)

2. 2.5 miles every day at a good pace. (don't wanna get you too tired for the league)

3. Drink enough water so you pee clear

4. If you have a pool nearby, use it and do a bunch of laps, this way you won't get sore but it will still help for your endurance.

5. Eat 1 bannana every day. It will help the muscles.

6. Do plyometrics. (type it in on google and get a training regimen for that)

7. Don't sleep more than 9 hours.

8. Stretch for 10 minuted before and after each run, before you go to sleep and a bit in the shower as well. (stretching lengthens muscles which also makes them stronger)

9. You may be a bit sore so find a hot tub the day before the game.

10. forgot to ad in abdominal work so i am adding it here

Good Luck
I agree with everything you said except I have never heard that you shouldn't sleep more than 9 hours before and I am just wondering why not?

[C. Ronaldo7]

Its what alot of my trainers told me. They say that you will always be too tired if you sleep too long. I don't quite understand it but seriously give it a try. You will have a lot more energy.

[PSsoccer123]

Its what alot of my trainers told me. They say that you will always be too tired if you sleep too long. I don't quite understand it but seriously give it a try. You will have a lot more energy.
Ok thank you I will.

[Tony Dellbird]

1 week? What you need is a miracle. I am gonna help you a little bit, you just have to be ready to take advice from someone that is a bit younger than you.

1. During the training, try to stay away from dairy as much as possible except after the training for that day is over. (less crampage, also don't eat or drink the other obvious foods that will hinder the training process i.e. soda)

2. 2.5 miles every day at a good pace. (don't wanna get you too tired for the league)

3. Drink enough water so you pee clear

4. If you have a pool nearby, use it and do a bunch of laps, this way you won't get sore but it will still help for your endurance.

5. Eat 1 bannana every day. It will help the muscles.

6. Do plyometrics. (type it in on google and get a training regimen for that)

7. Don't sleep more than 9 hours.

8. Stretch for 10 minuted before and after each run, before you go to sleep and a bit in the shower as well. (stretching lengthens muscles which also makes them stronger)

9. You may be a bit sore so find a hot tub the day before the game.

10. forgot to ad in abdominal work so i am adding it here

Good Luck

Best advice so far, Well done C.Ronaldo wouldn't let me give you rep though :( . The only thing i could possible add is not to bounce when you stretch and hold every stretch for at least 10seconds each, and always remember to warm down.

[Gr1ngo]

fool if u wan lose weight n get faster jus ******** a lot and after every meal force ur self to throw up that will do it...worked for me.. and to get faster tie a rope to a tree and tie the other end to ur waist and (try) to sprint in the oppisite way of the tree...

[CC05]

1 week will probably not get ya very many results by game time but you should continue with a workout throughout the season anyways. You could just run a few miles, but i'd say do interval training. It works your endurance and helps with speed training, which is very very important.

DO NOT start doing plyometrics yet. If you aren't in good physical condition, plyo's can seriously injure you.

[eldiablito]

<snip>

2. 2.5 miles every day at a good pace. (don't wanna get you too tired for the league)

3. Drink enough water so you pee clear

<snip>

8. Stretch for 10 minuted before and after each run, before you go to sleep and a bit in the shower as well. (stretching lengthens muscles which also makes them stronger)

Good Luck

All of what C.Ronaldo posted is really good advice. I'm just highlighting the three things that I believe are most important.

I would add that if you want to lose weight quickly to try the South Beach Diet. I know that sounds trendy, but it really works. You would lose all 10 pounds in 2 weeks (and that's without exercising). It takes a bit of discipline--no starch, no sugar (including fruit), no alocohol. Eat lots of vegetables and lean meats, etc. If you were to do the South Beach diet, you could modify it a bit by eating some fruits (like 1 banana) but only in the morning. However, a good substitute for bananas are avocados. Bananas are good for muscles because of their high concentration of potassium. Avocados actually have 60% more potassium than bananas. If you're worried about training a lot and not having energy because you're cutting most hi-carb foods--again, consume those carbs in the morning. It would be better for you to eat oatmeal for breakfast and skip rice, corn, potatoes, pasta altogether. Just some food for thought.

I've played soccer since I was 5 and I'm now just slightly older than you. I've struggled with my weight ever since my twenties. I've been in good to excellent cardio shape, but knew I could play better if I was lighter. I actually have worked out for years, but still was slightly overweight. I was so surprised how quickly I lost the weight when I did this diet. My teammates all say my game has improved--but we all know it's just that I'm slimmer.

Good luck.

[Stogey23]

try the South Beach Diet

Great idea. I start tomorrow!

[eldiablito]

Great idea. I start tomorrow!

Curious how iit's going for you--not just the diet, but the conditioning in general?

[riceburner3508]

quick question, about wat times of day are ideal for these workouts? and also, wat would be the best kind of workout to help gain a harder shot? i know that technique is a lot of wat determines how hard your shot is, but there have got to be ways you can strengthen your legs for more power.

[slipnslide]

quick question, about wat times of day are ideal for these workouts? and also, wat would be the best kind of workout to help gain a harder shot? i know that technique is a lot of wat determines how hard your shot is, but there have got to be ways you can strengthen your legs for more power.

Anything below the pecs would help, especially abs and quads.