Early Season Fitness

Premier League footballers have very specific and tailored fitness programs to allow them to cover huge distances at a high-intensity that the games requires of them.

The fitness required for football is very specific, as the sport requires players to be able to undertake many sprints with very little recovery time, combined with very precise twists & turns in addition to highly skilled movements with the ball. This requires a huge amount of time invested, each and every week, to firstly build up this specific fitness and then to maintain it.

A footballer's fitness program will consist of short, sharp high intensity drills with very little recovery time, to mimic the demands of a game. Weight training should be implemented throughout the season, but great care should be taken when the games come hard and fast. Strength training should be specific to each players needs.

What might be suitable for one player could cause problems with others, so specificity is the key (don't forget to consider previous injuries too). High resistance and lower reps with fewer sets will actually give you fewer problems if the form and technique is good. Low resistance and multiple sets can cause DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) mainly down to the total weight lifted, a common mistake made in not just football but many other sports.

It is vital that you taper all your training towards the game so that your team is as fresh as possible for the match. Proprioception drills will help to improve balance and coordination within a football specific environment and are important along with strength training to help prevent some potential injuries.

There is no fast and easy way to improve fitness. It takes a lot of time, commitment and hard work. For a specific idea of some of the drills used by Barclays Premier League players, please refer to the LSPL expert panel videos at www.lucozade.com/football/.

Endurance has a big part to play in modern football. Increased aerobic fitness (Endurance) will allow the player to work at higher exercise intensities for prolonged periods of time during the game.

Interval running with or without the ball is ideal for improving the cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) which in turn will help minimize deterioration of a player's technical performance. A typical session I would use with players: - 30 metre sprints with walking recovery periods done for approx 15 – 20 min (20-40 runs); this keeps the heart rate elevated.

Another interval session that is ideal for improving endurance is the 4x4 min high intensity run with a three minute jog recovery between each bout. When performing this session I develop with players in varying positions by encouraging them to use a ball, this makes the session more football specific and increases the intensity for some players.

The intensity of the session should be completed at between 90 - 95% of your maximum heart rate, pumping more blood through the heart and around the body (increased stroke volume).This session can also be done with injured players or for a change in a swimming pool, treadmill or even rowing machine. On a 1 to 10 you would be at level 8 all the way for the 4 minutes if you don't know your maximum heart rate. The intensity of the session is the key to improving Endurance.

Pre-season training serves one purpose - getting you back in shape for the start of the football season. Long hard training sessions and pushing yourself until you're sick are not the recommended ways of getting you prepared for the demands of a football season.

Over-training is a very real danger from the elite level down to Sunday League, and will massively increase the risk of injury, which in turn can scupper the start of your season. There is absolutely no point training so hard that you cannot train again for another two weeks!

Short sharp fitness sessions are great for pre-season training, as they can be broken up with ball skills, and allow for maximum recovery between bursts of activity. Shorter sessions also allow you to take on board vital fluid and nutrients that will help keep you at your best throughout pre-season.