Danville Soccer

8 Week Training Program

“Conditioning Takes Time, You Cannot Wait and Catch Up!”

“You get out of it, what you put into it!”

 Danville Soccer: 8 Week Training Program
Below is an 8 week workout program to prepare you for the upcoming season. This workout is intended
to get you into the best possible condition to carry you through the entire season. Fitness will be of the
utmost importance in the Danville Soccer Program and will not be taken lightly. This 8 week program, if
followed, will help overall fitness when the season rolls around. Your fitness levels will be tested. The
program will be incorporating all aspects of the game into your training. READ THE ENTIRE
DOCUMENT! There is a lot of variety and if you do not understand anything please feel free to call or
email us at anytime.

Week 1 - Training Program Starts the Week of June 19th

Summer Soccer – Every Wednesday Starting June 28th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
OFFICIAL PRE SEASON STARTS AUGUST 17th
The work you put into this program will directly affect your season. Below lists how you should follow
the weeks of training and attached is how each workout should be done with detailed instructions. Good
Luck and Enjoy, Coach Morse and Coach Pearce

Week Topic Times

Weeks 1 and 2 Ball Control, Trapping and Agility 2 times per week
Speed Training 1 time per week
Shooting, Passing, Tapping and Heading 1 time per week
Strength Training 2 times per week
Fitness Shuttles 2 times per week
Distance 3 times per week

Weeks 3, 4, and 5 Ball Control, Trapping and Agility 3 times per week
Speed Training 2 times per week
Shooting, Passing, Trapping and Heading 1 times per week
Strength Training 3 times per week
Fitness Shuttles/Distance Run 3 times per week

Weeks 6, 7, and 8 Ball Control, Trapping and Agility 3 times per week
Speed Training 3 times per week
Shooting, Passing, Trapping and Heading 1 times per week
Strength Training 3 times per week
Fitness Shuttles/Distance Run 3 times per week

Your workouts should only last at the most for 90 minutes, if anything goes after that try to make some
minor adjustments. Remember to combine the strength training with other workouts during the week, if
that means you do 45 minutes of something in the morning and the strength in the afternoon then that
works. One day a week should be completely free of training to let the body recover and relax. If you
have any questions or concerns please call or email us and we will help get things rolling for you.

Danville Soccer: Flexibility

“Flexibility is critical to improve performance and decrease injury!”
Follow These Guidelines:
 Warm up with some calisthenics or jogging for 5 minutes before stretching. Work ball touches
into this if possible.
 Warm up well before sprint work. Pay special attention to your hamstrings.
 Stretch at least 5 - 10 minutes before and after athletic activity. Especially after!
 Stretch a muscle and hold for 30 seconds, then rest a few seconds and repeat.
 Concentrate on muscle groups that give you the most trouble - Stretch when you have extra time
(e.g. Watching TV)
 Danville Soccer: Ball Control, Trapping and Agility
“More Ball Touches Will Improve Your Ball Skills!”
1 Minute - Jog while dribbling ball with quick touches, changing direction and speed. Do this in a
confined space where many changes and touches are necessary.

1 Minute - Head juggling

1 Minute - Throw ball up, trap the ball with your feet before it hits the ground, and move off quickly with
a short burst of speed with the ball - Repeat.

1 Minute - Thigh juggling

1 Minute- Throw the ball up, trap the ball with your chest, settle the ball to your feet, and move off
quickly with a short burst of speed with the ball - Repeat.

1 Minute - Foot juggling with no spin on the ball

2 Minutes - Starting in a sitting position, throw the ball up, get up and trap the ball before it bounces off
the ground, settle it to your feet, and move quickly with a short burst of speed with the ball - repeat using
head, chest, each thigh, each foot in that order to trap the ball.

1. Dribble in a figure "8"; use the inside of your feet for 6 figure "8's", then use the outside of your feet
for 6 more. The markers you dribble around should be 15 yards apart. As you dribble around one marker,
accelerate to the other as if you were beating a defender. As you round the marker, use quick touches to
improve technical speed.

 Rest by Walking for 30 Seconds

2. Set a marker out about 25 yards from a starting point
 Sprint dribble to marker
 Sprint backwards to starting point
 Sprint to ball
 Collect ball and sprint dribble back to starting point
 Repeat 3 times for a total of 4

 Rest by Walking for 30 Seconds

3. Set ball on the ground to your left and set a marker out to your right about 10 yards. Move 10 times
from side to side with the ball, without crossing legs do shuffles, left foot sole rollovers, right footed sole
rollovers, forward sole rollovers, backward sole pull backs, in that order.

 Rest by Walking for 30 Seconds

4. 60 jumps -Two footed jumping forward and backward over the ball without stopping.

 Rest for 30 Seconds

5. 60 jumps -Two footed jumping from side to side over the ball without stopping.

 Rest for 30 Seconds

6. 30 jumps - Throw the ball in the air, jump, catch the ball and throw it back in the air before you hit the
ground. Do this continuously for 30 jumps. Try to jump high enough to catch and throw before you come
back down.

 Rest for 60 Seconds

7. 50 Sit-ups and 25 push-ups
 Danville Soccer: Speed Training
This is for your speed development and muscle conditioning. If done properly and consistently
(EXPLOSIVELY AND AS FAST AS YOU CAN GO!) this will improve your speed through the
summer. Remember this is just part of what you have to do. You must continue training with the ball and
continue playing throughout the summer to put your work into game action.

SPRINT ALL OUT ON EVERY SPRINT! - Do not pace yourself

TAKE FULL REST PERIOD! Not less

CONCENTRATE ON EXPLOSIVE STARTS! (Driving knees, leaning forward, pumping arms) keep
stride smooth and powerful throughout sprint.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

2 X 20 yards 4 X 20 yards 6 X 20 yards
2 X 40 yards 3 X 40 yards 4 X 40 yards
2 X 60 yards 3 X 60 yards 4 X 60 yards
1 X 80 yards 1 X 80 yards 2 X 80 yards
1 X 100 yards 1 X 100 yards 1 X 100 yards
2 X 5 Short Hill Sprints 2 X 5 Short Hill Sprints 3 X 5 Short Hill Sprints
1 Long Hill Sprint 1 Long Hill Sprint 2 Long Hill Sprints

Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

8 X 20 yards 10 X 20 yards 12 X 20 yards
6 X 40 yards 8 X 40 yards 10 X 40 yards
4 X 60 yards 6 X 60 yards 6 X 60 yards
2 X 80 yards 4 X 80 yards 4 X 80 yards
1 X 100 yards 2 X 100 yards 3 X 100 yards
3 X 5 Short Hill Sprints 4 X 5 Short Hill Sprints 4 X 5 Short Hill Sprints
2 Long Hill Sprints 3 Long Hill Sprints 3 Long Hill Sprints

Week 7 Weeks 8
14 X 20 yards 16 X 20 yards
10 X 40 yards 10 X 40 yards
8 X 60 yards 8 X 60 yards
6 X 80 yards 6 X 80 yards
4 X 100 yards 4 X 100 yards
5 X 5 Short Hill Sprints 5 X 5 Short Hill Sprints
4 Long Hill Sprints 4 Long Hill Sprints

Rest Period Weeks 1 - 3 Rest Period Weeks 4 - 8

30 seconds for 20's 20 seconds for 20's
45 seconds for 40's 30 seconds for 40's
60 seconds for 60's 45 seconds for 60's
75 seconds for 80's 60 seconds for 80's
90 seconds for 100's 75 seconds for 100's
30 seconds between set of 5 short hill 20 seconds between set of 5 short hill
90 seconds for long hill 90 seconds for long hill
 Danville Soccer: Shooting, Passing, Trapping and Heading
“Possession of the ball is absolutely necessary for success in a soccer match”

For this section of the exercise, a soccer kick wall, the side of a gym, a tennis wall, racquetball court, or
anything else the ball will bounce back at you is necessary.

Take a 1-minute rest by walking between each drill. Make sure you are working the entire time of each
drill and no rest. This is developed to work on technique but also work on fitness. As you get tired
concentrate on your technique along with the work, in the last minute of a game when the game is on the
line you have to focus on your technique.

1. Technique Work (Shooting): Get 5 to 7 yards from the wall and shoot the ball first time at the wall
making sure the foot is pointed to the ground, knee over the ball, center of your foot is striking the center
of the ball, and that all the power is derived from a quick snapping motion of your lower leg. Use your
laces to strike the ball. Make sure your plant foot (non kicking foot) is beside the ball (not in front or in
back) (Right and Left Foot Shooting) (3 minutes)

2. Trapping and Shooting: (Remember Your Technique) Back off 20 yards, strike the ball with power,
and as it comes off the wall, trap it cleanly and quickly fire another shot at the wall. The point of the drill
is to develop a sound clean trap and set up a quick, hard shot (Right and Left Foot Shooting and
Trapping) (6 minutes)

3. First Time Shooting With Power: (Remember Your Technique) Again at 20 yards and shoot the
ball first time at the wall. Strike the ball as hard as you can regardless of the bounce, height, speed, etc.,
that the ball comes to you. Pick a spot on the wall to shoot at each time and keep the ball low (Right and
Left Foot Shooting) (3 minutes)

4. Technique Work (Passing): Get 5 to 7 yards from the wall and pass the ball first time at the wall
making sure the foot is turned so the inside of your foot strikes the ball, knee over the ball, inside of your
foot is striking the center of the ball, and that all the power is derived from your hips and leg. Make sure
your plant foot (non kicking foot) is beside the ball (not in front or in back) (Right and Left Foot
Passing) (3 minutes)

5. Trapping and Passing: (Remember Your Technique) Back off 10 yards, strike the ball with power,
and as it comes off the wall, trap it cleanly and quickly pass at the wall. The point of the drill is to develop
a sound clean trap and set up a quick, hard pass. (Right and Left Foot Passing and Trapping)
(6 minutes)

6. First Time Passing With Power: (Remember Your Technique) Again at 10 yards and pass the ball
first time at the wall. Strike the ball when it ball comes to you. Pick a spot on the wall to pass at each time
and keep the ball low (Right and Left Foot Passing) (3 minutes)

7. Technique Work (Heading): From one to two yards away, first time head juggling against the wall.
The ball should strike your forehead (between your eyebrows and hairline) (2 minutes)

8. Heading with Power: (Remember Your Technique) Back off between 5 and 7 yards, throw the ball
up against the wall and as it comes off head with power getting your entire body into the heading motion
to create power. Catch and repeat. (3 minutes)

9. Heading with Jump: (Remember Your Technique) Get within 5 yards of the wall. - Toss the ball
against the wall to force you to jump and head the ball back at the wall. Catch the ball after you have
headed it each time. Make sure your toss forces you to jump and head the ball at the peak of your jump.
Remember your technique and head with power. (3 minutes)
 Danville Soccer: Strength Training
This workout should take between 30 - 45 minutes and should be done three days a week. Focus on
technique and increasing muscular endurance (i.e. you should push yourselves and every time it will get
easier.) To ensure proper technique, watch entire video links and try to work out with a partner. If you
need any extra help or would like to do more or even want to incorporate weight lifting, come and see us.

Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Here is the rest interval between each exercise:

 Week 1 = 30 seconds
 Week 2 = 15 seconds
 Week 3 = 15 seconds
 Week 4 = 10 seconds

Legs (For each exercise you need watch the entire video for proper technique)
 Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXJrBgI2RxA
 Power Squats: 3 sets f 10 reps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4s4mEQ5VqU
 Lunges: 3 sets of 8 reps per leg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mDWDlzFobQ
 Power Lunges: 30 reps alternating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB9ijMTJn2Q
 Wall-Sits: 3 sets of 1 minute each https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XULOKw4E4P4
 Heal Raises on Stairs: 2 sets of 30 reps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm_OGrLHVvg

Arms/Chest/Back (For each exercise you need to watch the entire video for proper technique)
 Push-Ups: 3 sets of 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7cPaJZoOng
 Tricep Dips: 3 sets of 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kALZikXxLc

Abs/Back (For each exercise you need to watch the entire video for proper technique)
 Crunches: 60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyd_fa5zoEU
 Oblique’s: 30 per side https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzZP5hcn7IE
 Plank: 2 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwRdx4hN5h0
 Bicycles: 2 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwyvozckjak
 Leg Raises: 30 reps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2oyawG9KI

Weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Here is the rest interval between each exercise:

 Week 5 = 30 seconds
 Week 6 = 15 seconds
 Week 7 = 15 seconds
 Week 8 = 10 seconds

Legs
 Squats: 4 sets of 20 reps
 Power Squats: 4 sets of 20 reps
 Lunges: 4 sets of 15 reps per leg
 Power Lunges: 40 reps alternating
 Wall-Sits: 4 sets of 2 minute each
 Heal Raises on Stairs: 4 sets of 35 reps

Arms/Chest/Back
 Push-Ups: 4 sets of 15
 Tricep Dips: 4 sets of 15

Abs/Back
 Crunches: 100
 Oblique’s: 45 per side
 Plank: 2 x 2 minutes
  Bicycles: 2 x 2 minutes
 Leg Raises: 2 x 30 reps
Danville Soccer: Fitness Shuttles/Distance
40-Yard Shuttles - Rest after each set for 45 seconds; each set should take you around 45 seconds
 Weeks 1-4 = 6 sets
 Weeks 5-8 = 8 sets
 Two markers 40 yards apart is the setup for this drill
 Up and back three times (Total of 240 Yards)

50-Yard Shuttles - Rest after each set is 1 minute; each set should take you around 1 minute
 Weeks 1-4 = 6 sets
 Weeks 5-8 = 8 sets
 Six markers at ten yard intervals is the set up for this drill
 10 and back, 20 and back, 30 and back, 40 and back, 50 and back (Total of 300 Yards)

Super Set - Rest interval on the line of 1 minute

 Weeks 1-4 = 10 complete sets
 Weeks 5-8 = 15 complete sets
 120 yard sprint in 20 seconds
 120 yards back in 40 seconds

Distance
 Week 1 = Run 1 mile 3 times a week (MINIMUM)
 Week 2 = Run 1 ½ miles 3 times a week (MINIMUM)
 Week 3 = Run 2 miles 3 times a week (MINIMUM)
 Week 4 = Run 2 ½ miles 3 times a week (MINIMUM)
 Weeks 5-8 = Run 3 miles 3 times a week (MINIMUM)
 Danville Soccer: Nutrition/Sleep

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE NUTRITION

It’s called ‘PERFORMANCE’ nutrition for a reason. When you’re an athlete your diet plays a critical
role in performance and recovery. It’s not about eating whatever you can find, whenever you remember.
It’s about choosing the best foods/drinks at the right times according to the impact they will have on your
health, your energy level, your healing power and your rate of recovery. Not sure when to eat, or what to
eat? Read this section thoroughly, and refer back to it often.

*REMEMBER: Every meal and snack is an opportunity to positively impact your health and your
performance!

WHAT TO EAT – NUTRIENT DENSITY

So, if you’re going to eat you may as well choose foods that will do something for you. Every meal or
snack is an opportunity to impact your health and performance, so why not maximize the ‘bang?’

 Accelerate the repletion of fuel (glycogen)

 Improve immune function
 Accelerate healing
 Stimulate protein synthesis (essential for muscle growth) - over nutrient-empty foods that do
nothing but provide calories. Think about the foods you turn to most often.
 Are you eating them out of habit?
 Are you eating them because you’ve never bothered to give nutrition much thought?
 Take the top 10 foods you eat most and look at the ingredients that are in them. Can you
pronounce everything in the ingredient list?
 Is there any fiber?
 Any protein?
 Any healthy fat?
 How much sugar?
 Are there more than 5 ingredients?

Start evaluating what you’re putting into your body. As your most prized possession, your body deserves
the best. Start giving it high quality nutrients found in whole foods and it will serve you well. Improve the
quality of the foods you eat!

EMPTY CALORIES

Many athletes’ diets contain too many empty calories. Empty calories come from foods that have lots of
calories, but few vitamins and minerals.
Examples Include (NEED TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT CONSUMED):

 Candy
 Soda
 Sugary Cereal
 Fried Foods
 Sour Cream
 Cream Cheese
 Desserts
HIGH QUALITY FOODS

High quality foods contain lots of nutrients for not as many calories.

Examples Include:

 Lean Meats – chicken, turkey, fish

 Whole Grains – whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, bran cereal
 Fruit – apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, blueberries
 Vegetables – broccoli, dark greens, sweet potatoes, peppers, spinach, etc. . .

THE BOTTOM LINE

 Limit empty calorie foods
 Increase high quality foods
 Even choices such as white bread, white rice, and pasta are not the best way to maximize your
nutrient intake.
 A good rule of thumb when searching for the highest nutrient dense foods is to “Eat a rainbow
often”.

PROTEIN

Let’s start with protein since it is (or should be) every athlete’s priority! Protein MUST be present in
every meal and snack. Protein MUST be consumed before, during and after your workouts. When it
comes to choosing protein foods always choose lean and low-fat options. Before, during and after
exercise your body needs fast-absorbing protein found only in whey protein (naturally present in milk).

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are the most confusing macronutrient. They are also the most abundant when it comes to
our food supply. Understanding the 3 different types of carbohydrates and knowing when to include them
in your daily plan is integral. Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the body during intense
activities. Carbohydrates provide energy for basic body function, nerve transmission and muscular
contraction. They also assist in the digestion and metabolism of fat as an energy source. The type and
amount of carbohydrates in your diet can inhibit or assist you in achieving your performance goals as well
as keeping you healthy. Carbohydrates can be found in food such as grains (bread, pasta), fruit,
vegetables, milk, beans and legumes. When choosing carbohydrate for each feeding, it is important to
choose a nutrient dense carbohydrate.

FIBER RICH CARBOHYDRATES

These are your friend. Fiber rich carbohydrates are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet,
loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (that bolster the immune system and speed healing and
recovery). They include, quite simply, fruits, veggies, beans and legumes. Of course, not all fruits and
veggies are created equally. Make sure you balance the more starchy vegetables (corn, butternut squash,
pumpkin, peas, root vegetables, and sweet potatoes) with less starchy vegetables.
STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES/GRAINS
These carbohydrates can be good and bad. It all depends on the specific choices you make, when you eat
them and how much you eat, and what point in time you eat them throughout your day.

 In general, we recommend 1-2 servings of starchy carbohydrates at each meal.

 The exception is if you are trying to LOSE BODY FAT. In that case we recommend 1-2 servings
at breakfast and 1-2 servings in the post-exercise meal only.
 If trying to GAIN MASS we recommend pushing your intake of starchy carbohydrates to 3-4
servings at every meal.
 When it comes to starchy carbohydrates the rule of thumb is high fiber, low sugar. Choose breads
and cereals that are high in fiber, made from whole grains and low in sugar. For example, there’s
a big difference between Corn Flakes (high sugar, no fiber) and Fiber ONE (high fiber, low
sugar) and even between instant flavored oatmeal and steel cut oats (that you cook on the stove
for 15 minutes). Likewise, there’s a big difference between white bread and 100% whole wheat
bread.

SUGARY CARBOHYDRATES

The final category of carbohydrate foods is also abundant and hard to avoid. As you would guess it
includes the following:

NEED TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT CONSUMED:

 Cookies
 Cakes
 Candy
 Ice Cream

However, there are some sugary carbohydrate foods that have a place in an athlete’s diet. During exercise
your body needs fast sugar to sustain high intensity performance.

Those Foods/Beverages Include:

 Gatorade/Powerade are formulated accordingly to be absorbed quickly.

 Many energy bars are also formulated with glucose other fast-absorbing sugars to capitalize on
your body’s needs during exercise.
 Chocolate milk is an example of a whole food that naturally provides the nutritional profile
proven to be ideal during and post-exercise.

HEALTHY FATS

The final component of a healthy diet and one that is often overlooked is healthy fat. Every diet needs fat.
What’s important is WHERE the fat in your diet is coming from.

 Is most of your dietary fat coming from cheeseburgers and whole milk? If yes, then you are
getting mostly saturated fat (or animal fat), which is a known cause of heart diseases.
 Is most of your dietary fat coming from vegetables, nuts, beans, or fish? Ideally, the majority of
the fat in your diet should come from vegetable, legume and fish sources. In particular, every
athlete should work to include Omega 3 fats in to their diet. These fats are not only incredibly
good for heart and brain health, but act as natural anti-inflammatory in the body. Incorporate
these foods in to every meal you eat.
PRE, DURING & POST EXERCISE FUELING

Fueling around your workout/practice will help you maximize your performance during practice or
workouts as well as promote recovery and lean muscle mass gains. When implemented properly and
consistently, strategic pre- and post-workout nutrition can greatly increase training quality and
effectiveness.

Exercise causes many changes in the body. First, there is a significant increase in blood flow to working
muscles. There is also a sharp increase in adrenalin. These changes favor catabolism (muscle breakdown)
during exercise and anabolism (muscle synthesis) after exercise. Since these changes are acute, some
lasting only a few hours, pre- and post exercise meals are critical for optimizing anabolism and
minimizing catabolism.

PRE-EXERCISE FUELING
The pre-exercise meal and/or snack is AS important if not MORE important than breakfast. The quality
and timing of these nutrients will dictate the quality of your training and your body’s response to it.

TIPS
 Eat a pre-exercise meal 3-3.5 hours before exercise that includes fiber-rich nutrition dense
carbohydrates and lean/low-fat protein.
 Eat a light snack 60-90 minutes before exercise that includes slow-absorbing starchy carbs and a
small amount of protein (minimal fat) (i.e. 1/2 multigrain bagel with all-natural peanut butter,
banana with peanut butter, small bowl of cereal with skim milk).
 If nothing else, 10-15 minutes before you exercise or practice, drink low-fat chocolate milk.
 Drink lots of fluids to ensure you are well hydrated - your snack can be a liquid snack, a fruit
smoothie or shake or low-fat chocolate milk.
 Avoid fatty foods- they stay in your stomach for long periods of time.

DURING-EXERCISE FUELING

TIPS

 During training drink sports drink combined with water

 During conditioning sessions drink a combination of water and sports drink
 Do not only drink water - IT WILL COMPROMISE YOUR PERFORMANCE!

POST-EXERCISE FUELING

The primary goal after any workout, practice, or competition is RECOVERY!

Accelerating the recovery process is particularly important when there is less than 24 hours between
training and/or competition sessions. In these cases you must focus on:

 Rehydrate- replacing fluids

 Replenish- replenishing glycogen (fuel) stores
 Repair- repairing muscle tissue (minimizing muscle breakdown)
 Reduce- reducing the damaging effects of post-exercise tissue inflammation

REHYDRATE

The best method for assessing fluid needs post-exercise is to measure weight loss during exercise. For
each pound lost during exercise, 3 cups of fluid should be consumed as soon as possible. A combination
of water and sports drinks should be used to ensure that electrolytes and glucose (fast absorbing
carbohydrate) are also being ingested. Another strategy for assessing hydration status is to monitor urine
color and output.

REPLENISH
Post-Workout Recovery
 Immediately after workout, there is a 30-minute window of “opportunity” that your body is more
efficient at repletion your energy stores.
 Like all meals and snacks, post-workout recovery snack or shake must contain carbohydrates and
protein to promote glycogen repletion.
 Minimum of 15-20g of protein is needed to promote muscle gains.
 For prolonged intense exercise (aerobic or anaerobic) the best post-exercise carbohydrate to
protein ratio appears to be 3:1 or 4:1.
 For resistance (strength power) workouts a ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 may be more appropriate.
 Be sure to follow up with a post exercise meal within 2 hours to top off glycogen energy stores.
****Low-fat chocolate milk is a perfect post-workout choice- it provides the necessary 3:1 (carb-
protein) ratio.

REPAIR

In addition to replenishing the body’s fuel supply, post-exercise carbohydrate and protein ingestion
changes the hormonal environment within the body from catabolic (muscle breakdown) back to anabolic
(muscle building). The rapid consumption of carbohydrate and protein (NOT fat) post-workout allows the
body to begin repairing and rebuilding.

From a Repair Standpoint, Protein Provides Several Benefits:

 Amino acids that rebuild damaged muscle tissue is an important adaptation to exercise.
 Without protein, the body’s ability to adapt to resistance exercise is greatly diminished.
 The timing of protein intake is important. If the anabolic stimulus from exercise is to be
maximized a steady flow of amino acids must be available.
 Research shows that muscle protein synthesis is elevated by up to 50% 4 hours after resistance
training and 109% 24 hours after. By 36 hours after training, synthesis rates have almost returned
to normal.
 Since the body does not have the capacity to effectively store amino acids, protein should be
eaten every 3-4 hours.
 Post-workout protein should be consumed immediately (within 30 minutes).

REDUCE

Reducing oxidative damage (minimizing free radical damage) after exercise is also extremely important.
Free radicals are unstable molecules produced during the metabolism of oxygen. These unstable
molecules promote inflammation and cell damage, leading to muscle soreness and delayed recovery
short-term, degenerative disease long-term. Since exercise greatly increases oxygen intake, it also
increases the production of free radicals in the body. Antioxidants are effective quenchers of free radicals,
so it makes sense that ingesting antioxidants post-exercise would be an important strategy. The most
effective antioxidants are Vitamin E and Vitamin C, and a wide variety of other phytonutrients found in
fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

HYDRATION STRATEGIES
Sweating leads to fluid loss. Fluid loss leads to dehydration. Dehydration leads to premature fatigue,
increased risk of heat illness, impaired performance and delayed recovery. Most athletes do not drink
enough water before, during and after exercise.

HOW MUCH WATER IS ENOUGH

  It depends on a few things: your body size, your exercise intensity and duration, temperature and
humidity levels and wearing of equipment.
 Generally, you should strive to drink the equivalent of half your body weight in ounces of water
each day.
KEEP IN MIND

 Sweating promotes the loss of electrolytes - MAGNESIUM, SODIUM, POTASSIUM, AND

CALCIUM.
 These nutrients are not replaced with water. When exercising in hot environments or for long
periods of time it is important to replace electrolytes and fluids (with sports drinks) to maintain
optimum performance capabilities.

TIPS

 Drink Fluids, Regardless of Thirst – you are already dehydrated when the sensation of thirst
appears. Drink appropriate fluids such as water, sports drinks, and some 100% fruit juice. Some
other beverages (low fat milk and high carbohydrate energy drinks) have important roles during
high intensity training, but are not good hydrators.
 Keep It Clear, Urine That Is – Urine color should be used as an indicator of hydration status.
Urine should be as clear as possible at all times and athletes should urinate every 2-3 hours.
 Replace Fluids Lost Within 60 Minutes – Replace fluids lost during workouts as soon as
possible, for each pound lost, replace with at least 3 cups (24 oz.) of water.
 Replace Electrolytes – Athletes lose electrolytes through sweat. Be sure to replace those
electrolytes by drinking Gatorade/Powerade to prevent cramping and heat illness.

SLEEP

The most underrated area of performance is sleep! Not getting enough sleep effects the following
areas of performance:

 Reaction Time
 Speed
 Fine Motor Skills
 Endurance

Your body does significant work in the areas of muscle growth and repair while you sleep. If you
are not getting enough sleep, you are compromising your recovery and your ability to add muscle
mass.

TIPS
 Athletes’ training requires a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep.
 Establish a regular routine by getting up at approximately the same time each morning and going
to bed at approximately the same time each night. Ideally within 30 minutes of the same time
each morning and night.
 Avoid foods, at night, that contain caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, and soft drinks).
 Avoid large, heavy meals before bed. It will ramp up your digestive system ad make it difficult to
fall asleep.

Resources:

*University of North Carolina Women Soccer’s Summer Skills/Conditioning Program

http://www.district196.org/evhs/athletics/fall/girlssoccer/PreparationForNextSeason/University
%20of%20North%20Carolina%20Women%20Soccer.pdf

*University of Louisville Women’s Soccer Summer Training Manual

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/lou/sports/w-soccer/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/w-soccer-
summer-program-13.pdf
*Notre Dame Academy Soccer Program 12 Week Training Program
http://www.tritonsoccer.com/Conditioning/12%20Training%20Sessions.pdf