*The Summer Workout information provided to you is meant to be a resource/guide and is completely voluntary. You can use as much or as little of it as you'd like. You can combine it with other activities/drills of your choosing.

"The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking."----Mia Hamm

• It is important to maintain and improve fitness levels over the summer in order to come in to preseason at an optimum level of fitness and reduce the chance of injury.  

• The work that is done over the summer will give us an advantage and a head start when we kick off the season on August 21st.

• I have outlined some soccer specific fitness exercises that simulate how players will often move during a soccer game. 

• They are soccer specific in the sense that players will change speeds throughout a soccer game. There are times during a soccer game where players will need to sprint, and other times where they will be jogging. Most exercises can be done with and without a soccer ball, but training with a ball is recommended. 

Each workout should Consist of the following components:

• • 1.  Warm-Up (WU) 

    2.  Cardiovascular Exercise (CA) 

    3.  Muscular Endurance Exercise (ME) 

    4.  Agility Exercise (AG) 

    5.  Technical (Ball Work) (BW)

    6.  Cool Down (CD)

• I have attached a page describing certain exercises you can do for each area of fitness.

• There are certain exercises that combine multiple areas. For example, if you choose to do the 20 yard sprints, that includes cardio and agility so you may want to just focus on ball work for the agility exercise. If you choose the Muscular Endurance Sprints, that includes a muscular endurance and agility exercise.

Training Tips

• Listen to your body and if you feel sore, eliminate that portion of the workout for that day. For example, if you had a summer soccer game the day before, and your legs are sore, in place of cardio for that day, do a light jog after the warm up and continue with the rest of the workout. 

• If your lower body feels sore, choose an upper body exercise. If your upper body feels sore, choose a lower body exercise

• The idea is to build up fitness levels throughout the summer to be in PEAK condition for the start of the season. 

• For example, if you are starting with 8 Repetitions of 120s, then the next time you do it, increase the number of reps or speed/intensity level. There needs to be a balance between training and resting. If you do not have the particular equipment for an exercise, substitute it with another exercise in that category. 

• Get together and train with teammates. You will tend to be more motivated to work out. 1v1s , 2v2s, and 3v3s and other small sided games are great for fitness and also getting touches on the ball.

• Make sure to stay hydrated, drink lots of water and eat nutritiously.

• A summer soccer game can count as your workout for that particular day.

• It is important to cross train and perform other types of exercises as well. Hiking, biking, and swimming are examples of outdoor exercises that are also beneficial in a comprehensive exercise/fitness program.