Leg Strength is a vital component for soccer players/footballers. There are so many benefits of having strong legs for any player in any position.
Here's a shortlist of skills that typically need strong legs to be able to do....
Jumping High To Win Headers
Good Burst and Acceleration
Injury Prevention
Long Passes
Shooting Power
The key leg muscles are hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and glutes. All of these muscles are key in running, jumping, and kicking the ball.
This is where players get their power from and most of the force comes from these muscles as well. Since a player's power and force come from these, it is very easy to get muscle injuries in any of these muscles. Again, this is one of the reasons why it is so important for these muscles to be as strong as possible.
There are different ways for players to increase the strength in their leg muscles. Typically, players have had hours and hours, week after week of running and kicking the ball around. This naturally increases muscle strength and endurance. So, going to the gym isn't a necessity for every player. Some professional players have just gained strength in their legs over time.
However, it is a huge boost for any player to work on their legs in the gym. Let's say a player has practice three times a week, but also makes time to train his legs twice a week as well. That player is getting stronger quicker than another player who is just practicing three times a week without gym training.
Exercises
Hamstring Curls
This is a great workout to increase the strength and endurance of the hamstring muscle. Hamstrings need to be very strong because that is one of the muscles that receive the most force when running, kicking, etc. Therefore, injuries happen here most commonly. The stronger they are the less likely it is for an injury to occur.
For this workout I recommend 10-12 reps and 3 sets. While doing the workout it's important to flex the hamstring to avoid using other muscles to help do the workout. Keep the weight manageable to maintain good form.
Leg Extensions
This machine is great for work on the quadriceps muscle. The quad's main job is to extend the knee and flex the hip. Both of these actions occur as you kick a soccer ball.
For this workout, it's important to lean forward on the machine so that all the work is going to the quads. Once you do 10-12 reps of double raises, you can also lower the weight to do single raises
By doing this you are focusing on knee stability, and getting more blood to come into the quads which overall increases your workout efficiency.
Squats
This workout is essential for building explosiveness while taking almost all stress off the knees. It works every leg muscle at one time so it is very critical to do.
I recommend 10-12 reps and 3 sets. The weight isn't the most important the strength will develop over time, but making sure the form is correct is important. If these are done wrong it can lead to knee or lower back injuries.
When you lower into a squat, your knees should come over your toes but not in front of them. Keep your back straight and have a motion similar to sitting down.
Calf Raises
When a player is running they are always on their toes. When they make a push or acceleration the first muscle that is worked is the calf muscle. It's very important for every soccer player that these are strong.
There are different ways to do this workout. One is with a machine that uses weight. If you are doing this I would do the 10-12 reps and three sets. Another thing you can do is use no weight. With this alternative way, I would say 20-25 reps and 3 sets.
We made a video on our Youtube Channel where Coach Parsa takes us through a day of leg exercises. It includes visual tips and some more detailed explanations about some of the workouts I mentioned in this blog. Along with some hidden secrets essential for every athlete ;).
It's linked down below make sure you check it out to be fully informed! I'm sure any footballers or athletes, in general, can take some really good points from this video and implement them into their routines to make their legs stronger.
How We Can Help:
At FuturElitez Soccer we share information with our clients about how important it is to improve on fitness. We have content on our Youtube channel which can help every player to improve their game. Also in the future, we will have more blogs on improving player's fitness so stay tuned!
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