Please check out some great ways (at any age really) to improve/maintain/cultivate your overall fitness, and therefore your fitness for soccer/football.
These are some ideas I’ve been using for a long time, as well as some newer ideas I have more recently discovered.
(I’ll be updating this over time. But hope you enjoy!)
The basic idea/concept – start from your feet up. Build (and/or rebuild) your base. Then go from there.
Table of Contents
Inspiration
Look at all the top players that are in the their mid 30s.
I think this is unprecedented. My conclusion – that many more players are going to be performing at a high level for another 5 more years than they used to.
And therefore more amateur players will extend their playing years as well.
And since most amateur players don’t every realize their peak, they can still play for fun way past their mid-30s, probably into their 40s and 50s, with proper application of recovery, training, conditioning, etc.
Some guys already play into their 60s, though I think they are much more of a rare breed (but best wishes to them!)
It wouldn’t be the first time: look at Pele, Maldini, Roger Milla.
It’s been done before. But now the collective society is realizing that it’s possible to play top level soccer another 5 years with proper prehab/corrective exercises, etc. Consider:
- Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Pepe (from Portugal)
- Modric
- Benzema
Some of the best players right now are in the their mid-30s. Obviously, they won’t always be the best, but the take-away:
Amateur soccer-lovers – it’s possible to play well into your 40s and 50s with proper training, conditioning, recovery and knowledge!
If Messi is the best player at 35, most people (with proper preparation) in their 40s and beyond can enjoy a good game of pickup! (imho)
Disclaimer
Always remember to consult with the proper medical professionals before starting a new exercise program!
Great Resources
Built from Broken
What a great book! This book has probably answered most of my training/prehab/corrective exercise questions!
I highly recommend this to an athlete who need
The link to Amazon is an affiliate link, so GuitarKitchen would earn a commision.
One of my top favourite recommended books!
You can sign up and get the downloadable workout plans, too:
In the original draft of the book, I included a complete set of instructions on how to modulate intensity during each workout. Ultimately, I decided this was an unnecessary level of detail and removed the section. However, managing intensity will be a crucial factor for both making strength progress and staying healthy.
Generally, complete novices (no training experience) will benefit from a little nudging until they get used to the discomfort that comes with high-intensity exercise.
But both intermediate and advanced trainees benefit from the opposite approach.
That is, being coached to NOT burn themselves out on every set and every exercise.
Scott
Get Built from Broken from:
Available worldwide:
Get a paperback book (English version) of Built from Broken shipped worldwide by purchasing from Book Depository.
Yoga
Yoga, especially hot yoga is a great way to improve stability, mobility and over all well-being. While theirs tons of ways to achieve this things, yoga is probably the easiest for the most people (other than pilates).
Yoga has been designed to help the most people maintain and cultivate general stability, mobility, flexibility and strength. Most other programs just use a slightly different version of the same exercises.
KneesOverToes guy
What an inspiring guy – he got me back into doing the walking backwards and the tib bar – I used to do that stuff back in the day without realizing how great it was. But I forgot.
And he also added the knees over toes split squat, something that for many decades had been coached as a bad thing.
Done correctly with proper progression, the ATG split-squat can improve range of motion and a lot of other good stuff!
- Knees Over Toes/Athletic Truth Group Blog
- Online Coaching from Knees over Toes
- https://jumpstronger.com/knees-over-toes-exercises/
- 6 Knees over Toes Exercises
Build and rebuild from the ground up!
Basically what Ben from Knees over Toes talks about.
He doesn’t talk about feet too much, but that would the true base.
Focus on your major areas/joints from the floor up!
- Feet/Ankles (Ankle Joint)
- Ankles/Calves/Shins (Ankle Joint)
- Knees/Legs (Knee Joint)
- Hips/Lower Back (Hip Joint)
- Core/Back/Hips (Spine)
- Shoulders/Chest/Upper Back (Shoulder Joint)
- Neck/Shoulders (Neck/Head Joint)
- Face/Neck (Jaw joint, etc)
Prehab/Rehab/Injury Recovery Priorities
- Stability (Static wall sit, bridge, plank, etc)
- Movement Mechanics (fix/improve/maintain) movement mechanics
- Mobility
- Strength
- Endurance
From Built from Broken.
Fix/Prehab the Big 3
These, according to Built from Broken, are the major common challenge areas for athletes.
Therefore, it makes sense to try to mitigate issues in advance whenever possible!
- Knee issues
- Back issues
- Shoulder issues
For soccer players – also, ankle issues.
From Built from Broken.
Feet
Foot Rubz
Please read my review on BigBlueWaves.net.
Strengthen your arches
Short Foot exercises (to raise arches)
![Short Foot Exercise for Flat Feet [Ep48]](https://www.guitarkitchen.com/thoughts/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F9puHjMvnjdM%2F0.jpg)
Mobility Exercises
Balance exercises
Strengthen your Calves and Shins
Get a Tibialis Bar to Strengthen your Shins
Use a resistance band for ankle curls and balance work
Knees and Upper Legs
Get a Massage Gun
Foam Roll your Quads
Check out Knees over Toes Guys
Do Yoga and other mobility work
Do Hot Yoga
Get enough sleep
Hydrate
Glutes and Lower Back
Posterior Chain
Shoulders, Neck
Recovery is Key!
Daily Stability and Mobility
Yoga
Foam Rolling
Massage Gun
Massage Therapy
Good Sleep
Hydration
Proper diet and nutrition
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Please let me know any ideas you have! I am still learning myself!
Best wishes everyone!