Strength training for footballers: how to boost performance

Why does strength training for footballers need its own approach?

Football is a multifactorial sport in which speed, explosiveness and endurance have to work together. Strength training for footballers doesn’t mean bodybuilding-style volume training — the goal is functional strength that carries over to the movements you make on the pitch. Evidence-based studies show that maximal squat strength correlates with sprint speed and vertical jump, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.94 (Wisløff et al., 2004). Put simply: stronger legs mean a faster footballer.

Beyond performance, injury prevention matters too. The systematic review by Lauersen et al. (2014) showed that strength exercises reduce the risk of sports injuries by up to 50%. In football, where collisions, sudden changes of direction and maximal sprints are an everyday occurrence, that number is especially telling.

Which strength training program suits a footballer through the season?

The NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) recommends a periodized approach, where training volume and intensity are adjusted to the competitive season.

Pre-season (8–12 weeks):
The focus is on maximal strength (3–5 repetitions per set, 80–90% 1RM) and plyometrics. Ronnestad et al. (2008) showed that a 7-week combined strength and plyometric program improved professional footballers’ 10-meter sprint time by 1.7–2.4% and their vertical jump by 4.7%. On the pitch, those are significant numbers.

In-season (approximately 9 months):
To maintain strength, 1–2 sessions a week are enough. Helgerud et al. (2011) confirmed that elite footballers who combined strength and endurance training during the season maintained both their VO₂max and their maximal strength level. You don’t need many core exercises — 2–3 quality movements per session are enough.

Transition period:
Active rest and light functional movement keep your body in good condition without cumulative fatigue.

Similar periodization principles apply to younger athletes as well — strength training and children covers this topic in depth and shows that, with proper supervision, strength exercises are safe and beneficial even at an early age, laying a strong foundation for a later sports career.

Which exercises give a footballer the greatest benefit?

An evidence-based selection starts from the movement patterns football demands — sprinting, jumping, changing direction, single-leg balance.

The Nordic hamstring curl has a special place in footballers’ training. The randomized controlled trial by van der Horst et al. (2015) showed that this exercise reduces the incidence of hamstring muscle injuries among amateur footballers by 51%. Given that hamstring injuries are among the most common in football, the Nordic hamstring curl should be a standard protocol in every football team.

How do you avoid overload when combining strength and football training?

The most common mistake is adding strength training to the schedule without adjusting the volume of football training. Stølen et al. (2005) emphasized that an elite player covers an average of 10–13 km during a match and performs 150–250 brief intense actions — this cumulative training load has to be reflected in training planning.

Practical recommendations:
– Schedule strength training away from football training (e.g. football training in the morning and strength training in the evening — or on different days).
– Don’t do strength training before an important match (at least a 48-hour recovery).
– Monitor total volume — if football training is intense, reduce the number of extra sets in strength training.

According to the physical activity recommendations of the Estonian Health Board, an adult should do muscle-strengthening exercises at least two times a week — for footballers, this is the minimum, on top of which come the specific demands of the sport.

How does strength training apply to different groups of athletes?

The principles of strength training are universal, but how they are applied depends on the athlete. Women and strength training: part I explains the specifics of female athletes — football is a growing sport in popularity among women, and female athletes have up to a 4–6 times higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than men, which is why strength exercises are especially important for them.

As a career goes on, maintaining strength becomes more and more important. Strength training and aging looks at how muscle mass starts to decline from the age of 30 — footballers who keep up strength training throughout their careers maintain a higher level of performance for longer and are more resilient to injuries.

Finally: strength training and children is a topic that connects directly to youth football — the foundation is laid in academies and youth training camps, and learning proper technique early prevents injuries decades later.

References

• Wisløff U, Castagna C, Helgerud J, Jones R, Hoff J. (2004). Strong correlation of maximal squat strength with sprint performance and vertical jump height in elite soccer players. Br J Sports Med. PMID: 15056322
• Stølen T, Chamari K, Castagna C, Wisløff U. (2005). Physiology of soccer: an update. Sports Med. PMID: 15974635
• Ronnestad BR, Kvamme NH, Sunde A, Raastad T. (2008). Short-term effects of strength and plyometric training on sprint and jump performance in professional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res. PMID: 18076222
• Helgerud J, Rodas G, Kemi OJ, Hoff J. (2011). Strength and endurance in elite football players. Int J Sports Med. PMID: 21563022
• van der Horst N, Smits DW, Petersen J, Goedhart EA, Backx FJ. (2015). The preventive effect of the nordic hamstring exercise on hamstring injuries in amateur soccer players. Am J Sports Med. PMID: 25794868
• Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. (2014). The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. PMID: 23813531