Are you an amateur football player, and are you going on holiday? Don’t wait for the start of the season to get back into sport! In this article, we give you all the keys to set up your physical pre-season preparation and be in top shape when you go back to school! Pre-season preparation must be progressive not only for the improvement of performance qualities but also for preventing muscle and joint injuries. How so?
STRENGTHEN YOUR MUSCLES FIRST AND FOREMOST
After months of holidays during which no physical activity has been practiced, it is usually difficult to restart, especially for muscles that have worked very little in the last months.
Footballers need to work their core strength, hamstrings, and adductors. These are small muscles that quite quickly lose mass during the holidays. When you get back, there are a lot of ball sessions, so these muscles need to be worked because they are immediately used.
Therefore, a strength workout should aim to develop the various muscle groups to avoid injuries. If such work is not done, a contracture due to accumulated fatigue or even a tear may occur.
RESPECT A SPECIFIC ORDER IN YOUR FOOTBALL PREPARATION
When you start retraining, you are going to need to start the exercises slowly and, above all, do them in a specific order.
First, a lot of strengthening is needed so one can keep away from injuries and chain-up workouts, and this chaining will keep you in shape. Second, start the sessions on light eccentrics, hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps.
In addition to all this, work needs to be done on sheathing and reinforcing the obliques. Indeed, footballers have many supports and changes of direction on the ground, which is more or less greasy.
MAINTAIN A CORRECT HYGIENE LIFESTYLE
Even though this summer period allows us to breathe and let go of ourselves, we must not go to excess.
The players’ hygiene during their holidays is necessary, but the football diet and its demands during the whole period from preparation to the last match of the season mean that sometimes, there are players who need to make exceptions.
The best thing to do before the start of the season again is not to go out in the evening and go to bed at about 10:30 p.m. because sleeping between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. It represents the best and recuperating one. To approach optimally, the pre-championship training sessions are ideal to perform 2 × 20 minutes weekly. Following these indications, your physical condition will be visibly improved. Having fun, yes, but not overdoing it is sometimes really influencing performances.