Really confused and unsure on what to do..

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1

I am in a real dilema on what to do. I have November, December, January and february to train before the soccer season starts. My goal is to highly improve my SAQ. I want to improve my top speed. My acceleration. And of course my agility. I also want to develop my ‘open kinetic chain action’ as duxx calls it. Stand up and shake your leg laterally and forwards and backwards like it is having a fit… I want to basically improve the speed in which i do that.

So a summary of my goals : SAQ and ‘open kinetic chain action.’

I basically don’t know how to go about acheiving these goals. I don’t know how many sessions I need to do per week, whether or not i should do weights or plyometrics etc etc. I spend lots of time readignth through this site and it has helped me understand heaps, but Im still not sure what i need to do for my situation.

Here is my conditoning history, and my times or distances for sprints/jumps. Also some of my basic lifts on the weights. This is so you can hopefully judge by what iv’e done and where i am at speed/strength wise, what i need to do the next four monthsto acheive my goals. So here it is:

I tested this sprints/jumps on the 1st of may.
All handtimed.

20m sprint - 3.5

50m sprint - 7.55

standing long jump - 2.06

I did alot of other test like 6m hop for time, triple hop for distance different agility tests etc, but i will try to keep it brief and that should give a general idea of where i was at. Please tell me if i should post up my other results. :slight_smile:

Eight weeks maximun strength June 20 -August 14th.

I will post my entire program up that i followed for the eight weeks if anyone would be willing to look over it. I don’t expect anyone to of course and its probably not really neccessary to know what my ENTIRE program was for the eight weeks.

On June 20 here were some of my lifts -

BB bench press - 28kg 6x3.

Lat pull down wide grip - 25kg 8x3.

Back squat - 30kg 8x3.

Split squat - 20kg 8x3.

On august 14 here were my improvements in the strength department:

BB bench press - 40 kg 4x4.

Lat pull down wide grip - 40kg 2x2.

Back squat - 55kg 5x3.

Split squat 30 kg 8x3.

Some other new lifts were

military press - 23kg 4x4

Deadlift - 55kg 6x4.

I tested my sprints/jumps on august 12. Here were the improvements:

20m sprint - 3.35

50m sprint -7.35

standing long jump - 2.24

After the max strength phase I did some sprints and weights but not very much due to injuries.

Now I am in the fourth week of a new phase ‘increased work capacity,’ which has involved me doing sprints and some weights one day and tempo the next day. 6 days per week.

Again i will post my program up if anyone would be willing to look over it. Or if thats neccessary. :slight_smile:

So thats were i am at speed wise and strength wise. I will test my sprint/jumps again next week probably.

Now I have 4 months to work towards my goals. I have listed everything i have done conditoning wise and my current speed/strength level [very bad i know :mad: ].

Now the question: What should I do now?

Here was what i was thinking:

Either 2 or 3 sessions per week. Do my sprintwork/drills and agility work first, any plyometrics second, and weights third. I was going to look into learning some olympic lifts possibly…

Is that a bad idea?

If it is ok could someone please show me a sample program, or session?

eg

10m sprint x 5.

30m sprint x 5.

Agility drill x 5.

Vertical jumps 10x5.

Shaking leg in air 10 seconds x 3 [for open kinetic chain :stuck_out_tongue: ]

Back squat 5x5.

Split squat 5x5.

I would be thinking my program would look SOMETHING like that with possibly some ladderwork, and some different speed work to my sprints like highknees for an example. Obviously the agility and plyometric is just an example of what i might be doing. Im not sure what i should do with weights either…

It will be another 5 weeks before i have the money for the gpp essential dvd sadly. :frowning:

So I wont be able to grasp all the info i need to set up a proper periodized program for the 4 months.

I REALLY want to get this right. It is beyond importance.

If someone would PLEASE help me I would be forever grateful… Sorry if i seem a little dumb, but i just don’t know what to do! :mad:

Thanks for any help!!! :slight_smile:

2

Do a search for hill workouts. I did the GPP for a few weeks and then played soccer and football (recreationally) and I felt unstopable on the field. I did no plyos OR those BS sports specific drills. Just hills/sprints/wieghts and med ball. I did tempo as well. I felt waaaaay more aglie faster and fit.

PS

DONT ASK FOR A HILL WORK OUT DO A SEARCH!!!

:slight_smile:

3

I really appreciate you replying. :slight_smile:

However that was just the response I didn’t want to get…

I have four months to become as fast as I possibly can for the sport of soccer. I don’t care AT ALL about my fitness for the next four months. Its all speed.

I don’t know how to periodize my training properly and how to set up a speed for soccer program, as it is obviously different to sprinting.

I am going to make a program for next week in a sec and i’ll post it up. But what about the week after that? Should I start with short 10m sprints and progress onto 30m in a month?

What should my focus be on for the first week of the four months, and how should my focus [or program] change over time?

Here is my program for next week. Three sessions [monday wednesday friday].

I was thinking to keep agility drills [changing direction] to minmimun based on what I have read on this site. Anywho here is week 1 of the four months:

Session 1 -

10m sprint x 5 with one min rests.

1 min rest.

30m sprint x 2 with 3 min rests.

3 min rest.

Illinois Agility run x 2 with 3 min rests.

3 min rest.

Vertical jumps 10 x 2 with 2 min rests.

Explosive chest pass with medicine ball 4kg 10x2 with 1 min rests.

Session 2 -

20m sprint x 5 with 2 min rests.

2 min rest.

Icky shuffle x 2 with 2 min rests.

2 min rest.

High kness through ladder x 2 with 2 min rests.

5 min rest.

Back squat 55kg 3x4 with 3 min rests.

3 min rest.

SLDL 30kg 5x2 with 2 min rests.

2 min rest.

Bridge on swiss ball 3 mins x 2 with 1 min rests.

Session 3 -

10m sprint x 5 with 1 min rests.

2 min rest.

Lateral leg shake in air 10 seconds x 3 with 2 min rests.

2 min rest

Explosive medicine ball sit ups 10 x 5 with 2 min rests.

5 min rest

Split squat 30kg 6 x3 with 3 min rests.

The first week of four months. I guess my thinking is to keep it pretty similar for the four months, just changing some things eg adding more agility work only two session a week, etc.

Hope its ok…

P.S I do appreciate you replying, I just wanted to know a bit more… Hope It didn’t come out the wrong way. :slight_smile:

4

Given the strength numbers you have posted, I would think that possibly the best thing you could do to improve your overall athleticism is to simply get stronger. BTW, what is your body weight?

5

Thanks for replying!!

Im 1.67m 58kg.

If getting strong will help my SAQ vastly I will do it. Remember it’s not strength on the field I want to develop, its speed.

Thoughts?

6

I think if you improve your strength, the gains you see in speed will be coorelated with your strength gains. You do need to get those numbers up, and if you do, I think you will see an improvement in running speed.

7

Ok thanks for replying.

So Max strength…hypertrophy…?

Should I do weights, continuing with my sprints but with weights being the focus?

Thanks.

8

Where is the volume and the low intensity work?
10x2 Chest passes with a minute rest? I think your volume a way too low if you want adaptations that you need. Sure, at higher levels low volumes are needed to sustain intensity, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t up your squats to something like 4x8, change your 10x2 chest passes to a medball circuit, incorporate more callisthenics and bodyweight work, get more than 160m of accel work, and the like.

9

I will do two high intensity days a week, tempo will be done with the football, for low intensity.

I will search for some medball circuits on the site.

So I should be doing sprints, medball/plyos, weights [both upper and lower] and bodyweight exercises like pushups?

10

…? Where is the volume in the workouts you have? It is so low I don’t see how you can expect to see adaptations over a long period of time.

11

I just stated what I am going to change. Add in a medball circuit, and bodyweight work.

The volume will go up every week [volume refers to overall amount of work?] for three weeks and then 1 week low volume before it goes up again.

12

I don’t mean with just the low intensity work–160m of total speed work is not going to cause much adaptation if you have been training for a while. What are you progressing to?

13

Im a little confused what you mean by volume.

I will do 2 high intensity sessions a week, tempo or low intensity work will be done in the form of technical training. [not all technical training is low intensity but i will make sure it is the day after a high intensity day for example]

That was just a program for the first week I would follow a different one [although it would be similar, just more overall metres of accel work for example] the second week and so on.

14

There simply is not a lot being done. 160m of accel is okay at certain times (early GPP/peaking/unloading), but how do you expect to generate adaptations without some significant volume (300m or so)? There is not much speed or accel work being done, nor are there a great number of plyos. Look at your weekly speed volumes: 260m! That is for the entire week, if you do three sessions.

Your weights volumes are very low, so I do not see a lot happening with those other than possibly an early increase in numbers and then within a month, maybe two, a plateau. If you are going to go low volume on the accel, why not increase the weight room volume?

15

Man I really need that DvD - I know so little.

The accel work will go up the second week. Its just low for the first week, as im coming of an injury this week. [that program was just an example]

With the speed/strength stats I posted what should the focus be? More accel work, max velocity, agility, or weight room?

Thanks for maintaining patience although I admitt I really need the DvD before I can start training the right way.

I can get it in 4 weeks. Based on what my conditioning history has been the last few months, and what my stats are, could you please suggest what I should do? Perhaps based on someone else’s journal?

EG Work on accel work and lower body strength until I have the GPP DvD, and then I can use the DvD to periodise my conditioning.

So what would benefit me most to do for the next few weeks, the start of my next few months working speed.

Thanks.

16

davan:

while i agree that 160m is too little, a ward of caution, a beginer can probably sustain a large volume of (percieved) high intencity work from a CNS reserve standpoint, but seldomly can he maintain in due to naging superficial injuries that if left unatended can cause ALOT of problems.

our friend “i am slow” states that he is born in 1989, that makes him 26 years old.

having a 55kg (130lb) squat at 26 indicates an exceptionaly fragile base to begin with.

have him do 300m of speed work three times a week and he wont have any knees left within a month.

Talking from personal experience and some further research both empirical and in the form of science i would sugest a GPP type of training, with not much speed work, and alot of rehab type excercises.

I_am_slow: do you have any set goals or some form of minimum requirements? IMHO, work at large volume of “tiring” work. Lots of tempos, lots of body weight cirquits, lots of weight lifting in the higher reps.

short speed will be a byproduct of explocive med balls, hills (you really really need hill work), and general strength.

something like this perhaps (it has worked for me)

monday:
hill:
10x10m
2x6x30m
exlocive med balls
weights

tuesday:
tempos
lots of calisthenics

thursday:
hill:
3x6x30m
explocive med balls
weights

wendesday:
tempo
low intencity med ball cirquits
hurdle mobility drills

friday:
hills:
3x3x60m
weigts
depletion work (push ups or what have you)

sutarday:
hill tempo:
2,2,4,4,6,6,8,8,6,6,4,4,2,2 (x10m with walkbacks inbetween)
body weights cirquit

17

Thanks VERY much for the detailed reply!! :slight_smile:

I am born in 1989 wwhich makes me 16. :stuck_out_tongue: The squat is 55kg 5x3… I know thats still bad.

Do you mean if I do lots of speedwork I will have niggling injuries? Because I already get niggling injuries…

Did you read my first post? My goals are to improve my SAQ for football [soccer] and my ‘open kinetic chain’, a term used by duxx. Basically standing in one spot and lifting one leg to form a 90 degree angle and shaking it around laterally.

So my goal is to become fast for football. Acceleration, agility and top speed. [And the open kinetic chain].

So carry out a program SIMILAR to what you listed for how long? And then would the next phase to be doing just speedwork [SAQ drills, weights, plyos?]

I dont’t understand what you mean by the hill tempo though, on saturday…

With regard to weights,what rep and set pattern should I follow generally?

Can I do tempo running with a football? IE dribbling it as long as I don’t generate lactate and do it like a normal tempo session.

I shouldn’t be generating any significant lactate on this program should I? On friday you listed depletion work. Is that just upper body depletion like pushups, or lower as well? [lactate]

I don’t want to seem lazy, but how long would I have to follow this program before I can just do pure speedwork? The reason I say this is because technical work [with the ball] is VERY important to me, and I can obviously do less technical work doing 6 sessions a week then 2-3.

Also if i do a technical sessions 6 days per week in the afternoon [conducting conditoning in the morning] as long as I keep the technical work easy with no explosive movements should i be ok? Will that ruin the conditoning?

EG like on this template http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2D8UFEO9QTFLQ2BVBVWQNP8EMW

Wow sorry for writing so much… If you could reply I would be really grateful! This is so important to me.

Thanks so much. :slight_smile:

18

I am born in 1989 wwhich makes me 16. The squat is 55kg 5x3… I know thats still bad.

Ok, i am officialy retarded:p

for some reason 1989 registered in my mind as 1979-go figure,and i am a god damn mathematician:p

well, that doesnt change much of my previous answer, just the fact that you have alot of time for improvement and that your body could probably sustain alot more pure speed work due to tissue turnover rates alone:)

I dont have alot of time right now, ill answer as soon as possible with more details.

bare in mind that others in here are much more experienced than me, sto take my word with a grain of salt, compair and make up your own mind:)

19

Ok thanks for replying and thanks for your honesty.

I see your point in me doing a gpp style program for a while like the one you posted. I look forward to your next response.

Many thanks. :slight_smile:

20

Best line of the week!