There is a common agreement that aerobic capacity is one of the main variables that will determine the good or bad performance of a soccer player. It will depend on it that the athlete can put into practice during a whole match the skills acquired in training.
For this reason, coaches and physical trainers often place such importance on working endurance in training directly. However, it is useful to know if other training programs could also improve this ability.
An investigation wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program in which weight training and plyometrics were combined (Grieco, Cortes, Greska, Lucci & Onate, 2012).
Let’s see if introducing training with loads and exercises that directly work explosiveness positively influence the gain in aerobic endurance.
Study design
- 15 professional soccer players participated, although only 11 were included in the final results.
- The training program lasted 10 weeks .
- Weight training consisted of 2 weekly sessions on non-consecutive days.
- They consisted of 9-10 different exercises, where they had to perform 3 sets of each.
- Each of them lasted 60 minutes .
- Plyometrics workouts were also twice a week on days other than resistance training and also on non-consecutive days.
- Emphasis was placed on training one day for speed and acceleration ability and the next day for agility and explosiveness .
What variables were evaluated and how were they measured?
Each of the players performed a test on the treadmill at the end of the season to determine to what degree they improved the following variables:
- Maximum oxygen consumption ( VO2 )
- Energy efficiency for running at 9 km / h (quantification of energy used to run at an aerobic intensity).
- Isometric strength through knee flexion and extension tests.
- Time passed until fatigue.
- Maximum speed reached.
- VO2 percentage max at 9 km / h
What results were obtained?
They increased :
- Peak VO2 max
- The time required before reaching fatigue.
- the maximum speed reached.
They decreased :
- The difference in oxygen content goes into inhalation and exhalation.
- The percentage of VO2 at 9 km / h.
There were no differences in:
- Efficiency when running
- Isometric force.
Conclution
On many occasions, pure resistance programs are used to train the cardiovascular capacity of soccer players, but explosiveness is an even more important quality to differentiate a good soccer player from one who is not.
In this study, it is proven that a routine where combining exercises with loads together with plyometrics exercises can increase aerobic capacity and explosiveness , although it does not seem to produce improvements in running efficiency.
Based on the results of this study, we think it is advisable to combine resistance sessions with others where weight training and plyometric exercises are implemented.
References
- Grieco, CR, Cortes, N., Greska, EK, Lucci, S. and Onate, JA (2012). Effects of a combined resistance-plyometric training program on muscular strength, running economy, and Vo2peak in division I female soccer players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26 (9), 2570-2576.
- Wortman, J. Combo Resistance-Plyometric Training Increases V02 in Soccer Players. For Breakingmuscle.com [Reviewed September 2015].
