Soccer Weight Training- Washboard Abs For Running And Washing Your Clothes.

Soccer Strength Training

Having a strong midsection, tight stomach, powerful abs and a strong lower back is crucial for both personal and soccer reasons. Having strong abs is essential for peak performance in soccer. From the midsection you will be able to run faster, run faster for a longer period of time and become sharp or more explosive.

A strong stomach also allows you to make quicker movements with your torso, which allows you to jump higher when heading the ball. It allows you to make sharper turns and cuts when dribbling with the ball. The best dribblers in the world have a wash board stomach that even your grandma could wash her clothes off.

The purpose of the midsection is to connect your upper body to your lower body and distribute the strength and power collectively to both areas. As your midsection increases in strength and power, so does your athletic ability. So how do we train our midsections specific to soccer?

For starters there are 3 basic requirements to train the Abs.

• Slow Movements: Abs are made up mostly of slow-twitch muscle fibers and need to be trained slowly for optimal results.
• Quantity and Consistency: The longer the repetitions, the better. Abdominals need to be trained for endurance and the higher the repetitions the more endurance you’ll have in the bank.
• Variety: Your midsection consists of different muscle and different areas. Each variation requires different training methods. Variety with any exercise is an essential part of muscle building and soccer training.

To keep things simple, the abdomen will be split into 3 areas. The upper abs, lower abs and the obliques. The lower abs and obliques are compound exercises in that they train more than one muscle group at a time. These exercises also train your upper abs in the same motion. Upper ab exercises on the other hand strictly isolate and train only your upper abs.

The preferred order of training your abdominal is

• Lower Abs
• Obliques
• Upper Abs

Lets investigate and describe some exercises used to add endurance to our midsection.

Standard Sit Up

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Elevate your tailbone about one inch above the floor and place your hands on your ears. Use yor abs to lift the upper half of your body as high as you can and hold that position for a second or 2. Then slowly return back to your starting position.

Standard Crunches

Lie flat on your back with your feet and knees elevated so that your shins are parallel to the floor. Elevate your tailbone about 1 inch above the floor. Place your hands on your ears. Now use your abs to lift the upper half of your body. Once you’ve lifted your shoulders about 30 degrees off the floor, hold the position for a second  or 2. Feel the contraction then slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Obliques

Lie on your left side with your legs slightly bent, knees elevated about an inch or 2 above the ground. Place your hands on your ears and twist your torso to the right and do your best to keep your upper back and shoulders parallel with the floor. Use your obliques and upper abs to lift your upper body as high as you can and hold for a second or 2. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat. Once you’ve completed your repetitions swap sides and lean towards the right.

Hip Lifts/ Tailbone Lifts

Lie flat on your back with your feet and knees elevated so that your shins are parallel with the floor and place your hands on your ears. With your stomach flexed, use your lower abs to raise your tailbone an inch or 2 off the ground. Hold that position for a second or 2 before lowering your tailbone back to the floor. Be sure to keep your upper body in the same position throughout the entire range of motion.

Elbow To Knee Sit Ups

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your ears. Use your abs to raise your upper body forward while lifting your left foot of the floor so that your knee comes towards your head. Touch your knee to its opposite elbow. Hold that position for a second or 2 with your abs flexed. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat the same movements with your right knee and left elbow.

Bicycles

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent, legs extended, feet elevated a few inches above the floor and place your hands on your ears. Use your abs to raise your upper body forward. At the same time, begin to slowly pump your legs one by one as if you were on a bicycle. As your knee comes towards to your head, touch your raised knee to its opposite elbow. Hold that position for a second or 2 with your abs flexed. Go back to the starting point and repeat the same movements with your other knee and elbow.

Leg Raises

Lie on the floor with your legs extended and your shoulders and head tilted forward off the floor, putting stress on your upper abs. Place your hands underneath your tailbone to keep it slightly elevated above the floor. Keep your upper body stationary, hands underneath your tailbone and legs locked throughout the entire range of motion. Raise your legs off the floor until they form a 90 degree angle with the floor, allowing your tailbone and lower back to come off the floor in the process. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position and repeat.

Remember to build your ab workouts progressively. Every time you complete a session try and increase the number of repetitions during your next workout session. Before you know it, your midsection will be a finely tuned V8 that will enable you to run all day with the greatest of ease and power.