Overpower your opponent

To be competitive in football it is essential to have an element of strength to support your training and match play. From goalkeeper to striker strength provides the platform for sprinting ability, striking the ball efficiently and defensively dominating the opposing team. To be physically strong we need to have a great base of strength, not only in the legs but also the core of our body and arms.

For example, the centre back position is usually filled by the biggest and therefore usually strongest player on the team, pushing players off the ball and making it difficult to settle in the game. As a defender this can be an awesome weapon in your armoury restricting the effectiveness of the oppositions attacking options.

To gain strength we could supplement our football with some fitness work, either in training sessions or down the gym. Exercises such as squats, press ups and sit ups will increase our muscle strength in the major muscle groups allowing us to utilise this extra strength in a match.

To support this it is essential that we have a diet that supports muscle growth or the building blocks of muscle – protein. The timing and the amount of protein is crucial. It is essential to supply our muscles with protein as soon as possible after exercise maximising the potential for our muscles to grow in strength.

We cannot store protein in the body so we need to drip feed our muscles with protein throughout the day; above and beyond 20g of protein does not provide any significant gain in protein synthesis (muscle growth). Therefore, take on board 20g of protein as soon as possible after exercise and during heavy training periods and ensure protein intake is frequent throughout the day.

- Lucozade Sport Science Team

Follow Lucozade Sport Football on