Strength Training for Football
Football demands repeated sprints, changes of direction and durability. Here is how to lift for it without arriving at the weekend already tired.
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Overview
Football is a repeated sprint sport played on tired legs. The gym work that helps is the work that raises your sprint speed, lets you change direction without breaking down, and keeps your hamstrings intact.
The gym work that does not help is a bodybuilding split bolted onto a match schedule.
Quick Answer
Footballers benefit most from two short strength sessions a week focused on heavy lower body compounds, explosive work, and eccentric hamstring exercises. In-season sessions should be low volume and placed early in the week so legs are fresh by match day.
Key Points
- Speed and change of direction are the qualities that transfer.
- Two short sessions a week is enough in season.
- Eccentric hamstring work meaningfully reduces injury risk.
- Never lift heavy legs within 48 hours of a match.
- Off season is when you build; in season you maintain.
What actually transfers
| Quality | Why it matters | How to train it |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum strength | Underpins sprinting and duels | Heavy squats, hinges, 3 to 5 reps |
| Rate of force development | Acceleration off the mark | Jumps, throws, Olympic lift variants |
| Eccentric hamstring strength | Sprinting injury risk | Nordic curls, Romanian deadlifts |
| Change of direction | Decelerating and re-accelerating | Cutting drills, single leg work |
| Repeated sprint ability | Late-game output | Short sprint repeats, small sided games |
Aerobic fitness matters too, but most footballers get more than enough from training and matches. What they usually lack is strength and deceleration capacity.
A two day in-season week
Place sessions early. If you play Saturday, lift Monday and Wednesday.
| Session | Exercises |
|---|---|
| Monday | Trap bar deadlift 4x4, Bulgarian split squat 3x6 each leg, Nordic curl 3x4, core anti-rotation 3x10 |
| Wednesday | Box jump 4x3, Squat 3x5, Hip thrust 3x8, Calf raise 3x12, single leg balance work |
Keep total working sets low. Six to eight hard sets per session is plenty when you are also training with the team three times a week.
Hamstring injuries
Hamstring strains are the most common non-contact injury in football, and they happen at high sprint speeds during the late swing phase.
Two things reduce risk more than anything else in the gym:
- -Eccentric strengthening. Nordic hamstring curls are the best studied. Start with two sets of three or four controlled reps and build up slowly, because they will make you very sore initially.
- -Exposure to high speed running. Hamstrings that never see near-maximal sprint speeds in training are not prepared for it in a match.
Off season versus in season
| Phase | Priority | Sessions per week |
|---|---|---|
| Off season | Build strength and muscle | 3 to 4 |
| Pre season | Convert strength to speed and power | 2 to 3 |
| In season | Maintain, stay healthy | 1 to 2 |
You cannot make large strength gains during a season with two matches a week. The goal in season is not losing what you built.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it causes problems | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy legs two days before a match | Arriving flat and slow | Lift early in the week |
| Long distance running for fitness | Football is repeated sprints, not steady state | Interval and small sided work |
| Skipping the gym entirely in season | Strength and injury resilience decay | One or two short sessions |
| Only training both legs together | Football is a single leg sport | Include split squats and single leg hinges |
| No deceleration training | Cutting and stopping is where injuries happen | Include controlled cutting drills |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will lifting weights make me slower?
No. Getting stronger, particularly in the lower body, is associated with faster sprinting. Getting substantially heavier without getting stronger can slow you down, which is a nutrition issue rather than a lifting one.
How many gym sessions during the season?
One to two short sessions per week for most amateur players, placed as far from match day as the schedule allows.
Should I do Olympic lifts?
They are useful for developing explosive power, but only if you have access to good coaching. Jumps and throws deliver much of the benefit with a fraction of the learning curve.
What about pre-season running?
Include it, but weight it towards intervals and repeated sprints rather than long steady runs. The sport is played in bursts.
Sources
National Strength and Conditioning Association - https://www.nsca.com/
NHS exercise guidance - https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/
WHO physical activity fact sheet - https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity