How is a Training Day for a Pro Soccer Player?

8:00 - 8:30 AM - Report to Training

As with other professionals, an Elite Soccer Player, has a schedule to stick to. This usually starts early in the morning, most of them drive themselves to the club training facilities and check in before going to the dining area.

8:30 - 9:00 AM - Breakfast

We are what we eat. Not surprisingly, sportsmen and women generally are concerned about their diet. Elite soccer players have been found to expend an average of 1107 kcal of energy during a match and as high as 3442-3824kcal on training days. This is over and above what they are metabolizing at rest.

9:00 - 9:30 AM - Meeting

A Soccer Team Meeting basically consists of a video analysis of the weekends rival and actions that must be focused on during training days. The head coach leads the conversation and delegates task to other staff members.

9:30 - 10:00 AM - Activation

Activation exercises mostly consist of static and dynamic stretches to prepare the player's body for the demands of training. Players go through a series of movements that help to prevent injuries and aid performance. Players are supervised by physical trainers at the gym where they usually perform balance, stretching with rubber bands and medicine balls.

10:00 - 11:45 AM - Training

Training starts with rondo/Eck of 6 or 7 to relax the team and to warm up. These soccer drills have lots of variations like one touch passing on the ground, two touches in the air, just heading the ball, etc. Every training is planned in advance by coaching staff considering upcoming games, thus soccer drills can go from passing, finishing, tactics, speed, standards and small sided scrimmages. Something you will always see on a professional soccer training is coaching staff giving feedback to players about performance and position.

It goes without saying that hydration is very important, before, during and after training.

12:00 - 1:00 PM - Gym

After a quick shower, elite soccer players spend 1 hour a day at the Gym. Every circuit starts with a warm up core. Of course at this level every player has a customized plan according his own need but something that we can regularly see is Dumbbell Jump Squats, Trap Bar Deadlift, Rear Foot Elevate Split Squat, Dumbbell Single Left Romanian Deadlift, Hip Thrust, Nordics, Copenhagen, Paloff Press, Dead Bugs, and Pitshark Holds. This time is also used for interviews with the performance coach. As we know, every elite soccer player brings a GPS device with him to monitor his performance throughout the practice. These devices measure data such as total distance you covered in the entire session, meterage per minute which is kind of intensity in terms of work rate, high-speed runnings which is how many times player was able to get above 20 kilometers an hour, etc.

1:00 - 2:00 PM - Post Training Treatments

Once all the stress of training finishes, high performance athletes need a proper recovery treatment, in case of elite soccer players this can include baths in the cold / hot tub, Ventosa Cupping Therapy or Muscle massage. The main objective of this treatments is making blood flush out in any areas of pain, replacing it with fresh blood, which helps speed up the healing process.

2:00 pm - Leave Training

We hope this information is useful and you can adapt it and set your own training schedule. Remember to follow your coach advice about best practices if you want to reach top leagues and set for your self a diet that includes 60-65% carbohydrate (fresh fruits and whole grains), 20-25% fat (avocados, olive oil, nuts, ) and 10-15% protein (lean meats, poultry, fish, pulses, beans) Do not forget to keep hydrated all the time and the best of luck in your path to playing pro soccer!