INJURY

PREVENTION

MATCHFIT
CONDITIONING
Copyright
[Matchfit Conditioning - Injury Prevention] by Matchfit Conditioning Limited
Copyright © 2017. Matchfit Conditioning. All rights reserved.
Without limiting rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, introduced into a retrieval
system, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including without limitation photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. The scanning, uploading, and/or distribution of this document via the
internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized
editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials.
For permission requests, email info@matchfitconditioning.com
Product Disclaimer
(1) Introduction
This disclaimer governs your use of our ebook; by using our ebook, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this
disclaimer, you must not use our ebook.
(2) Credit
This document was created by Matchfit Conditioning Limited
(3) Intellectual property rights
Unless otherwise stated, we or our licensors own the intellectual property rights in the ebook. Subject to the licence below, all these intellectual
property rights are reserved.
(4) Licence to use ebook
You may view, download for caching purposes only, and print pages from the ebook for your own personal use, subject to the restrictions below.
You must not:
(a) republish material from this ebook (including republication on another website);
(b) sell, rent or otherwise sub-license material from the ebook;
(c) show any material from the ebook in public;
(d) reproduce, duplicate, copy or otherwise exploit material in our ebook for a commercial purpose
(e) edit or otherwise modify any material in the ebook; or
(f) redistribute material from this ebook
(5) Limitation and exclusion of warranties and liability
Whilst we endeavor to ensure that the information in this ebook is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we commit to
ensuring that the ebook remains available or that the material in the ebook is kept up to date.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions relating to this ebook and the use
of this ebook (including, without limitation, any warranties implied by law in respect of satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and/or the use of
reasonable care and skill).
Nothing in this disclaimer will: (a) limit or exclude our or your liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence; (b) limit or exclude
our or your liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) limit any of our or your liabilities in any way that is not permitted under
applicable law; or (d) exclude any of our or your liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.
The limitations and exclusions of liability set out in this Section and elsewhere in this disclaimer: (a) are subject to the preceding paragraph; and
(b) govern all liabilities arising under the disclaimer or in relation to the subject matter of this disclaimer, including liabilities arising in contract,
in tort (including negligence) and for breach of statutory duty.
We will not be liable for any loss, damage or personal injury of any nature.
We will not be liable to you in respect of any losses arising out of any event or events beyond our reasonable control.
We will not be liable to you in respect of any business losses, including (without limitation) loss of or damage to profits, income, revenue, use,
production, anticipated savings, business, contracts, commercial opportunities or goodwill.
We will not be liable to you in respect of any loss or corruption of any data, database or software.
We will not be liable to you in respect of any special, indirect or consequential loss or damage.
(6) Variation
We may revise this disclaimer from time to time. The revised disclaimer will apply to the use of our ebook from the date of the publication of the
revised disclaimer in our ebook.
(7) Entire agreement
Subject to the third paragraph of Section [5], this disclaimer constitutes the entire agreement between you and us in relation to your use of our
ebook and supersedes all previous agreements in respect of your use of our ebook.
(8) Law and jurisdiction
This disclaimer will be governed by and construed in accordance with English law, and any disputes relating to this disclaimer will be subject to the
non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
(9) Our Details
You can contact Matchfit Conditioning Limited by email: info@matchfitconditioning.com
 LET’S GET
STARTED

Congratulations on taking the
next step to becoming a better footballer!
You are among a very rare % of players who
actually take action in order to take their
game to the next level, that decision alone
has already given you an advantage. Some
people wish for it to happen,
but you are going to make it happen. Every
day from now you will be transforming
yourself into a more athletic, less injury
prone player. This will also have profound
effects on your level of confidence, as you
can train and play to your full potential and
continue to progress without injury
setbacks.

This programme focuses on preventing many common football injuries which occur in the
lower body including:

• Shin pain • Medial collateral ligament injury

• Ankle joint problems • Patellofemoral pain syndrome
• Achilles tendinosis • Meniscal tears
• Plantar Fasciitis • Hamstring strains
• ACL injury

For maximum benefits the importance of good nutrition cannot be underestimated, nutrition
is the fuel for your body. A high-performance car runs at its best with top-level fuel, the same
is true with your body. If you build a high-performance body, filling it with the best nutrition
will enable it to perform, recover, adapt and grow at its optimal level.

1
 WHAT’S THE CURRENT ISSUE?

• Injury is too often a factor which forces players to quit the game

• When you feel 'a niggle' or a slight 'twinge' it's your body telling you that it's beginning to break
down because of the training load and a lack of conditioning. Too many players ignore these signs
only for the niggle to turn into an injury which stops them playing instead of addressing the
problem straight away

• Not only does injury lead to significant dips in performance level, it can also become very
psychologically draining and ruin a player’s level of self-confidence and motivation to play as a
result of the game no longer being fun and players losing their identity

• Many players train around their existing injury problems, and avoid working on weak areas of
their body all together in a fear of aggravating the problem. When you can't train to the best of
your ability your progress will always be limited

• Following injury, you must re-consider the loads and training volume you are placing on your
body in order to avoid re-injury, however players who are important to their team are often put
back into full intensity training too early

• Players who believe they are doing work to help the injury problem often target the wrong area
because of a lack of support/ understanding about the injury. For example, problems in the hips
often actually show up as pain and unwanted movement in the knees

• Players who are given rehab programmes by their physios rarely stick to them for more than a
couple of weeks, the programme is also likely to be focused solely on the injured area, is a 'quick
fix' and is likely to not fully solve the problem

• When a player gets an injury, and doesn't perform any rehab at all (simply waits for it to feel
better), they are setting themselves up for re-injury in the future

• Many highly skilled footballers lack the physical qualities to be able to withstand the demands of
the game long term. The key to bullet-proofing your body is to start conditioning as early as
possible and consistently adhering to an injury reduction programme

2
 What Are the Main Causes
of Injury?

• Players ignoring twinging and niggles only for it to develop into a bigger problem
• Over-training and a lack of proper recovery/ nutrition to a degree where the body begins to break
down

• Repeated poor movement mechanics and a lack of coordination placing extra stress on certain
muscles and joints

• Constantly training around injuries which results in layering year upon year of poor movement
patterns and leads to chronic overuse injuries. The clear majority of injuries in football are overuse
injuries and come about as a consequence of poor tissue quality

• (muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons) and dysfunctional movement mechanics

• Deficiencies in joint stability, mobility and strength surrounding the ankles, knees, hips and core
which becomes a particularly big problem when: Landing, twisting, turning and decelerating (most
injuries occur in the early phase of contacting the ground)

• Having a previous injury increases your chances of re-injury

• Tight hips, calves, hamstrings and IT bands (iliotibial) as a result of neglecting flexibility work

• Imbalances in muscle strength particular between the 4 muscles which make up the quadriceps
(thigh muscles) and the hamstrings

• Prolonged training on hard or unstable surfaces in incorrect footwear

3
 The Benefits of an Injury Reduction
Programme

• A great opportunity to redevelop your strength, focus on other areas of your body, comeback
even stronger and become functionally fit

• Improve tissue quality and joint mobility with our foam roller routine

• A strong emphasis on core and single leg strength (single leg strength is one of the most important
qualities in injury reduction, we spend 55% of the time on one leg when running and 85% when
walking)

• Gain and maintain optimal levels of flexibility with our flexibility routines (we are not aiming to
be able to do the splits, that would be maximal and could hinder performance)

• Don't wait for injury to find you, with each session you perform you will be reducing your
potential for picking up an injury in the first place

• Become highly resilient to many common acute football injuries, this programme addresses key
areas which are prone to injury

• This programme is not a replacement for a physio or a rehab programme, it's an injury reduction
programme meaning it will greatly reduce your likelihood of having to visit a physio in the first
place

• Includes strength based exercises which have been shown to reduce acute injuries by more than
60% and the chance of re-injury by 50%

4
 Returning from injury:
Everything you need to know (but haven't been told)

If you’re currently injured, or have been in the past, you’ll know just how difficult it is to deal with
both physically and psychologically. How can you recover and return to play as quickly as possi-
ble…? We’ll address that later, but first let’s look at how often football injuries occur and which
injuries are most common.

How Common Are Football Injuries?
The frequency of injuries varies depending on
age, level and gender. It is estimated that male
athletes develop on average one perfor-
mance-limiting injury per year (1). Injuries
seem to be less frequent in female athletes in
general with the exception of particular
injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL), which are more common in females.
Risk of developing an injury also seems to
increase with age and injuries are 4-6 times
more likely to happen during a match than
during a training session. They’re also much
more likely to occur if you have suffered a
previous injury (2). Let’s address which foot-
ball injuries are most common.
What Types of Football Injuries Are Most
Likely to Occur?
As you might expect, most football injuries
occur in the lower body. They tend to involve
either the ankle, knee, calf or hamstring (1).
The most common types are strains, tears and
bruises, which is what we will be focusing on
here. Injuries tend to be due to overuse,
contact with another player or foul play.
Non-contact injuries occur mainly from either
running or turning. If you’ve ever experienced
an injury, you’ll know just how hard they are
to deal with. In the next section, we’ll look at
recovery from injuries, both physically and
psychologically.

5
 There are many things to think about when recovering from an injury, including: rehab, nutrition
and psychology. Let’s look at each of these areas in turn.

REHAB: This can be broken down into several stages: acute recovery, functional recovery and
the re-training phase (3):

How Can You Recover From

Injuries?

1. Acute recovery (0- 7 days after injury): For
any soft-tissue injury, this stage should
involve the RICE principle. This means rest,
ice, compression and elevation. Rest is import-
ant to prevent the injury from getting worse.
Ice and compression are important to reduce
inflammation in the area and to speed up the
recovery process. Ice and compression should
be applied for 15-20 minutes at a time and
then repeated every 30-60 minutes for sever-
al hours following the injury. Elevation is
important to reduce the chance of excess
fluid building up in the area.
It’s important to note that there is now
conflicting research about the use of ice, with
many believing that ice limits the delivery of
nutrients which aid in the recovery process to
the injured region. However, there is no
doubting the numbing and pain relieving
effect of ice which will be highly beneficial if
you suffer a particularly painful injury, such
as a knee ligament tear. So, the effectiveness
of ice really does depend on the nature of the
injury, in this situation we advise that you
speak to your physio.
2. Functional recovery (after 3-7 days): If there
has been no improvement after 7 days, medi-
cal help may be required to investigate the
issue further which may involve a scan. If the
injury seems to be responding well, more
active treatment should begin. There are
three types of exercises that are important to
include at this stage: isometric, isotonic and
isokinetic.
6
Isometric training: This is where the muscle length
remains constant but the tension changes. Initially this
should be performed without weight and then the
weight can be added over time. It is very important
that any isometric training should fall within the limits
of pain (i.e. it shouldn’t hurt). For example, wall squats
where you place your back against a wall, lower to
where the legs are parallel and then hold for 10-30
seconds, repeat this 2-3 times.
Isotonic training: This is where the length of the
muscle changes whilst the weight remains constant.
Isotonic training can be started once isometric training
can be performed without pain using weight. As the
injury heals, the weight can be increased over time. An
example of an isotonic exercise would be a controlled
lunge or squat. You should also include some
self-massage and stretching of the muscles
surrounding the injured area at this stage.

Isokinetic training: This is usually performed with special equipment commonly found in injury rehab facilities. Here
the level of resistance is varied throughout the movement so that it is performed at a constant speed. Isokinetic
training can begin once the previous two types of training can be performed pain-free.
In this functional recovery phase, physical activities aimed to maintain cardiovascular fitness can also be
implemented. As with the other forms of training described, it’s imperative that the exercise method chosen does not
cause pain. Ideal forms of exercise for this stage include:

• Stationary cycling
• Swimming
• Battle ropes
• Rowing
• Cross trainer
• Partner boxing (if it can be performed pain free)

Retraining phase: This phase involves a return to football-specific training. Two important factors need to be
considered before returning to this type training:

• The ability to fully stretch the injured area

• Being able to use the injured area pain-free in daily movements

Returning to football-specific training should always be done under the supervision of a coach or trainer. A good
rule-of-thumb is to start at 50% of non-contact team activity and gradually then build up slowly to the full 90 minutes
of competitive play. Aim to increase by 10-15% each week, as long as there is no increase in injury symptoms. It’s
also important to ensure that you are maximising your recovery from these sessions.

7
Nutrition is often overlooked when discussing recovery from injury. As well as helping to maintain body composition,
nutrition needs to compliment the different phases of recovery in order to maximise the healing process. It’s
important that energy needs are equal to the activity (or lack of activity) being performed. Energy needs will usually
be reduced because of the lower level of energy expenditure during the recovery process.

In the acute recovery stage (0-7 days after injury), it is recommended that protein intake should be around 2g/kg
bodyweight to prevent muscle mass loss (4). This can come from food as well as supplements to ensure needs are
met. It is also advisable to have some protein before bed to enhance the recovery process.

During this stage it is also good to focus on taking in enough omega 3 fatty acids, such as oily fish, avocado, nuts and
olive oil. If these foods are disliked, it is possible to take an omega 3 supplement to meet these needs.

Nutrition For Recovery

In the functional recovery stage (7 days after injury), it is important to ensure energy needs are being met, as well as
eating enough protein and carbohydrates. Energy needs will be higher than in the acute recovery phase but lower
than in the retraining phase. Low glycaemic carbohydrates should be chosen, which includes wholegrains, beans and
lentils. It’s also important to focus on post-exercise protein intake (around 20-25g) to optimise recovery.
Supplementation with creatine may also be helpful, which has been shown to help with recovery of muscle mass after
injury (4).

In the retraining phase, when there is a return to football-specific training, there will be an increase in energy needs.
This should mainly come from carbohydrates, around 3-5g/ kg bodyweight depending on the level of training. As
with the functional recovery stage, there should also be an emphasis on post-workout protein to maximise recovery
after training. Sports drinks may also be useful during this time to help meet carbohydrate and hydration needs.

8
 There are three main psychological areas that need to be addressed when recovering from an injury (5):

1. Constructive communication wi th ot hers: This me ans having go od communication both within and outside of
football. It’s important that you maintain good communication with your coach and your team. Outside of football,
it’s vital that you should have a good support network of friends and family. These types of communication will help
you to feel supported during the time you are injured and stay motivated to keep up the rehab exercises.

2. Strong belief in importance and usefulness of the recovery process: This might seem obvious but it’s key that
you have accepted the injury and remain persistent in trying to recover. It’s also important that you feel good about
the other areas of your life outside of football. This will help you to stay positive and engaged in the injury recovery
process.

Psychological Considerations

3. Ability to set reasonable goals: Of course, all players want to get back to playing as soon as possible but it’s
important to be realistic when setting goals and be honest with yourself even when there is pressure on you to
return quickly. Having a clear plan for injury recovery but also for preventing future injuries is key. In the next
section we’ll address how you can best set yourself up to reduce the risk of getting injured again.

9
 Unfortunately, if you’ve already had an injury you are more likely to get injured in the future (2). However, if you nail
the recovery to training and actively work on preventing future injuries, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are
four aspects that are important for preventing injuries, which apply whether you’ve already had an injury or not:
pre-season training, warming up properly, nutrition and stress management. Let’s touch on each of these aspects in
turn.

How Can You Prevent Future

Injuries?

1. Pre-season training: Although this phase should be a welcome break from the season, pre-season training needs to
be prioritised in order to maximise your performance for the next season. There are several important components
of your training in the pre-season: strength, flexibility, proprioception and neuromuscular (6, 7 and 8,). Strength
training should include exercises for the whole body but an emphasis on the hamstrings has been shown to be
particularly beneficial for preventing future injuries. Strength training can be combined with explosive exercises,
either field or gym based, to help maximise efficiency of movement. Flexibility is important to reduce muscle
tightness, which is a risk factor for developing injuries. As with strength training, the whole body should be used but
with specific emphasis on the quads, hamstrings and adductor muscles. Proprioception and neuromuscular training
involves plyometrics (exercises where muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time to increase power) and
football-specific agility drills. It’s important to keep up with all of these types of training throughout the year, both in
the pre-season and into the season, to minimise the risk of getting injured or reinjured.

10
2. Warming up properly: This might seem obvious but the importance can’t be overstated. If you
don’t warm up properly you are putting yourself at much greater risk of injury (9). Here’s an
example of what warm-up can include:

Warm-up exercises Balance

• Jogging end to end • (On a balance mat or BOSU)

• Backward running with sidesteps
• Forward running with knee lifts
and heel kicks
• Sideways running with crossovers
• Sideways running with arm swings
• Forward skipping with trunk
rotations
• Forward running with intermittent
stops
• Multi-directional sprints
Movement technique
• Planting and cutting movements
• Broad jump and stick landings
• Ladder and hurdle run-throughs
11
• Squats (one or two leg stance)
• Volleying back to a partner (one
or two leg stance)
• Balancing with eyes closed
• Facing a partner and trying to
push each other off balance
Strength and power
• Sumo squats
• Forward lunge with trunk rotation
• Bounding strides
• Forward jumps
Game specific
• The above movements with the
ball implemented and under
pressure. This may include 1v1’s
and small sided posession games.
 Now let’s move onto Nutrition.

3. Nutrition: As mentioned earlier, this aspect is often overlooked when discussing injury recovery
and prevention but it’s really important. The energy needs for a match have been estimated as
1300-1500 calories but will vary depending on body composition, the quality of the opposition
and the position that you play (4). Diets that do not meet energy needs not only increase the risk
of injury but are also detrimental to performance and health. This is because as well as not
providing adequate calories, there are likely to be a lot of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is
therefore important that your diet is high enough in calories as well as nutrients. Supplementation
with vitamin D, particularly during winter months, may also help is minimising injury risk. It is also
important to ensure adequate hydration to not only prevent injury but also to maximise recovery
from training. Nailing that post-match period is also crucial to maintain high levels of
performance and decrease injury risk.
12
4. Stress management: Another often overlooked component of injury prevention is stress
management (10). Stress not only increases risk of injury but also interferes with recovery from
training. There are many different possible sources of stress, both football related and
non-football related that could affect you. Strategies to help manage stress include physical
relaxation and the use of imagery.

Physical Relaxation:
Both activities below can be done daily. Set aside about 15 minutes of your day and ensure you’re
in a place where you can’t be disturbed. Start with one of these techniques at a time and then try
others to see what works best for you.

Deep Breathing: This has calming effects on the mind as well as physiological effects such as
reducing heart rate. This involves breathing in and out slowly, to a count of 3 or 5. This should be
done either lying or sitting down with the eyes closed.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This involves the deliberate contraction of muscles followed by
a greater relaxation of muscles. Here’s an example of how to do a progressive muscle relaxation:

Example progressive muscle relaxation routine:

• Foot (curl your toes downward then relax them)
• Lower leg and foot (tighten your calf muscle by pulling toes towards you then release)
• Upper leg (squeeze quads and then relax them)
• Glutes (pull your glutes together and then release)
• Neck and shoulders (raise your shoulders up to touch your ears then release them down)

Other stress management techniques include journaling, meditation, yoga and even positive
self-talk combined with the use of imagery of you playing again in the future injury free. All of
these strategies can be practised throughout the year, both pre-season and during the season.
By now, hopefully you’re feeling confident about knowing how to cope with an injury and prevent
them from re-occurring in the future. Some of these components might seem tedious, but they
will help you to build a long and successful career which is not stricken by injury after injury.

13
 The Programme
Use the planner below for guidance on how to schedule these workouts. Injury prevention is far more
about being consistent in your training throughout the season rather than performing a one-off
programme. You should make performing these different elements of injury prevention a habit in your daily
routine and you can also include them with your strength training throughout the season. All of the
sessions are low intensity and low impact so fatigue will not be an issue. You'll notice significant
improvements not only in mobility, athleticism and injury resilience but also energy and mood. You can
progress the exercises by performing them with: more control, greater range of movement or increased
resistance/sets.

WHEN TO USE THESE WORKOUTS

MUSCLE MYOFASCIAL BAND STRETCHING/

INJURY PREVENTION GYM SESSION FOAM ROLLING TRX YOGA
ACTIVATION RELEASE ACTIVE RECOVERY
JUST BEFORE TRAINING ✔ ✔ ✔
AFTER TRAINING ✔ ✔
JUST BEFORE A MATCH ✔ ✔ ✔
STRAIGHT AFTER A MATCH ✔
DAY AFTER A MATCH ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
MORNINGS BEFORE TRAINING ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
IN PLACE OF/INCLUDED IN YOUR NORMAL GYM SESSION ✔ ✔

EQUIPMENT
YOU CAN USUALLY FIND ALL OF THE BELOW IN A STANDARD GYM
MINI-BAND
SWISS BALL
SOFT PILATES BALL OR EQUIVALENT
A STEP OR RAISED SURFACE
3 MARKERS
CABLE MACHINE (GYM)
ROLL OUT WHEEL (GYM)
PULL UP BAR (GYM)
TENNIS BALL/MASSAGE BALL
A BOX (GYM)
LEG PRESS MACHINE (GYM)
FOAM ROLLER
FITNESS BAND (GYM)
TRX/SUSPENSION TRAINER (GYM)
 INJURY PREVENTION WORKOUTS
PERFORM THE EXERCISES IN SUPERSETS AS SHOWN BY THE SHADING
WORKOUT 1
EXERCISE SETS REPS TIPS VIDEO LINK
CALF RAISES 3 10 MOVE UP AND DOWN WORKING A FULL RANGE OF MOTION CLICK HERE
SINGLE LEG BRIDGE 3 10 PER LEG ENGAGE THE GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS CLICK HERE
CALF DROPS 3 10 DROP THE HEELS AT SPEED AND AIM FOR DEPTH CLICK HERE
MINI-BAND SIDE STEPS 3 10 EACH WAY DON'T LET THE KNEES FALL INWARDS CLICK HERE
SWISS BALL HOVER 3 1 MIN HOVER FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. RE-ATTEMPT AS APPROPRIATE WITHIN THE MINUTE CLICK HERE
KNEE SQUEEZES 3 10 SQUEEZE FOR 3 SECONDS, RELAX FOR 3 SECONDS CLICK HERE
FOOT-UP PLANK 3 16 SECS EACH LEG KEEP THE LEG STRAIGHT AND BUM DOWN CLICK HERE
T PLANK 3 20 SECS KEEP 3 POINTS OF CONTACT ON THE GROUND WHILST ROTATING CLICK HERE

WORKOUT 2
EXERCISE SETS REPS TIPS VIDEO LINK
ACHILLES ECCENTRICS 3 10 KEEP THE HEEL ON THE GROUND AT ALL TIMES CLICK HERE
MINI-BAND HIP ACTIVATION 3 3 PER LEG CLICK HERE
SINGLE LEG BALANCE (EYES CLOSED) 3 MAX TIME CLICK HERE
HIP DROPS 3 10 PER SIDE KEEP THE STANDING LEG AS STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE CLICK HERE
TRUNK ROTATIONS 3 10 EACH WAY FULLY EXTEND ARMS CLICK HERE
3 POINT LUNGE PATTERN 3 3 PER LEG ENSURE THE KNEE DOES NOT FALL INWARDS CLICK HERE
PLANK ARM REACH 3 10 SECS PER ARM KEEP THE HIPS LEVEL CLICK HERE
SIDE PLANK ARM RAISED 3 20 SECS KEEP THE LOWER HIP RAISED CLICK HERE

WORKOUT 3
EXERCISE SETS REPS TIPS VIDEO LINK
ANKLE JUMPS 3 5 PULL THE TOES UPWARDS WHEN IN THE AIR CLICK HERE
LYING HIP ABDUCTIONS 3 10 CLICK HERE
SINGLE LEG CONE REACH 3 TOUCH EACH CONE ONCE PER LEG CLICK HERE
SINGLE LEG SQUAT 3 5 CLICK HERE
ANTI TRUNK ROTATIONS 3 20 SECS HOLD THE POSITION AND RESIST THE CABLE PULL CLICK HERE
NORDICS 3 5 FALL SLOWLY WITH CONTROL, DON'T LET THE LOWER BACK ARCH CLICK HERE
ROLL OUTS 3 5 KEEP A STRONG CORE, TRY NOT TO ARCH THE LOWER BACK CLICK HERE
HANGING KNEE RAISES 3 5 CLICK HERE

WORKOUT 4
EXERCISE SETS REPS TIPS VIDEO LINK
DEEP SIT 3 20 SECS THEN SWITCH HEELS ON THE GROUND, TRY AND FACE FEET FORWARDS, HEAD UP, STRAIGHT BACK CLICK HERE
RDL'S 3 5 PER LEG CLICK HERE
SWISS BALL HAMSTRING CURL 3 CLICK HERE
MINI-BAND STEP AND SQUAT 3 5 EACH WAY CLICK HERE
DIAGONAL PLANK 3 20 SECS THEN SWITCH TRY TO KEEP THE HIPS LEVEL CLICK HERE
LEG ADDUCTIONS 3 10 PER LEG ALWAYS KEEP THE BAND UNDER TENSION CLICK HERE
SWISS BALL PLANK 3 20 SECS KEEP A STRONG LINE FROM HEAD TO HEEL CLICK HERE
SWISS BALL KNEE TUCKS 3 10 CLICK HERE

FOAM ROLLER ROUTINE

FIND THE TIGHT AREAS AND GENTLY MASSAGE WITH FOAM ROLLER FOR 20-30 SECS IN THE VIDEO LINK
CALFS
SINGLE LEG CALF
HAMSTRINGS
SINGLE LEG HAMSTRING
GLUTES (LEG CROSSOVER)
LOWER BACK
LOWER BACK (ON THE SIDE)
CLICK HERE
UPPER BACK (ARMS OVER HEAD)
UPPER BACK (ARMS HUGGING)
NECK (ROLL HEAD SIDE TO SIDE)
ITB BAND
QUADS
SINGLE LEG QUAD
ADDUCTORS (INSIDE LEG)

ACTIVATION EXERCISE
OUTSIDE LEG PUSH
INSIDE LEG PUSH
FRONT LEG PUSH
HEEL PULL
THIGH PUSH
STANDING REAR LEG RAISE
LYING HIP ABDUCTIONS
LYING TOE POINT HIP ABDUCTIONS
LYING HIP ABDUCTION PULSE
MUSCLE ACTIVATION ROUTINE
SETS REPS TIPS VIDEO LINK
KEEP THE LEG STRAIGHT AND PUSH THE OUTSIDE
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 8-10 SECS
OF THE FOOT INTO THE BOX/SOLID SURFACE
KEEP THE LEG STRAIGHT, HOLD ONTO THE BOX AND
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 8-10 SECS
PUSH THE INSIDE OF YOUR FOOT INTO THE BOX
POSITION YOUR BODY TO THE SIDE OF THE BOX AND
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 8-10 SECS PUSH THE TOP OF YOUR FOOT FORWARDS INTO THE BOX
WITH KNEE BENT
BEND THE KNEE OF THE LEG YOU ARE ACTIVATING AND
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 8-10 SECS PUSH THE HEEL INTO THE GROUND WHILST TRYING TO
DRAG IT TOWARDS YOUR BODY
PLACE BOTH HANDS ON TOP OF THE WORKING LEG
PUSH BOTH HANDS DOWN INTO THE LEG AS YOU TRY
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 8-10 SECS
TO RESIST AND PUSH BACK UP AGAINST YOUR HANDS CLICK HERE
WITH YOUR THIGH
LIFT THE WORKING LEG BACK AS FAR AS POSSIBLE WHILST
1 PER LEG MAX CONTRACTION FOR 15-20 SECS
SQUEEZING THE GLUTE TO HOLD THE CONTRACTION
RAISE THE LEG AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE WHILST KEEPING IT
1 PER LEG HOLD EACH POSITION UNTIL YOU FEEL SLIGHT FATIGUE STRAIGHT AND HOLD, THEN REPEAT WITH THE LEG POSITIONED
INFRONT OF AND BEHING THE BODY
RAISE THE LEG AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE WHILST KEEPING IT
STRAIGHT AND HOLD WHILST ACTIVELY POINTING THE TOE
1 PER LEG HOLD EACH POSITION UNTIL YOU FEEL SLIGHT FATIGUE
DOWN TOWARDS THE GROUND AND HOLD, THEN MOVE THE
LEG CLOSER TO THE GROUND
RAISE THE LEG AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE WHILST KEEPING IT STRAIGHT
1 PER LEG PULSE UNTIL YOU FEEL SLIGHT FATIGUE
AND PULSE IT AND AND DOWN

MYOFASCIAL RELEASE ROUTINE

EXERCISE REPS PER SIDE TIPS VIDEO LINK
PLACE YOUR FOOT ON TOP OF THE BALL AND TARGET AREAS
FOOT SOLE ROLL 30 SECS MININUM OF TIGHTNESS, PAYING PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE
AREA JUST INFRONT OF THE HEEL
CALF 30 SECS MININUM TARGET AREAS OF TIGHTNESS AND ALSO EXPLORE THE OUTER AND INNER CALF
GLUTE 30 SECS MININUM POSITION THE BALL JUST TO THE SIDE OF THE GLUTE ENSURING YOU'RE NOT ON BONE
CLICK HERE
POSITION IN THE SPONGEY AREA TO EITHER SIDE OF THE SPINE IN THE LOWER BACK JUST
LOWER BACK 30 SECS MININUM
ABOVE THE PELVIS
PLACE THE BALL JUST BELOW THE HIP BONE AND ATTEMPT TO LAY
OUTSIDE HIP 30 SECS MININUM
FLAT ON YOUR SIDE ON TOP OF THE BALL
SIT ON A SOLID AND RAISED SURFACE AND PLACE THE BALL BENEATH
HAMSTRING 30 SECS MININUM
YOUR THIGH

TRX YOGA ROUTINE

COMPLETE ALL SETS BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT EXERCISE
PERFORM REPS/SETS PER SIDE WHERE APPLICABLE
ACTIVATION EXERCISE SETS REPS VIDEO LINK
DEEP SIT 2 30 SECS
WHEEL 2 15 SECS
PYRAMID 1 30 SECS
WARRIOR 2 1 30 SECS
LOW LUNGE 1 30 SECS
TRIANGLE 1 30 SECS
HALF PIGEON 1 30 SECS
CLICK HERE
CRESCENT LUNGE 1 30 SECS
WARRIOR 3 1 30 SECS
TREE 1 30 SECS
ELBOW TO KNEE 2 10
BOAT SCISSORS 2 10
SIDE PLANK 2 30 SECS
CROW 2 15 SECS

BAND STRETCHING/ ACTIVE RECOVERY

NOTES:
A good active recovery session can include any up to 15 minutes of low impact, low intensity movements which get the blood flowing
through the muscles. Performing dynamic stretches in cool water will also help reduce any swelling (if possible sea water because of the
added minerals). Common activities include swimming, cycling, yoga, steam room, jacuzzi, ice bath and massage.

Below are some examples of static stretches you can perform as part of your active recovery using a band, remember to get warm
before performing static stretches.
STRETCHING ROUTINE WITH A BAND (CLICK TO VIEW)
Thankyou For Training With
 PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMME

50%
Off Your First Month
Discount Code: matchfit-athlete

Offer Ending Soon

WHY FIT IN WHEN YOU WERE BORN

TO STAND OUT?

CLICK HERE for full details of our

football psychology programme