Cross training, where you apply several different workouts, is the epitome of this approach. It’s not all about using the round ball and the practice has been adopted by plenty of football clubs and star players worldwide too.

With the help of ANACONDA we outline five easy cross training exercises for footballers and we also explain the numerous benefits, which include strength and conditioning, injury prevention and endurance.

Barbell squats

What you need
Barbell

What to do: Get under the bar and move into the high-bar position, gripping the barbell which should be resting on your upper back/traps, while you stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips. Unrack the bar. From there, begin to lower your knees and squat down until your knees are level with your backside over four seconds. Then return to your original stance in a second. Do six reps.

Why do it: Squats are popular because they’re super effective. They help build lower limb strength, which is crucial to success as a footballer. Not only do squats boost muscle strength, but also they build bone strength, particularly in your knees, which helps given some of the tackles which come flying in at your legs on a football field. You can also do squats anywhere, so they’re super convenient.

Lunges

What you need
Some space, two dumbbells

What to do: Stand upright with the dumbbells in each hand by your side, keep your upper body straight, engage your core and look forward. Step forward with one leg and lower your hips. Ensure your trailing knee doesn’t touch the floor. Ensure your leading knee is directly above your ankle. The leading knee should be at roughly 90 degrees. Push into a lunge led by the other leg to complete a rep. Aim for five to six seconds per rep. If you feel any knee pain, shorten your lunge stride. Do 12 reps on each leg.

Why do it: Lunges provide several benefits for footballers, given the strength it provides for your lower body, chiefly the quadriceps. This is crucial for speed and acceleration on the football field such as when you’re dashing forward on a counter-attack, along with pushing off, for example, to out-jump your opponent to header a high ball.

Pilates

What you need
Mat

What to do: Pilates includes more than 500 multi-faceted controlled movements. Any instructor can take you through numerous exercises but one of the more well-known ones is the Hundred.

Firstly lie on your back with your arms at your side. From there, curl your shoulders and head up off the mat and raise your legs up with your knees straight. You should feel your abs now. Bring your arms up and forward next to your core and gently pump them up and down while you inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts. Complete that 10 times for 100 seconds of breathing.

Why do it: Pilates is brilliant for strengthening stability muscles for flexibility and injury prevention. Ryan Giggs, who played for Manchester United almost 1,000 times over 15 years, long credited Pilates for his longevity. David Beckham and Gareth Bale are others who’ve jumped on board. Most top football clubs nowadays incorporate Pilates into their strength and conditioning programmes.

Running Stairs

What you need
Somewhere with lots of stairs, ideally minimum 30 seconds to the top

What to do: It’s a pretty simple concept. Run up the stairs at 100 per cent effort. Ensure you step on every stair. Once you reach the top, walk back down and go again. How many reps depends on the length of the stairs and your physical ability.

Why do it: It may seem monotonous and basic, but running stairs provides major benefits with endurance and lower body strength. Endurance is crucial for footballers given the 90-minute duration of a game. The upward push from climbing each stair, as opposed to a flat surface, builds the strength in your leg muscles which is needed for stamina and endurance.

Touch rugby

What you need
Minimum six people, rugby ball, park

What to do: Split into two even teams. Basic rules of rugby, can only throw backwards but most stop once touched when with the ball by the opposition. Each team is allowed six touches before the ball turns over. The aim is to get the over the line.

Why do it: This is a good team warm-up exercise prior to the start of training to mix it up. The elusiveness required to play touch rugby provides benefits for a footballer such as developing speed and agility and learning how to use your body position to move around an opponent. The repetitive nature of touch rugby also provides good interval-type conditioning.

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