Mixing it up and getting out of your comfort zone often leads to the best results in the gym and the same applies for aspiring footballers.
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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