Bodyweight strength circuit
Transcript
Four bodyweight moves make a simple strength circuit. Here's one round. Ten squats, ten press-ups, six lunges each leg, a plank, then rest. Warm up first, with an adult watching. You need a mat and a sturdy chair. Watch. Sit back to touch the chair. First, slow down, quicker up. Now press-ups. Lunges, back knee towards the ground. Not this, chest down. Last, the plank, straight like a plank of wood. Every rep clean, never a race. Two rounds, two or three days a week, not in a row. If your knees or heels hurt, stop and tell an adult. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
A bodyweight circuit: squats, press-ups, lunges and a plank, one after the other, technique first, low volume, with an adult watching. The lunge is new; episodes 10 and 11 teach the rest. England Football calls regular strength training vital for female players of all ages.
Set up
- Warm up first
- An adult watching
- A mat
- A sturdy chair
How it works
- Warm up first, every time: the FIFA 11+ Kids warm-up (ages 7-13) or FIFA 11+ from 14 (episode 2 shows it), or your club warm-up, with a coach or parent watching.
- Squats: stand just in front of a sturdy chair, sit back slowly until you touch it, then stand up a little quicker. Do 10-12 (episode 11 shows the technique).
- Press-ups: hands under your shoulders, body straight, lower your chest towards the ground and push back up. Do 8-12 (episode 10).
- Lunges: step forward into a long stride and lower until your front hip and knee are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the ground, then push back up. Do 6 on each leg. The video shows the down and up; a walking lunge steps through into the next one.
- Plank: forearms on the ground, elbows under your shoulders, straight from head to heels. Hold 20-30 seconds. Rest 1-2 minutes, then do the whole round once more.
- Do this 2-3 times a week, never on two days in a row. Add reps only when every rep is clean.
Coaching points
- Slow down, quicker up. Lower slowly, then come up a little quicker, on every squat, press-up and lunge. FIFA's squat cue says the same: go down slowly, straighten up more quickly.
- Straight like a plank. In the press-ups and the plank, keep one straight line from head to heels, like a plank of wood.
Not this
Dropping your chest forward over your front knee in the lunge. Keep your upper body tall and steady, and go only as low as you can control.
Dose
- 2 rounds, rest 1-2 min
- 2-3x a week, not in a row
Our target: Our pick, 2 rounds: 10 squats, 10 press-ups, 6 lunges a leg, a 20-30 s plank. Inside NSCA's 1-3 sets of 6-15 reps.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Movements first, then strength (England Football's advice from 12): only when every rep of 2 rounds is clean, do 3 rounds, or pause for 2 seconds at the bottom of each squat and press-up.
Easier
1 round, with press-ups on a sturdy bench or a solid wall (an incline press-up) and shorter plank holds. If a growth spurt makes the moves feel clumsy, go back to the easier versions for a while.
Safety
- Do this with a coach or parent watching. Bodyweight only: no weights.
- Warm up first. Use a mat or flat grass with space around you, and a sturdy chair that cannot slide.
- 2-3 times a week, never two days running, so there is a rest day between sessions.
- It is not a race: when a rep stops being clean, stop that set and rest.
- Under 16: if your knees or heels hurt when you squat, lunge, run or jump, stop and tell an adult. Knee and heel pain is common while you are growing, and a GP or physio can help. 16 and over: if something hurts, stop rather than training through it, and get it checked by a GP or physio.
Sources
- NSCA - Youth resistance training position statement (2009) (opens in a new tab)
- NSCA - Long-term athletic development position statement (2016) (opens in a new tab)
- England Football Learning - developing movement skills (strength from 12) (opens in a new tab)
- FIFA - 11+ injury prevention poster (squats, walking lunges, the bench) (opens in a new tab)
- England Football - Female Health Hub (strength training) (opens in a new tab)
- NHS - Knee pain (opens in a new tab)
- NHS - Heel pain (opens in a new tab)
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
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