Chris Barnard

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Intro .................................................................................................3

Position Needs Analysis .................................................................5

Key Factors in Physical Development

of Soccer Athletes .........................................................................7

Training the Key Factors ..............................................................14

Periodization for Training Soccer ................................................20

Principles of the Program ............................................................22

Conclusion ....................................................................................27

S o c c e r Pe r fo r ma nce P rog ra m by CH R IS BA R NA R D
 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Soccer Performance Program. My goal for this program was to create an all encompassing
performance system for soccer athletes.

A few years ago I began digging deep into speed development for athletes and how to make them
faster in their sport. I was predominantly working with baseball, football, and basketball athletes, but
I always had a huge audience of soccer athletes overseas and from other parts of the world. Most of
them were attracted to the speed training and the great results we produce for our athletes in the
gym.

I received (and still receive) daily questions, love, and support from the soccer community. And I knew
I had to dive deeper into the intricacies of training soccer athletes to develop a program to support
them.

My digging into the soccer world began with checking out the training of the top teams at the
professional level, as well as research on some independent facilities. From what I saw, soccer
organizations focused heavily on field work and skill work. I couldn’t find too many coaches trying to
elevate their players physically through the weight room, plyometrics, and speed training.

After I took note of this lack of emphasis on strength training, my next step was to break down the
best athletes in the game. I wanted to break down their physical attributes and analyze what makes
them superior to other players. I looked at things such as explosiveness, acceleration, agility, and
conditioning and took note of the areas that the best players thrived in. After getting a base of what
these guys possessed I then began breaking down the characteristics of each position which we’ll get
into deeper later on in this manual.

Through all this I was able to take my experience and begin to develop a bulletproof program that
can support soccer athletes of all walks - lower level high school players all the way up to elite athletes.

The final step in my dive into the soccer world was working with actual soccer athletes.

A while back I opened up my 1-on-1 Coaching Program to the world, and I was surprised when a
handful of professional soccer players reached out to me.

This was the perfect opportunity to put my new soccer training system to the test. Professional athletes
approach their training seriously, so I had the opportunity to see how much I could progress their game
with my new system.

The results were amazing as each athlete expressed they got faster, their shooting was more powerful,
and their agility greatly improved.

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And this is the system I’ve presented with you.

Before we get started I want to address the main differences between my approach to training soccer
players and other coaches who specialize in soccer.

While most coaches emphasize skill work with their guys, I focus on developing the soccer player
physically. It’s important to know as a soccer player, you shouldn’t have to pick one or the other. You
need both.

Just having one could actually hurt your performance on the field.

The reason is, a lot of coaches blend their speed and agility work with their sport-specific work. The
problem with this is that you never get to fully develop the athlete’s speed and agility if you don’t
isolate it.

Working speed and agility in with sport-specifics can do some good, but it’s far better to elevate those
attributes in isolation.

So, instead of cutting drills with a ball, we focus on lateral

plyometrics to elevate lateral power. When you take this isolated
approach, you can integrate it into your skill work with better
results. For example, after working on lateral plyometrics, your
cutting will be elevated.

This isn’t to say we don’t include sport-specific drills. I’m saying

you should focus on building a solid foundation without sports-
specific drills first so you can isolate and elevate the physical
attributes expressed on the field.

On the other side of the spectrum, if you just did work in the
gym, you might be fast, and you might be agile, but you just
wouldn’t have the skills to keep up with other high level players.

This is why Soccer Performance Program is a much needed tool for the soccer world. It fills a gap the
soccer world has been missing. More importantly, It’s accessible to athletes around the world who are
serious about soccer, and have dreams of playing on a big stage.

I’m excited for you to get started and get great results.

Let’s get to work.

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 POSITION NEEDS ANALYSIS
When developing a performance based program for soccer athletes it’s necessary to break down and
understand the framework of the game, then move onto the individual athlete’s position to understand
the physical demands we must prepare for.

Understanding the basic framework of soccer allows us to establish the amount of playing time in
comparison to the amount of recovery an athlete has during competition. Soccer consists of two
periods of 45 minutes with a 15 minute half. Unlike American football, soccer has fewer substitutions
which indicates the athletes must endure longer work periods and less recovery during those 90 minutes
of play. This places a greater emphasis on developing the aerobic and anaerobic systems to ensure
performance does not dip as the game progresses. When analyzing a soccer athlete we see that they
require a high level of aerobic endurance with great anaerobic efficiency to maintain performance
throughout the game. The ability to perform and maintain higher intensity movements towards the end
of the game is a distinct factor between higher level teams and teams that experience less success.

After understanding the physiological demands from breaking down the time played we can analyze
the type of movement each athlete makes, the duration they make it, as well as the intensity and
frequency at which it occurs.

To understand your goals of the program, we must analyze the needs of each position of the sport.
This means determining which movements soccer athletes perform in their sport, then isolating those
movements to train and elevate their game.

Below, I’m going to break down the main four positional groups in soccer based off data of each
positional group’s movement and share what movements each group performs in-competition:

DEFENDERS

1 - Key movements - short to moderate sprints, tackles, sliding, headers, quick change of direction,
sprinting and changing direction through contact with opponents.

2 - Defenders typically cover less distance than other positions but still require a high level of conditioning.
The position requires short bursts of acceleration along with quick change of direction. In addition, these
athletes must possess a great deal of stability and balance when making contact and performing
these movements against opponents.

MIDFIELDERS

1 - Key Movements - short to long sprints, quick change of direction, and highest level of conditioning.

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2 - Midfielders require the highest level of aerobic endurance because they cover the most ground
of any position during competition. The better conditioning, the more attempts at the ball are made
which can have a greater impact on the game. In addition, these athletes possess great ability to
accelerate and change direction rapidly. Midfielders are typically the link between the offense and
defense.

FORWARDS

1 - Key Movements - moderate to long sprints and vertical explosiveness.

2 - Forwards typically run the longest sprints on the field. They require a good deal of acceleration
and top speed while performing these sprints. In addition, Forwards perform numerous vertical jumps
throughout the game to establish control of the ball.

GOALKEEPERS

1 - Key Movements - Vertical jumps, lateral jumps, short sprints,

tackles, sliding, and reaction.

2 - Keepers obviously cover the least amount of distance during

competition, however they still require quick bursts of acceleration.
The predominant key actions that make a successful goalkeeper are
explosive jumps vertically and laterally with exceptional reaction.
Above is a breakdown of the traditional positions in soccer based
on the movements they perform in game. Although each position
may require significantly different key movements in game, we tend
to see a lot of common actions throughout all positions that aid in
the performance of soccer athletes.

This means that soccer athletes playing at a high level need to be well versed in many physical
categories. This includes: Speed in the form of quick acceleration and high end top speed, vertical
and horizontal explosiveness not only specific to their position but also to translate over to their sprinting
performance, and quick change of direction to make plays on the ball with exceptional reaction
timing.

Put simply, whatever your current position is, or your current strengths are, you need the ability to meet
these physical demands and develop attributes necessary for success if you want to excel in soccer.

Knowing this, there are a series of key factors that I focus on with soccer athletes that will translate to
the game no matter your position. Let’s get into them.

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 KEY FACTORS IN PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT OF SOCCER ATHLETES

KEY FACTOR #1: STRENGTH

A soccer athlete’s ability to express strength statically and dynamically is a huge factor in their success
on the field.

If you look at a guy like Romelo Lukaku, he can maintain his position as the ball is crossed, which reflects
his static strength. He can also create separation from defenders by using his brute strength, keep
defenders off the ball, and barrel through his competition. This all reflects his ability to express strength
dynamically.

To become a better soccer player, you must be able to produce high amounts of force (or express your
strength) in three different scenarios.

The first scenario you need to express your strength in is when you are in a static position. As in the
example above, when you are maintaining your position as the ball is crossed into the box. Your ability
to “stand your ground” is determined by your static strength.

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If this foundational ability to express strength in a static position is not properly developed the soccer
athlete will not only get pushed around when he has, or is going for, the ball, but he will also struggle
when he attempts to change directions at high speeds, transition from an all out sprint to a strike,
defend another player, and many other situations.

The next scenario is expressing strength dynamically. This is your ability to produce force while your
body is moving at high velocities. As you may have guessed, in the game of soccer, this is a point
of emphasis while sprinting as well as changing directions. In addition, you need to express strength
dynamically when shooting the ball, slide tackling an opponent, or chasing down a ball while blocking
out defenders.

This ability is especially important because as the speed of contraction increases, the body’s ability
to produce force significantly decreases. For example, the reason a guy can squat 500 pounds, but
can’t sprint fast is because the speed of contraction is different. To sprint fast, you need a quick muscle
contraction.

That last fact signifies the importance of two things:

1 - It signifies the importance of getting our bodies in the most beneficial positions to produce the highest
amount of force possible. This comes down to having sound mechanics when changing direction,
jumping and sprinting.

2 - It displays the importance of strength training for those who

want to become more agile, jump higher, and sprint faster.
However, regular old strength training won’t just do the trick.
We’ll have to utilize a combination of advanced methods if we
want to elicit strength adaptations that help our sport specific
strength.

The last strength scenario is elastic. This is our ability to produce

spring-like force in certain situations. You can see this in a
forward who can stop on a dime and quickly explode in the
opposite direction.

Currently, it’s believed that a lot of one’s elastic force potential is

purely based on genetics, but in my experience dynamic lifting
and plyometrics can develop one’s elastic force production.

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ABSOLUTE STRENGTH

In addition to the three strength scenarios, you should know about the two types of strength.

The first is your absolute strength.

This is your raw ability to produce force. Think of it in terms of a one-rep max.

Many soccer athletes lack a general foundation of absolute strength, and it results in a lack of movement
efficiency, awkward movement patterns, and muscle imbalances that drain performance.

A foundation of absolute strength sets the stage for a soccer athlete to move better, stay healthier, and
be overall stronger. In addition, absolute strength is a precursor to power, which is important to soccer
players for reasons I’ll address below.

In this program, we’ll develop absolute strength with a series of advanced modalities. These modalities
will not only make you stronger, but will also translate into power, explosiveness, and more.

RELATIVE STRENGTH

The other type of strength is relative strength.

Relative strength is the amount of force you can produce relative to your bodyweight.

As an example, if you weigh 200 pounds and can squat 315 pounds, and your buddy weighs 200
pounds, but can only squat 225, you have more relative strength.

Relative strength is massively important for all athletes, especially soccer players. The higher our relative
strength is, the more control we have over our bodies. This means we’re better able to change direction,
traverse the field, explode off the ground for a header, put on a powerful shot, and more.

The converse of a guy with high relative strength is an overweight powerlifter who can lift heavy, but is
slow, sluggish, and unbalanced.

In this program, we’ll use various advanced methods to improve your relative strength, thus improving
your body control, balance, movement efficiency, and more.

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KEY FACTOR #2: POWER
Power is what you should be after as a soccer player. Power is your ability to produce force quickly.
And it determines your ability to change directions rapidly, sprint down the field for a breakaway, shoot
the ball with power, and more.

In this program, we’ll be building your power in three planes, which we’ll discuss below.

VERTICAL POWER

A soccer player may not see vertical power as important unless he’s going for a header, or he’s a
goalie, but vertical power also plays a big role in your speed.

In fact, once you’re in the top speed phase of your sprint, you’re leaning on mostly vertical power
to maintain your top speed. In other words, if your vertical power isn’t there, you won’t be able to
maintain your speed.

Additionally, vertical power can help all positions win the ball, and can help the goalie succeed in
various situations.

HORIZONTAL POWER

Horizontal power is another important factor for soccer players.

Horizontal power is critical for your ability to accelerate. And in a game where you’re constantly
changing speeds and transitioning from a dead stop to an all out sprint, the faster you accelerate, the
more of an edge you’ll have on the field.

Additionally, horizontal power can help you change speeds and blow by a defender.

Add this tool to your toolbox, you’ll get a huge competitive edge.

LATERAL POWER

Cutting, dribbling, creating separation from a defender, and defending - all of that is determined by
your lateral power.

Lateral power is often misunderstood, and many soccer players don’t go about developing it the right
way.

Building a foundation and building off the foundation with more advanced movement in the lateral
plane will allow an athlete to begin moving proficiently.

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KEY FACTOR #3: LINEAR SPEED
Speed is absolutely critical for soccer athletes. The faster you can get up and down the field, and the
quicker you can get to the ball, the more of an advantage you have. However, the speed required
for soccer athletes is unique.

There’s a lot of start and stop in soccer, transitioning from deadstop to all out sprint, and going from a
jog to an all out sprint to slide tackle an opponent.

All this said, to arm you with adequate speed tools, we will focus our efforts on acceleration and
deceleration quickly.

ACCELERATION

Acceleration is your ability to build speed quickly.

Your ability to accelerate relies on two things. The first is

horizontal power, which I spoke about above.

The second is mechanics.

In general, you want a forward body angle to produce

as much force horizontally as possible.

In this program, we’ll use unique drills designed for the

soccer athlete’s unique acceleration needs.

DECELERATION

Deceleration is your ability to slow down or come to a dead stop. Soccer players accelerate frequently.
They’ll also decelerate just as frequently. And the more efficient an athlete’s deceleration is, the better
they’ll be able to take a good shot, finesse a defender, and have a chance at goal.

A lot of deceleration comes down to your ability to absorb force eccentrically. If an athlete has poor
deceleration it will show in their game. They’ll have slow cuts, they’re easily locked up by defenders,
and they won’t get opportunities for goals. If an athlete has good deceleration you will notice them
being able to stop on a dime and make a play.

The other side of deceleration is mechanics. Just as there are efficient acceleration mechanics, there
are also efficient deceleration mechanics to properly position the body.

We’ll use a variety of plyometrics and drills inside of this program to teach you how to effectively
decelerate.

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KEY FACTOR #4: CHANGE OF DIRECTION

LINEAR CHANGE OF DIRECTION (CURVILINEAR)

When we examine how a soccer athlete sprints throughout a game, we can see that while they sprint
in straight lines, they also follow curvilinear paths.

For instance, think about when a forward drops it back to a midfielder and sprints for a through ball.
Usually he’s not running in a straight line towards the goal, but in an arc to hopefully be in position to
send a cross in.

This is considered curvilinear or arc running. This is sport specific speed development for soccer and is
an actual skill that can be trained.

When an athlete performs a curvilinear run they lean inwards anywhere between 5 to 30 degrees. This
takes them off of their center of gravity as they are influenced by centrifugal forces. In order to sprint
while leaning inwards an athlete must express a great deal of mediolateral ground contact.

When we run in a straight line both, legs have the same responsibility. But, when we bend that line into
a curve, each leg takes on their own responsibilities. The inside leg utilizes more eversion of the foot and
adduction of the hip and serves as a stabilizer. The outside leg utilizes more inversion of the foot and hip
abduction to produce the power.

The athlete who can maintain sound mechanics and rhythm while running a curve will be the faster
athlete. If the athlete disrupts their mechanics through arm action, trunk instability, or poor hip and
ankle stability they will produce poor curvilinear speed.

This is why we must train curvilinear sprints when addressing soccer specific sprinting.

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LATERAL CHANGE OF DIRECTION

Another important piece of your movement on the field is your lateral change of direction and agility.
This is important for making quick movements on the field, defending opposing players, and even
dribbling.

Just like linear speed there are a series of base mechanics for coaches and athletes to consider when
training Change of Direction movements.

1 - DECELERATION - During this phase of the movement the athlete needs to come to a stop to change
his direction. Initial deceleration is required to begin slowing the body down. Next, technique is involved
to ensure the proper foot is planted and positioned at the proper angle. Finally the athlete must display
eccentric strength out of the planted foot to fully decelerate their body.

2 - TRANSITION - This phase deals with the athletes time between deceleration and acceleration. This
component is based on the amortization phase between the eccentric and concentric contraction
of the movement. Here we want to minimize ground contact time utilizing the elastic strength we
develop in our program.

3 - ACCELERATION - This is the final phase of a change of direction movement where we are redirecting
our forces to move in the desired direction. Accelerating out of the movement deals with the concentric
contraction of the muscles to rapidly drive the body in the desired direction. Technique is also involved
to put the athlete in the most mechanically advantageous positions.

It’s important we train these factors independently and integrate them back as a whole. When these
components are enhanced we can then enhance the technique to change directions in multiple
planes.

Finally once change of direction technique is enhanced we can then add reactionary components
so the athlete is responding to a stimulus. This is what is considered true Agility or Sport-Specific Speed
training.

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 TRAINING THE KEY FACTORS
Now that you understand what we’re trying to accomplish in this program, the next piece is understanding
how we are going to achieve this and get your results.

As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. The same is true for training athletes. In fact,
each athlete is unique and may need to be trained differently to get the desired outcome.

I have met many coaches who have different opinions, experiences, and coaching techniques than
myself, and still produce optimal athletes.

But, my goal for the Soccer Performance Program is to trim the fat, and focus on training principles that
consistently deliver results.

When I focus on training these modalities it has shown me improvement time and time again with
athletes of all different ages and levels.

Below, I want to touch on the modalities you’ll be using in this system and the reason behind the use
of them.

SPEED TRAINING
Speed Training is the direct speed work you will be performing within the Soccer Performance System.

When it comes to speed training I like to take the “isolate and elevate” approach.

If you’ve watched any of my YouTube videos, you may be familiar with this term. Essentially, it means
that I want to hone in on a single component of a larger movement, train that component, and
elevate it to enhance that movement.

In our case, we’re doing it with acceleration and top speed mechanics. Instead of having an athlete
sprint, and yelling cues at them, hoping they’ll “change course” mid sprint, I let carefully selected drills
do a lot of the work.

This, again, means we create better mechanics by singling out particular motor patterns, repeating
them over and over until they’re significantly improved, and transferring them back into a sprint.

Remember, sprinting is a skill, and skills can be taught and developed. It’s in the same realm as dribbling
a soccer ball. We want to break it down into simple drills to get better.

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POWER TRAINING
Power is the key to transition your strength into speed and jumping ability. As the program moves
along, we need to focus on moving the athlete throughout the Speed-Strength Continuum in order to
transfer absolute strength into relative strength so the athlete can produce more force from each step
on the field.

One big player in building relative force is plyometrics. Plyometrics enhance the elastic strength we
discussed prior and are the key to teaching the athlete how to absorb and produce force dynamically.

Because when you’re on the field, you’ll be producing force in a variety of different scenarios.
Sometimes at high velocities and sometimes at low velocities. To excel on the field, you’ll need to
effectively display power in all scenarios.

When you nail this down, you’ll see a higher vertical jump, more quickness, and more overall
explosiveness.

To do this first, we place an emphasis on low level plyometrics to build a solid foundation.

Next, we progress to teaching the athlete to properly absorb force eccentrically.

Once this ability is established, we place an emphasis on the transition, or isometric phase of dynamic
movement, which not only creates more stability, but also generates faster ground contact times.

Finally, we can focus on maximum force production and how fast we can produce that force in the
final phase of jump training.

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STRENGTH TRAINING
As stated prior, the focal point of this program is to build the body’s overall absolute strength and
transition it to relative strength.

To achieve this, we’ll use a four day split, where two days consist of upper body training, and two days
consist of lower body training.

Of these two days, one day will focus on building absolute strength, while the other will emphasize
relative strength by utilizing tempos and various loads with our compound lifts.

ABSOLUTE STRENGTH
I’ve focused predominantly on the trap bar deadlift as the core
lower body lift to build absolute strength in the lower body.
Through my years of coaching, I’ve gravitated towards this
movement more and more and as much as I love movement
variation for building strength, I use the trap bar as a staple.

Here’s why:

Multiple studies have found that peak power and peak velocity
are greater with trap bar deadlift than conventional deadlift.
In many cases, these two measurements are higher in trap bar
deadlift than back squat as well.

In sports, you rely on power and velocity to succeed, so it makes

sense to double down on a movement in which the athlete can
move the bar quickly and explosively with the intent of a better
transfer to the field.

Even more, the trap bar deadlift places slightly more emphasis on knee extension than the conventional
deadlift, and less stress on the lower back. This makes it a safer movement for athletes, easier to teach,
and makes it more sport-specific.

My general goal is to get my athletes lifting 2.2 to 2.6 times their body weight on the trap bar. This is
because I have found this range to be an indicator of sufficient absolute strength. Once an athlete has
their absolute strength in this range, I know I can shift my focus to developing the athlete’s strength-
speed and speed-strength.

It’s important to note that these benchmarks are all relative to the athlete’s height and weight. It would
be tougher for my 6 foot 10, 250 pound basketball player to lift 650 lbs (2.6 times their bodyweight) than

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it would be for my 6 foot tall, 250 pound linebacker to lift 650.

This isn’t to say we stop at 2.6, either. It’s more of a box to be checked, among a list of other benchmarks,
that allow me as the coach to strategize and program in a way that helps the athlete develop more
speed and power.

We’ll build strength in this movement, and others, by using simple progressive overload. Each week,
we’ll decrease the volume (amount of repetitions) while increasing the intensity or load (amount of
weight lifted).

Every 4th week, we’ll deload, and then repeat. Training in this fashion allows us to stay fresh and
continually experience strength gains.

RELATIVE STRENGTH
There are a variety of methods we’ll use to build relative strength, but the method we’ll use in the
weight room to develop this kind of strength is coined Triphasic Training.

I was first introduced to this type of training during my pursuit of a 44 inch vertical jump.

I read Triphasic Training by Cal Dietz, which focused on isolating and

elevating each phase of a dynamic movement: eccentric, isometric, and
concentric.

To exemplify each phase of a dynamic movement, we’ll use a back squat.

The lowering portion of the back squat is known as the eccentric phase.
During the eccentric phase, you’re putting your muscles on stretch,
and absorbing force as you descend lower into the squat. One of the
mechanisms responsible for taking the muscles from a stretched position
to a contracted position is the stretch-shortening cycle.

When you work this mechanism, you increase the speed and power with which you can contract the
muscles.

In addition, we’re going to work the Stretch Reflex by manipulating the Golgi tendon organs.

The Golgi tendon organs are components of muscle that signals the brain to relax when a muscle
contracts too hard. This mechanism is known as GTO Inhibition.

This mechanism is beneficial, as it prevents muscle damage. However, the mechanism is overactive,
as the GTO signals the brain to relax when a contraction reaches 60% of the maximum force a muscle
can handle.

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With calculated eccentrics, we can place stress on the GTO and bypass this mechanism.

To sum this up, we’re trying to increase the total amount of force an athlete can absorb, effectively
increasing the amount of force the athlete can produce.

Next, we’ll work the isometric phase. The isometric phase is the transition at the bottom portion of the
squat.

During the isometric phase, you’re producing force in a static position. Producing force in this way calls
upon motor units to maintain that position and not fold over from the weight. But, when you hold static
positions for an extended period, the initial motor units fatigue, and larger, fast-twitch motor units are
recruited as reinforcement.

This ultimately teaches the body to recruit larger motor units when performing dynamic movements.
It will also increase the amount of force you can absorb, and have a resulting increase in the rate of
force development.

Finally, we’ll work the concentric phase.

The concentric phase occurs during the ascension of the squat.

During this phase, we’re working on increasing the speed at which you can generate maximum force.

To do this, we’ll use concentric focused lifts in which we’ll move lighter loads as fast as possible. By
doing this we’re working rate of force development, which is how fast you can produce force.

On top of this, we’ll use contrast training in conjunction with the concentric focused lifts.

Contrast training is essentially performing a heavy, resisted movement, such as a squat, or trap bar
deadlift, then following it with an explosive movement like a sprint, a jump, or a bound.

The idea here is that the concentric-focused, loaded movement heightens the nervous system of the
athlete. This is called potentiation. After the lift, we experience post-activation potentiation. This is the
enhanced ability of a muscle to generate force with lighter loads after performing an exercise that
consists of heavier loads.

Post-activation potentiation allows for greater force production, and power output of the lightly loaded
exercise. In our case, the “lighter load” will be an explosive, plyometric movement.

Working each phase in isolation allows us to work particular mechanisms in the body independently. By
training in this way, the physical adaptations we receive from emphasizing each phase will build upon
each other in a way that allows us to build more relative strength and increase force output.

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AUXILIARIES
To supplement the compound lifts we use to build strength, we’ll use accessory movements to maintain
balance in the body and further build strength.

I think a key difference in my coaching is that I teach my athletes to approach every rep with focus
and intent.

Most without coaching go hard on the sprinting, jumping, and compound lifts, then the minute they
get to auxiliaries they tend to “go through the motions”.

While there are some movements where this is merited, the majority of the time, I stress the importance
of accessories, as they are tools to get stronger on compound lifts. I push them to keep the same
intensity on reverse lunge reps as you do with your deadlift.

CONDITIONING
When it comes to conditioning, I typically allow athletes to get their conditioning in practice. However,
when it comes to soccer there are a few things we’ll want to place extra emphasis on to improve our
conditioning.

A soccer athlete’s success largely depends on being able to produce bursts of high intensity work,
recover, then repeat without a decline in efficiency. This matters as much at the beginning of the
game as it does at the end.

For soccer players, the focuses of conditioning are anaerobic efficiency and aerobic endurance.

Anaerobic efficiency is your ability to display repeated bouts of power throughout the course of the
entire game. Your body must have the ability to quickly recover from all out sprints, jumps, and slides to
perform them repeatedly if need be.

Our strategy for developing anaerobic efficiency through training is to reduce rest periods within our
training session in addition we utilize circuit training modalities consisting of dynamic movement.

Aerobic endurance is your ability to maintain your level of conditioning throughout your entire match.
Athletes who haven’t built up their aerobic endurance usually become slow and gassed out as the
match progresses.

Our aerobic endurance will be developed through skill work, practice, scrimmages, and other game
settings.

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 PERIODIZATION
In this section, I’m going to lay out the Periodization you’ll be following in this program.

If you don’t know, periodization is intricate planning intended to overload the body with various training
cycles and apply stimulus to transfer your training to increased performance in-game.

In Soccer Performance Program, we’ll follow a block periodization, which we’ll break down into three
main macrocycles; Accumulation, Transmutation, and Realization, which we’ll dig deeper into in the
following sections.

BLOCK TRAINING
Block training is, at its core, concentrating on acquiring one desired quality, then building upon that
adaptation while introducing a new stimulus to improve a new quality.

This is my system of choice when training athletes because it allows the specific adaptations to be
acquired with as little volume as possible, which limits the athlete to simultaneously train the skills of their
sport.

As you may know from reading above, in this program, there are three phases that make up a block.

The first is the Accumulation phase. In this program, the Accumulation phase is broken down into two
micro-phases. These phases will work to build our foundation.

The first two weeks of the Accumulation phase will be known as the Adaptation phase, and this can be
thought of as a “Pre-Accumulation” phase in which we use general preparation methods to prime the
body for the stimuli it’s about to be introduced to.

In these two weeks, you’ll see a focus on volume to increase your overall work capacity. This will prepare
you for more intense loads you’ll see in the following phases by allowing you to produce higher quality
repetitions.

During weeks 3 through 6, we’ll advance the Accumulation phase by developing basic motor qualities.

In addition, we’ll introduce eccentric strength training as well as absolute strength training with
compound lifts.

As far as auxiliaries go, they will be programmed with the intent of further developing the basic motor
patterns.

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From there, we’ll move into the Transmutation phase, which will build upon the qualities we developed
in the accumulation phase, while developing intermediate motor patterns and explosive power.

In addition, we’ll continue to develop absolute strength, as well as work on motor unit recruitment with
isometric strength training.

Finally, we’ll move into the Realization phase, where we’ll put everything together and focus our efforts
on maximal explosiveness and power training.

In this phase, the development of the specific motor patterns we’ve been working on in the previous
phases will culminate to produce the proper sequencing of mechanics that will produce improved
quickness, agility, and overall power.

During the strength portion of this phase, we’ll continue to develop maximal strength, while also further
developing explosiveness and power, by moving lighter loads at fast velocities.

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 PRINCIPLES OF THE PROGRAM
As you can see, this system is designed to start out very basic, and get progressively more and more
advanced as you move through it. Regardless of how easy or difficult the drills are, they require the
highest focus and intent in order for them to elicit the physical adaptations that you desire.

In the following sections, we’re going to dive into the principles of the program. These principles cover
everything from how to lift, how to deload, how to warm up, and more.

In order to get the results you are looking for with it is critical we are executing the program consistently
and correctly.

This is a simple guide to make sure you are doing just that...

STEP 1: DYNAMIC WARM UP

As a base of mobility and general warm up I highly suggest following my Dynamic Warm Up located in
the Exercise Database, even if you are at a commercial gym.

The Dynamic Warm Up, once understood, should only take 10-12 minutes and will act as a great base
to prepare your body for the rest of the workout.

The goal of the dynamic warm up is to prime the body for strenuous training by elevating tissue
temperature and elevating heart and respiratory rate. The dynamic warm up will improve the quality
of the reps, reduce injury, improve reaction time, lower resistance in the muscle range of motion, and
improve oxygen delivery and blood flow.

Point being, approach your warm up each session with intent, focus, and the understanding of the
benefits.

STEP 2: MOBILIZATION AND ACTIVATION

The next phase of the workout is the mobilization and activation through static stretching and dynamic
movements.

Muscle tightness limits your performance. It not only prevents you from getting into the proper position
to move, but it also creates muscle imbalances.

Muscle Imbalances are the leading cause of injury in athletes. To prevent these we want to lengthen

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muscles that are commonly tight or muscles that will support the movements you are about to perform.

Each time we stretch, make sure to intuitively relax into the stretch and focus on increasing the range
of motion throughout the time of stretch for each individual set.

STEP 3: SPEED AND POWER MOVEMENTS

- WARM UP SETS - At this point you should be fully warm and ready to compete in every rep. This means
every rep is of the highest quality and intensity.

- INTENSITY - When performing any form of athletic movement always make sure to progress to a
technical max. This means you are maximally performing the drill but not sacrificing any technique. If it
is a sprint we want to perform with high intensity, but also make sure technique is sound. If the tempo or
speed needs to be reduced to meet the technique then so be it. If it is a jump and we need to increase
the height we jump each week, without sacrificing form.

- SETS & REPS - The sets and reps are provided, so make sure to record your bests for that particular day
if they can be measured. When performing an athletic movement ensure that each rep and set given
is performed maximally.

- REST - The rest for each athletic drill is intuitive. This means there is no prescribed rest period. You
choose the amount of rest where you can perform each drill with 100% quality. The muscles should not

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be fatigued unless I have noted otherwise. The standard rest period for a movement in this section is
anywhere from 60 - 120 seconds but can vary depending on your conditioning level and the degree
of difficulty of the movement.

- RECORDING - Track your progress from week to week for the drills that can be measured.

STEP 4: STRENGTH MOVEMENTS

- WARM UP SETS - I usually advise 2-3 warm-up sets when

performing the main compound movement for strength or
power and then lead into the instructed working sets in the
table.

- LOAD - Make sure that you choose a weight that you can
not perform more than the number of reps given, but can
complete the full amount of reps with. Typically I suggest
building up to your technical max lift for the given reps. For
instance, if the program calls for 5 sets of 3 reps, the prior 2
sets should be a consistent build up. So, say you ended at a
300lb 3RM, it should look something like this…

- Warm Up - 135 x 5
- Warm Up - 225 x 3
- Warm Up - 250 x 3
- Set 1 - 275
- Set 2 - 285
- Set 3 - 300

- SETS & REPS - The amount of sets and reps is given in each table to show the athlete what they must
perform for each movement on each and every day. This means if you are performing a Deadlift
for your Strength Movement and it calls for 3 sets of 3 reps you would complete 2-3 warm up sets.
Then from there you will progress each of the 3 sets until you reach your heaviest 3 repetitions, while
maintaining proper technique.

- TEMPO - The tempo for each particular rep will be displayed with a bracket next to the movement.
(Example: [3|1|X]) Where the first number is the Eccentric tempo or portion where you will lower the
weight for the given seconds. ([3|1|X] in this case 3 seconds). The next number is the Isometric portion
and finally the Concentric is the last. The letter X represents “explode” as in you will produce force
as fast as possible in this phase of the lift. So to go with the example of [3|1|X] on say a bench press
you would lower the weight to your chest in 3 seconds. Then you would come to a hard pause at the
bottom of the motion for 1 second then explode the bar up as fast as you can.

- REST - Sets of reps >5 = 60-90 seconds of rest between sets. Sets of reps <5 = 2-3 minutes rest between
sets. The exception to this is when the program calls for a superset.

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- ECCENTRIC TRAINING - When performing an eccentric lift we will focus on a controlled tempo for the
lengthening of the movement or the “down” phase. The overall volume to receive this stimulus is low
so it’s important to execute each set at a high level. To perform eccentric reps, you’ll execute on your
prescribed tempo on the way down, then explode up as quickly as you can. For these reps, we’ll stay
between 60-85% of your one rep max.

- ISOMETRIC TRAINING - When performing an isometric lift, we will focus on a pause for the static portion
of the movement, or the “transition” phase. We will mimic the same range of motion the athlete will
utilize in their sport. For instance, if we are performing a squat we will perform the isometric pause at a
45 degree angle. This is because when the athlete runs or jumps they are typically within this range of
hip angle. That said, when you get to the bottom position of your movement, you’ll hold that position
for your prescribed tempo, squeezing the muscles involved with the movement as hard as you can.
Then, without sinking lower, you’ll explode up out of that position. Again, we’ll stay between 60-85% of
your one rep max for maximum effectiveness.

- CONCENTRIC TRAINING - When performing a concentric lift, we’ll focus on being as explosive as
possible during the ascension or “up” phase of the movement. Here, you’ll control your movement on
the way down, no prescribed eccentric tempo. Then you’ll move the bar as quickly as you can as you
explode out of the body position. Here, we’re focused on moving the bar as fast as possible, so we’ll
use lighter loads that can be anywhere from 30-55% of your one rep max.

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- RECORDING - Make sure to write down the weight that you performed the lift with in the table to keep
track of progress. This is paramount as each week you will be building on the previous from last week.
Track these in the actual Excel Sheet so you can analyze your progress.

STEP 5: AUXILIARY MOVEMENTS

- SETS AND REPS - Make sure that you are performing each movement with maximal intensity. If the set
calls for 10 reps then you are performing that set with a weight that you can do only between 8 - 12
reps with. If you can do more than 12 reps with that weight then you need to increase the intensity.

- REST - Rest during the auxiliary phase varies, but try to stick closely to 60 - 90 seconds rest between
each exercise. If you switch body parts you can take up to 2 - 3 minute rest.

DELOAD

Every 3 - 6 weeks you will be assigned a Deload week in your training. During this period we are
attempting to recover the muscle tissue and nervous system fatigue. This week typically mimics the
same program you are following but with reduced volume and intensity overall.

- SPEED AND POWER DELOAD - During these movements in a deload we want to focus more on
technique then intensity. I like to cue my guys to have mental reps by pulling back the reins and having
them focus on perfect reps for each drill. In addition, volume will typically be reduced.

- STRENGTH DELOAD - During this portion we will cut the intensity of the movement to 50% of your
estimated 1 rep max to reduce nervous system fatigue and allow it to recover. A race car can’t be
driving with the pedal to the floor forever or it will breakdown. Use this time to recover and tune up.

- AUXILIARY DELOAD - During the auxiliaires we want to reduce the intensity to an estimated 70% of what
you were performing the movements in the prior week. As a simple example, if you were performing a
single arm row with a 100 lb dumbbell we simply want to reduce to a 70 lb dumbbell.

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 CONCLUSION
This concludes the Soccer Performance System manual. The goal of this manual is to educate the
athlete or coach as to why they are doing what they are doing.

My experience as a coach has been to show the athlete the final product to show the potential
possibilities. Take Lego’s as an example. We want to show them the finished product on the front of the
box while guiding them step by step through the process. By showing them the bigger picture and the
step by step process of getting there I’m of the opinion that this produces not only trust and confidence
in their training, but better overall effort. Better effort produces better results.

As mentioned above, there are many ways to skin a cat but I wouldn’t put this program together if I
didn’t think it would work for athletes across the board.

With that being said if you don’t get the desired results I implore you to reach out to me in order for us
to determine the best strategy for you moving forward to get those results.

Train hard, compete every rep, and trust the process.

Chris Barnard

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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This program is for educational and informative purposes only and is not intended as medical or
professional advice. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or nutrition
program. The use of diet and nutrition to control metabolic disorders and disease is a very complicated
science, and is not the purpose of this program. The purpose of this program is to help healthy people
reach their cosmetic fitness goals by educating them in proper nutrition and exercise guidelines.

No health claims are made for this program. This nutrition and exercise program will not help cure, heal,
or correct any illness, metabolic disorder, or medical condition. The author is not a medical doctor,
registered dietician, or clinical nutritionist; the author is a fitness and nutrition consultant.

All individuals, especially those who suffer from any disease or are recovering from injury, should
consult their physician regarding the advisability or undertaking any of the activities suggested in these
programs.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that apparently healthy individuals
who are male and over 40 or female and over 50 to have both a physical exam and a diagnostic
exercise test prior to starting a vigorous exercise program. A diagnostic exercise test and physical
examination is also recommended in individuals of any age who exhibit two or more of the major
coronary risk factors (smoking, family history of heart disease, elevated blood cholesterol, elevated
blood pressure, and diabetes). Any individual with a known history of heart disease or other heart
problems should be required to have a medical evaluation including a graded exercise test before
engaging in strenuous physical activity.

The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect
to any of the information contained in this manual. The user assumes all risk for any injury, loss or damage
caused or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by using any information described in this course.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this program may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
whatsoever, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational
storage or retrieval system, without expressed, written and signed permission from the author (with the
exception of brief quotations as used in reviews or discussion groups, with attribution to the author and
source).

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