Effects of an 8-Week Pre-seasonal Training on the Aerobic Fitness of Professional Soccer Players.

ABSTRACT: Michaelides, MA, Parpa, KM, and Zacharia, AI. Effects of an 8-week pre-seasonal training on the aerobic fitness of professional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 35(10): 2783-2789, 2021-Pre-season in soccer training develops the physical requisites for competition and usually consists of a high volume of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning training including friendly games. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of pre-season training on the aerobic fitness of professional soccer players. Nineteen professional male soccer players (age = 27.37 ± 3.67 years, height = 179.61 ± 5.17 cm, and body fat percentage = 11.3 ± 3.19%) participated in this study performed an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill before and after the 8 weeks of pre-season preparation. The results were analyzed using paired t tests, revealing significant differences on several indices. The subjects improved significantly on maximal aerobic capacity (V̇o2max) and lasted significantly longer on the treadmill (p < 0.05). The V̇o2 at ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) increased significantly (p < 0.05). The running velocity at ventilatory thresholds (vVT and vRCP) and at V̇o2 max (vVo2max) also increased significantly (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study, as expected, demonstrated that the proposed 8 weeks of pre-season training program was sufficient to cause significant improvements on the aerobic performance indices of professional soccer players. The study confirms the beneficial changes in the process of adaptations that occur with this type of training and can assist coaches and trainers in planning a successful pre-season training program.

Assessment of Lower Body and Abdominal Strength in Professional Soccer Players.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate abdominal strength in professional soccer players and compare the findings to their lower body strength. An observational design was used to examine abdominal and lower body strength using two functional performance tests (a lower body isokinetic test and an isometric abdominal test, respectively). One hundred and thirty-two professional male soccer players from Cyprus's first and second divisions participated in this study. Testing included three and twenty-five maximal concentric flexion and extension repetitions at angle speeds of 60°/s (degrees/second) and 300°/s, respectively. On a separate occasion, participants completed two trials on an isometric device (ABTEST Gen. 3 system) for evaluation of abdominal strength. At both isokinetic speeds of 300°/s and 60°/s, abdominal strength had low to moderate significant correlations (p < .05) with quadriceps and hamstring strength. Coefficients of determination (R2) demonstrated that the variability in isokinetic variables accounted for only 14-16% of the variability of abdominal strength. Abdominal strength appears to be high in professional soccer players, but is not dependent on the sports level and/or a playing position. The results of this study demonstrate that abdominal strength and knee joint strength need to be evaluated separately.