@ins
Here’s the general off-season plan I gave to a 38 year old recreational soccer player with repeated hamstring tears and ankle sprains. Keep in mind that this was after being cleared for all activity by a physical therapist. He used this general structure for 3 off-seasons that we worked together and never missed a game due to injury in those three years:
Monday (Strength):
Sagittal plane hop progression*: 50-100 total ground contacts
A1: Trap Bar Deadlift 3x3-5
B1: DB Bench Press 3x8-10
B2: DB Row 3x8-10
C1: Knee Flexion Progression*: 2x8-12
C2: Half Kneeling Cable Chops: 2 sets/ side
Tuesday (aerobic):
45-75 minutes of aerobic work. Either steady state cardio between 120 and 140 BPM, tempo runs, or a combo of the two.
Wednesday (muscular endurance and alactic conditioning):
Box jumps: 10 total
3-4 rounds:
A1: Pushup to downward dog x 10-15
A2: Goblet lateral lunges x 10-15/ side
A3: Inverted Rows x 10-15
A4: Supported Single Leg RDL x 10-15/ side
Sled or bike sprints: 8 seconds on/ 52 seconds off. 6-12 repeats
Thursday (aerobic):
Same as Tuesday
Friday (Strength)
Frontal plane hop progression*: 50-100 total ground contacts
A1: Weighted Chin Up 3x4-6
B1: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats 3x8-10
B2: Landmine Press 3x8-10
C1: Copenhagen Side Plank Progression*: 2 sets/ side
C2: Dead Bugs: 2 sets
Saturday (Acceleration, Deceleration, Change of Direction)
This day was done outside, and consisted of 30-45 minutes of various cone drills. Tons of options, and as long as you’re accelerating quickly, stopping suddenly, turning, and changing directions, you’re probably fine. You want to start the offseason at 65-70% intensity and focus on technique and building confidence. Bump the speed and intensity up slowly as you nudge the total volume down a bit. By the end of the offseason, you want to be able to go from a dead stop to a full-speed, full-pitch run without any fear or trepidation.
Sagittal plane hops: Bilateral Pogo Hops > Forwards and Backwards Line Hops > Bilateral Forward Hurdle Hops > Unilateral Forwards and Backwards Hops > Unilateral Forward Hurdle Hops
Frontal plane hops: Bilateral Side-to-side Hops > Unilateral Side-to-side Hops > Bilateral Lateral Hurdle Hops > Unilateral Lateral Hurdle Hops (Stick the Landing) > Unilateral Lateral Hurdle Hops (“Bouncy”)
Knee Flexion: Hamstring Curls > Unilateral Hamstring Curls > 2:1 Hamstring Curls > Band-Assisted Nordic Hamstring Curls > Nordic Hamstring Curls
Copenhagen Side Plank: Both knees bent and bottom leg on ground > Top Leg straight, bottom bent and on ground > Both legs straight and bottom leg on ground > Both legs straight and bottom leg lifted > Both legs straight, bottom leg lifted, and top leg on a high box