One of the biggest things I wish more people understood about strength training for injuries is this: It is PROTECTIVE, not over doing. In fact, playing soccer puts HIGHER FORCES on the tendons, joints, and bones and in a CHAOTIC environment. Changes of direction movements in soccer happen...
I got on a Zoom call with my sprint and nutrition coach before I began my six month training plan with her in preparation for the World Track Championships with Team USA. Tearing up on the call, I told her, "I want to compete in this...
In season strength training is a non-negotiable for the ECNL girls soccer player of today. The girls ECNL is the most intense and competitive soccer league in the United States, with the average team practicing 3-4x a week, with 1-2 games on the weekends. Go time for...
To better prepare athletes for load, they must load. It must be progressed carefully, like the graph above. Soccer players must also train at a higher stress than game day, rather than doing the same, light to moderate, ad nauseam sport specific nonsense year-round. Eventually, they need to...
Home gyms exploded during COVID. In the first month of lock down, you would be hard pressed to find gym equipment left to buy on Amazon. Everyone was snagging their dumbbells, pull-up bars, resistance bands, and for the more serious lifters, full blown squat racks. There...
I didn’t sign up for strength training because I feared injury. Back in the early 2000s, strength coaches didn’t market their programs with the phrase “injury prevention.” The jargon in their marketing focused on speed, strength, and conditioning, and becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. I was sold. These...
The bad news is this: the majority of female athletes have weak hips. Ah, glad that's out of the way now. Let's move onto some better news...
I could not be more elated. I wrote The Strong Female Athlete book because there is an immense need for evidence and experienced based education surrounding youth female athlete training - from injury reduction, to speed development, improved agility, and bolstered confidence, young girls need every...
I didn’t enter the travel soccer system until age 13. For the female athlete of today, this is frowned upon, in fact, judged by her friends. Her parents are questioned by their neighbors, and she’s forced into chasing the word “elite” as young as age 8....
Young athletes thrive on routine. They want to know exactly what they're doing, what they're working toward, how they're going to achieve their goals, and if they're progressing and getting results. Quarantine has been a challenging time for young athletes who have been bombarded with circuits, workouts...