31 Jul Girls Soccer Players, Summer Off-Season Training is Over: DON’T STOP Strength Training
“We’re going to pause strength training for now. It’s just too busy with practices, school, and games, and we don’t want to overdo it.”
I get at least a few of these emails at the end of every summer off season each year.
After two months of their daughters making insane gains in speed and strength, I get the dreaded “we’re going to pause” email.
It’s the worst words in the English language…we’re going to pause.
And I feel sorry for these young female athletes, whose parents decide to sabotage their progress and bring a halt to their physical development. Because the truth is, two months of summer off season training is just the beginning and it must be continued for injury reduction and best performance on the field.
After girls getting their first pull-up, or dead lifting and squatting over her body weight, or shaving a few milliseconds off her speed times, and making new friends from our training group, and loving our community of female athletes, or finally gaining more confidence…you want to pause? Really???
Off Season is Over But Now the REAL Work Begins
Off season is an amazing time when a lot of girls soccer players are off from their competitive seasons – no practices and no games, and plenty of time to focus on speed, strength and agility, and increase volume and intensity.
But don’t get it twisted…you don’t just train these qualities in the off season for a few weeks or months. You must train these year round and yes, during the busy soccer season and school year.
This is because when a girls soccer player stop strength and speed training, they lose their gains in just two week’s time. Speed goes first in just 7 days’ time. Strength gains decrease next, with just a 2 week cessation from a strength program.
It’s sad there are the folks who just do a summer program, and don’t get a single gym or speed stimulus for the other 10 months of the year.
Vertical jump decreases. Speed decreases by 1-2 MPH. Strength plateaus. It’s all around bad. And when they come back the following Summer, they’re pissed they’re not getting drastic, faster improvements like my consistent girls are.
Just like soccer skills, strength and speed take long-term development, not just two months in the Summer.
Imagine, soccer parents, if I told you that your girl would only practice soccer with her team for two months, then not touch the ball, see her team, or play games for 10 months straight. She wouldn’t develop at all. And you would be all up in arms if this happened, but when it comes to speed training, you don’t bat an eye.
I’d argue speed and strength training is much harder to learn, adapt to, and master, so it needs to be more consistent than sport skill work.
You can’t stop giving your muscles explosive inputs with speed training, and continuous progressive overload in the gym.
You don’t use it, you lose it, and in season is where the biggest gains are made.
In fact, I’d rather see an athlete year-round 1-2x a week consistently, than someone who trains for just a flash of two months in the Summer.
In fact, my most successful, fastest, and healthiest athletes do my summer off season program then transition to 1-2x a week year-round. I have an amazing core group of girls who get the importance of in season training and they crush it.
They hit the biggest speed records.
They gain the most strength relative to their body weight.
They stack and stack and stack training sessions the entire year, and make slow, yet huge gains over time like a freaking investment portfolio.
Oh, and they STAY HEALTHY and don’t get stupid injuries, aches, or pains.
So soccer parents, don’t let your daughter wither away and become frail, slow, and de-conditioned for the next 10 months.
Make sure you fit in 1-2 hours a week of strength and speed work during the season. Anyone can make time for 1-2 hours a week. No excuses. If your girl is scrolling TikTok for hours a day, she has time to train.
And I promise, when she stacks 1-2 hours a week for the entire year, she will thrive.
You’ll keep her strong and explosive as hell.
My most consistent girls here in Tampa, Florida get the most drastic power, strength and speed results. I have girls who were sprinting 16 MPH top speed, and now are 17, 17.5, and 18 MPH.
The proof is in the pudding, people.
Summer is over, but don’t stop strength and speed training.
Work with Erica Mulholland, an internationally known youth female athlete trainer in Tampa (Land O’ Lakes Florida) for speed, agility, and strength training, OR late stage ACL rehab (must be at minimum 2-3 months into physical therapy and post-surgery to be considered): BOOK ASSESSMENT HERE
Interested in REMOTE SPEED AND STRENGTH TRAINING for Youth Female Athletes? BOOK A CONSULT HERE
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