Exercise Machines - Outdated For Youth Soccer Strength Training!

Why would you place a young soccer player on an exercise machine when they have their own body to use?

From a sport therapists' perspective strength training for youth soccer players needs to be functional.

The goal of any type of strength training program is to overcome or control resistance. This may be in a form of weights, sand bags, medicine balls or tires. The key is performing the correct exercise that is appropriate for the age group.

Next let us compare two exercises and decide which one has a better value for athletic performance on soccer field. First let us look at the leg extension (sitting with leg bent at knee) and the lunge.

Many high schools and gyms have some form of the universal leg extension machine. I know because I have seen it and used it in the past in both high school and at the gym as well soccer players telling me what they are doing in gym class. It is easy for some one to sit on a seat and hold handles at the side and straighten the leg (extension).

Ask your self this question “at what point in a soccer game does a player sit on the ground and straighten his or her legs?"

Let us take a close at the action of the reverse lunge. We start with our legs shoulder width apart then take a step back. From that position we drive both he back leg forward and front leg up with as much force as possible. As we do this the back leg is moving forward.

So let us look at positives of both exercises. The leg extension allows you to be seated so that your "core" is relaxed.

The reverse lunge forces you to maintain balance, brace the core and drive the leg forward for soccer strength, soccer power and soccer speed. It closely resembles the action of running or sprinting and of course these actions occur during a soccer game.

The other thing with the reverse lunge is that there is a focus on single leg strength. This type of strength is overlooked in many machine type exercise programs. Most machine type exercises have you seated or lying on your back using both legs. Is this “functional?"

As an Athletic Therapist with a focus on injury prevention I find that many hamstring and quadriceps muscle injuries may be avoided if players just focused on total body functional exercises like the lunge, squat or hip lift as compared to isolation machine exercises like the hamstring curl or leg extension.