Help me tweak my programme please.

Cisseismint
Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hello everybody. I need some help tweaking my weight lifting programme to fit around my twice a week 5 a side football (soccer to my American Friends).

I have been doing strong lifts 5x5 for about 9 months. In that time I have gone from 160lb to 161lb but lost 2inches off my waste. I am 6ft tall and 40 years old.

I have just started playing football twice a week (sun and wed) and this is preventing me from squatting 3 times a week. I cant squat the day before or after football, so I have had to cram my leg work into one day on a Friday.

The programme I have come up with is as follows:

Mon: bench, row, dips. All 5x5.
Tue: rest.
Wed: footy
Thurs: overhead press, pull-up.
Friday squat, rom deadlift, deadlift.
Sat rest.
Sun footy.

So, does this look like a sensible tweak to the programme? My football is more important to me than lifting, but I want to do both.

I have made good progress in 9 months, but am still weak. Bench 120lb, overhead press 85lb, squat 135lb. My rows and dips are assisted with resistance bands, but I am working my way through ever small bands.

Replies

  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
    edited February 2016
    ,
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
    Are you trying to gain size, or just gain strength while staying the same size? It sounds like you are not in caloric surplus.

    For best results, you should find a structured training program instead of making your own. Once-a-week frequency is usually not the best choice for strength. If football is more important than lifting, you should research what kind of lifting footballers do and follow their program. At 40 years old, a standard strength program may be too much work for you when you add in 2 games per week. Will depend on your individual recovery capabilities.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited February 2016
    Strength training for soccer can help your game immensely.

    I understand that the greater a player's aerobic capacity, the more ground they cover during a typical game and with improved endurance you can run and sprint better across the field.

    And with strength training perform it with a purpose. Simply lifting weights doing the traditional "3 sets of 10 repetitions" approach is not the most efficient way to spend training time for the game IMHO.

    American football is something I know something about so too soccer does require balance of power and muscular endurance. I do not know about you but at your current age but increasing lean mass is important too, may not be if you are not playing with all in explosive power but focus on converting much of your strength into soccer-specific power will help you play better.

    Wouldn't a good strength training help to correct muscle imbalances. Also I do not know about you but soccer players in general can and do develop strong quads in relation to the hammies and you can play better with a better formed strength plan can and also can prevent future injury while playing the game.

    I too say find a lifting program to fit the sport, but the programs I see out there are pretty extensive than just doing 5X5...just depends on how much you want to play the game and how much and if lifting can get you to the goal you want.
  • erialcelyob
    erialcelyob Posts: 341 Member
    I would probably take out say the tuesday rest day as to me I would consider football to sometimes be active rests
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