BeWOW: The World Cup Workout

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This week’s workout is brought to you by the World Cup, and the athletes who trained for hundreds of hours to get there.

Just by looking at these guys, you can probably tell it takes a whole lot of conditioning to get game-day ready. As a former soccer player myself, I endured many conditioning workouts to prepare to play at my best. Soccer is made up of repetitive bouts of fast bursts of sprinting and recovering, over and over again, for 90 minutes. This week, you’re going to get a taste of what that’s like.

This workout is best done on a field or track. For the dynamic warm up, after your jog, pick a distance of about 15 yards and do the drills below out and back. Then, we’ll start on some sprints and some suicides. Yes, that’s right, remember those? Then we’ll do some core, and then some more conditioning. This is going to be fun, I promise. Good luck!

BeWOW: The World Cup Workout

Warm-up
• Jog around the field or track for three minutes.
• Dynamic warm-up  drills: Do each exercise below, out and back, on a 15-yard stretch.

1. Butt kickers
2. High knees
3. Walking knee pulls
4. Walking lunge and twist
5. Side shuffle
6. Inch worm

Sprints

On the field or track, do all of the sprints to one distance first before moving on to the next distance. Sprint out, and then jog/walk back for your recovery before turning around to go again.

1. 10 sprints x 10 yards
2. 8 sprints x 20 yards
3. 6 sprints  x 30 yards
4. 4 sprints x 40 yards
5. 2 sprints x 50 yards

Suicides

Sprint out to the 20 and back, then the 40 and back, and so on until you sprint back from 100 yards. Complete the whole set, then rest for three minutes, and do it again for a total of three rounds. (Here’s what it looks like indoors, if you need a visual.)

1. 20 yards
2. 40 yards
3. 60 yards
4. 80 yards
5. 100 yards

Core

1. 30 second plank
2. 30 second side plank right
3. 30 second side plank left
4. 30 second plank
5. 30 second ab twists
6. 30 second crunches

Rest two minutes, then repeat one time.

Endurance

You are going to pick a time for this one based on your ability level. Very fit: one minute; moderately fit: one minute, 15 seconds; beginner: one minute, 30 seconds. You are going to sprint up and back the length of the field (100 yards out and 100 yards back). Whatever time you pick is how long you have to complete the sprints. Whatever time is left is your recovery. So for the very fit, if it takes you 45 seconds to sprint up and back, you get 15 seconds to recover, and then you do it again. Complete the 200-yard sprints five times. If you need to adjust your time as you go, go for it.

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.