20 of the Best Single Leg Exercises for Footballers:
(If you want to improve your confidence on the pitch, make sure you read the full article)
Being great at football is one of the hardest things on the planet..
There are so many aspects of the mind and body that you need to train to get to the next level and stay there for a long time.
It is also the most popular sport in the world, so there is a ton of competition.
Train Hard & Smart:
If you want to reach your ultimate genetic potential and give your best to play at the next level, whether that be for your Club’s A-Team, your high school team, a college team or professionally, you need to train smart and hard.
When we talk about smart, you need to think about the actions on the football pitch, how they are produced and how quickly they are produced. The goal is to first build a base foundation of strength and once you have that down, you can get more specific to you and your goals.
The Importance of Single Leg Strength:
Football is a game full of actions that are done on a single leg.
Research has shown that you change direction approximately 700 times per game at varying degrees of intensity!
Wow, I didn’t even know that before looking at the research…
Change of direction requires a ton of single leg strength and balance.
In the beautiful game, you also need to accelerate, decelerate, jump, shoot and pass, which requires you to be very strong and balanced on a single leg so you can absorb force and accelerate force.
Improve Your Performance on the Pitch:
If you want to be faster, jump higher, and change direction quicker (which are all required at high levels), you need to make sure you train single leg strength and stability properly and consistently.
I find that most footballers train in the gym to improve their performance, so they can become faster, more explosive, quicker, etc. (which of course is very important)
Injury Prevention:
But, the most important reason for you to train in the gym is for you to remain on the field.
The main job of a strength and conditioning coach is having their athletes be available for every single training and match.
Why?
Because you can do as much gym work as possible, but if the footballer is not playing games, he/she will never actually develop as A FOOTBALLER. They will just be strong in the gym, which serves no purpose.
You need to start thinking of your gym training as a way to play more games and get more repetitions of football specific actions during training, which will make you a better player.
The most important and under looked component of single leg strength and stability is preventing injury.
If you are strong on a single leg, you are less likely to have ankle, knee, or hip injuries because you can absorb force properly.
Most injuries occur during the deceleration and landing phase (when you’re trying to slow your body down and stop on a dime).
If you are strong and stable on a single leg, your knee is less likely to cave in (valgus), which can create the ultimate scare for any footballer…an ACL injury.
With all of this being said, here are my Top 20 Single Leg Exercises for Footballers:
Before we get into the exercises, I know I will get questions on how many sets and repetitions for each exercise. I want to restate that the most important thing for you is to master the technique and fluidity of each movement.
Once you feel you have it down, you have to program based on where you are in your season, your overall goals, your injury history, and what your goal is in the gym.
With all this being said, I can’t give you a generic number. That is where a coach comes in and the art of programming happens.
I will go as generic as I can for you; if you are a beginner, and the goal is to improve your technique and neuromuscular coordination of an exercise, start with 2 sets of a new exercise. Only pick 3-4 exercises, no more!
Good luck & enjoy the Top 20 Single Leg Strength Exercises for Footballers
- Single Leg RDL-Isometric
- Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
- Bodyweight Single Leg Glute Bridge
- Weighted Single Leg Glute Bridge
- Single Leg Stability Ball Hamstring Curls
- Single Leg RDL with One Hand Assistance
- Single Arm-Single Leg RDL
- Slow Step Downs
- Dumbbell Pistol Squat to Bench
- Dumbbell Lateral Lunges
As Promised, Here It Is:
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- Lunge with Foot on Plate
- Bulgarian Split Squat- 3 Second Isometric Hold at Bottom
- Standing Dumbbell Lunge:
- Dumbbell Reverse Lunge:
- Dumbbell Walking Lunges:
- Single Leg Line Hops:
- Vertical Single Leg Pogo Jumps:
- Explosive Lunge Jumps:
- Single Leg Tuck Jumps:
- Lateral Bounds (Stick the Landing!)
Warning on the Jumping Exercises:
Before doing any of the heavier jumping exercises, please make sure you are efficient at the single leg strength exercises. The last thing you want to do is to start being explosive and jumping without having a proper base.
Remember, we want training to improve your performance on the pitch. We don’t want gym training to cause an injury! We want it to prevent them!
The RicFit 1 on 1 Elite Training Program:
If you have tried a lot of things and haven’t gotten the results you’ve wanted, maybe you aren’t doing something right..
Maybe the program isn’t customized to you specifically..
If you want to take your game and life to the next level, you can apply for my One-on-One Coaching Program, and you can work with me personally.
My program is 100% individualized, so you receive 24/7 support from me and have 100% access to me.
No matter what you are going through, I will be there for you; to hold you accountable, keep you motivated, and, even if you feel like giving up, I will be there to light a fire under your ass and help keep you going, because as we both know CONSISTENCY is what gets you results!
The program is structured, so you will train in the gym 3-4 days per week (depending on your goal) and train your cardiovascular system 1-2 days per week (specifically for your goals and your sport).
You will get faster, stronger, become more powerful, build muscle, steer clear of injury and become a better functioning athlete and human.
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