What does the research say? (Part 3 here) In Part 1 we talked about why strength is underrated in soccer, how it can improve speed without extra conditioning, and the pitfall of focusing on “fitness” to the exclusion of other physical training. Now we’re going to dig a little deeper into how strength training changes maximal aerobic speed (MAS) and VO₂ max. If you’re a soccer coach who wants to help their players get faster, we are now setting the stage for training guidelines. Recap: The two pillars of endurance Aerobic performance rides on two key traits: VO₂ max (engine size) and MAS (how fast that engine moves you). VO₂ max gets the headlines, but MAS is the “missing ingredient” many coaches overlook. Your MAS is determined by how much capacity you have divided by how much oxygen it costs you to move. Great VO₂ capacity but costly movement means

How heavy lifting shapes maximal aerobic speed and soccer fitness (part 2 here and part 3 here) Why talk about strength in an “aerobic” sport? In short, because it is underrated by too many people, even marginalized. There are too many athletes and coaches at the high school level that don’t understand how important it really is in soccer. Imagine being able to get a 20% improvement in endurance AND a speed boost without additional conditioning or mileage run…would you take that trade? I sure hope so. That’s why talking about strength for endurance sports is important – many people don’t know that’s possible. This isn’t a jab at team coaches either. They know the importance of performing well at the end of a game when everyone is tired. But without the physiology knowledge that a strength and conditioning specialist brings, many well-meaning coaches end up chasing conditioning “fitness” and