Reebok Fit2Kick: Workout for Goalkeepers

#1 The importance of a fit goalkeeper in modern football

The custodian amongst the team of warriors that comprise a football team, the goalkeeper is the last man standing.

The beautiful game may now be about complex tactics, big money transfer deals and super star football players. But ultimately and simply, it is and will always be about scoring goals.

Goals being scored can decide the fate of the match and the one person who definitely has a hand in any goal scoring situation is, well, the goalkeeper.

Our next set of exercises helps the players who aspire to be world class goalkeepers, achieve the physical capabilities required to reach the top of the game. This series of workouts prepares you to overcome any and every obstacle that you may face during the game

We start with the warm up since this prepares your muscles for the rigours of the workouts ahead.

#2 The warm-up for the goalkeeper workout

A warm-up is all the more important since it not only gives your muscles flexibility and basic strength but also shields your body from injuries during a game

Number of Exercises: 4

Time Duration: 20 minutes for the entire set

No. of Reps: Mentioned Ahead

#3 The Squat Jump

Target Muscles: Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Knees and Ankles

The squat is one of the most complete exercises which a person can do while training the lower body. Our current exercise is a very basic variation of the same and helps you strengthen the muscles mentioned above as well as increases the power with which you jump and the speed with which you reach.

The basic steps to this exercise are:

Step 1: Stand with your legs slightly apart and lift your hands up till your shoulder level. Relax your body and take a few deep breaths.

Step 2: Lower your body as if trying to sit down on a chair, and stop this motion the moment your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground. This would mean your butt is in line with your knees.

Step 3: Pause for about half a second and explode back up. Do not stop at your initial position; rather, continue and convert this upward movement into a jump. Jump as high as you can and remember to land on your toes.

Step 4: Repeat the above 3 steps.

This variation helps strengthen nearly all the muscles of your lower body and it also prepares the body for how it should brace for impact, along with improving the way you land after a jump.

You need to do 10 reps before you move onto the next workout.

Breathing: Inhale hard when you explode up and exhale deeply when you go down into the squat.

Levels: Pause for a longer duration to make this exercise harder. You can also hold a 7.5 kg dumbbell in both hands to make this exercise a bit more interesting but you have to be able to do this perfectly without weights first.

#4 The 50 Feet Cone Run

Target Areas: Reaction Time, Running Speed, Forward and Sideways movement.

Very similar to the crossover exercise practised by sprinters, the 50 Feet cone run helps you increase your running speed, and improves your forward and sideways motion abilities. It also helps you improve massively on your reaction time, which can prove to be a boon since you are a goalkeeper.

A relatively simple exercise, you would need about 20 to 25 cones to be able to perform this exercise.

The basic steps are:

Step 1: Mark a starting and ending point which are about 50 feet apart. Now place the cones in a straight line with a distance of about two feet between each cone.

Step 2: From the starting point, start running to the finish. While doing so remember to zig-zag between each cone; do not miss out on any cone and run on your toes.

Step 3: Pause for about a minute at the finish point and then run back in the same manner as above.

You have to do a total of four runs for this particular workout.

Breathing: Inhale and exhale with the rhythm of the run.

Levels: Pause for lesser duration between each run and run as hard and as fast as you can to make this exercise more difficult.

#5 The Plank Jack

Target Muscles: The core

A relatively simple exercise, you have to do about 10 plank jacks per set and a total of four sets.

The basic steps are:

Step 1: Start in a push up position. Remember to not let your body sag in the middle, and to keep your feet close together.

Step 2: Now, push your feet apart, and remember to land as lightly as possible. Keep your abs tight and your body stable.

Step 3: Take your feet back to their initial position where they were close together.

Breathing: Inhale and exhale with the rhythm of each rep.

Levels: Increase the number of plank jacks per set; also, try and do each plank jack as fast as possible.

#6 The Split Step Up

Target Muscles: The lower body

The last workout in the warm up session, this exercise helps you warm up and get the muscles of your lower body working.

The basic steps are:

Step 1: Starting at one place, stand with your body as relaxed as possible. Place an aerobic stepper in front of you.

Step 2: Now, put your right foot on the stepper and then quickly bring it back on the ground while simultaneously putting your left foot on the stepper. This movement will be a mix between a jog and a hop and will help you warm up the muscles of your entire lower body.

You have to do 20 step ups per set and a total of four sets.

Breathing: Inhale and exhale with the rhythm of the each rep.

Levels: Do as many step ups per set as possible to increase the difficulty of this exercise.