What exercises should footballers focus on?

Luca Feser
Jul 4
3 min read

Football demands a unique blend of speed, strength, power and stamina. As footballers, we need exercises that mirror the pitch—explosive sprints, sharp changes in direction, and relentless endurance. At CURVA, we’ve built our app to craft training plans tailored to your position, goals, and season. Here’s what exercises you should prioritise to elevate your game.

Why position-specific exercises matter

Every role on the pitch has distinct demands. A winger needs blistering speed and agility, while a centre-back relies on strength and stability to dominate duels. Generic gym plans often miss this nuance, focusing on size over function. Our data shows that 78% of footballers using tailored programs improve performance metrics like sprint speed and jump height within 12 weeks (CURVA Internal Study, 2024). Here’s how to focus your training.

Key exercises for footballers

We’ve broken down the must-do exercises by core attributes: speed, strength, power, and endurance. Each comes with video guidance in CURVA’s app to ensure perfect form.

Speed and agility

Football is about quick bursts and sharp turns. Train these to outpace opponents.

Sprint intervals: Run 20-metre sprints at max effort, with 30 seconds rest. Aim for 8–10 reps. This mimics match-day accelerations.
Ladder drills: Use an agility ladder for quick feet patterns like in-and-out steps. These sharpen your footwork for tight spaces.
Cone weaves: Set up cones 5 metres apart and weave through at speed. This builds change-of-direction skills crucial for wingers and full-backs.

Strength

A strong base helps you hold off challenges and win tackles.

Squats: Focus on back squats or front squats to build quad and glute strength. Aim for 3–5 sets of 6–8 reps at 70–85% of your max.
Deadlifts: These strengthen your posterior chain—hamstrings, glutes, and lower back—for powerful kicks and jumps. Keep form tight with 3–4 sets of 5–7 reps.
Single-leg Romanian deadlifts: These target balance and hamstring strength, reducing injury risk. Do 3 sets of 10 per leg.

Power

Explosive power wins headers and drives long-range shots.

Plyometric box jumps: Jump onto a 50–70cm box, landing softly. Do 3 sets of 10 to boost vertical leap.
Medicine ball throws: Perform overhead or rotational throws for 3 sets of 12. These mimic explosive movements like throw-ins or shots.
Power cleans: This advanced lift builds full-body power. Start light, with 3 sets of 5 reps, and use our video guides for technique.

Endurance

Footballers cover 8–12km per match, often at high intensity (FIFA Match Analysis, 2023). Build stamina to stay sharp late in games.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT): Alternate 30 seconds of sprinting with 1 minute of jogging for 15 minutes. This replicates match demands.
Tempo runs: Run at 70% effort for 20–30 minutes to build aerobic capacity.
Shuttle runs: Set up markers 20 metres apart and run back-and-forth for 5–6 reps. Rest 1 minute between sets.

Don’t skip mobility and recovery

Injuries derail seasons. Our Mobility Hub in the CURVA app offers guided warm-ups, cooldowns, and prehab routines to keep you moving. Focus on:

Dynamic stretching: Leg swings and lunges before training to prep muscles.
Foam rolling: Target quads, hamstrings, and calves post-session to aid recovery.
Hip mobility drills: Exercises like hip circles reduce strain for midfielders and defenders.

How CURVA makes it personal

We know a striker’s needs differ from a goalkeeper’s. CURVA’s app takes your position, playing style, and injury history to craft a weekly plan. Whether you’re pre-season or mid-season, we adjust for your schedule. Our progress tracking logs your reps, weights, and times, so you see real gains. Plus, our video-led guidance ensures you’re never guessing form.

Start today

Ready to train smarter? Sign up for free on CURVA and input your position, goals, and season phase. We’ll build a plan that’s yours—designed to make you faster, stronger, and tougher on the pitch. According to Sports & Fitness Journal (2024), personalised plans can improve match performance by up to 30%. Let’s get you there.