Pre-season training plan

1 Speed shuttles

“Get back to top speed with these short sharp sprints. After a 10-minute warm-up with dynamic stretches, stand on the touchline between the halfway line and the goal-line and intersperse 10-metre sprints at 80 per cent of your maximum capacity with 10- metre walks for 10 reps across the pitch. This routine is ideal for football as it mimics the requirements in a match: lots of stop-start sprints.”



2 Endurance runs

“Now that you’ve worked up a sweat, it’s time to put yourself to the test. Rehydrate before starting at the corner flag and run around the edge of the pitch for four minutes at 80 per cent top speed. Repeat four times with 30=second rests between each run. It’s essential that you try and maintain one pace for the duration of each run if you want to regain your high-intensity endurance; this will help you stay running until full-time.”



3 Long sprints

“Now for the hard part. Start at a corner flag and at top speed sprint diagonally to the opposing corner flag. Rest for 30 seconds before sprinting up the touchline to the adjacent flag. Rest for 30 second. Now sprint diagonally across the pitch to the flag on the far side, rest for 30 seconds before sprinting back to your starting position. Complete the cycle once more to end the workout.”