The average Premier League footballer covers 11.7 kilometres over the course of 90 minutes. You could be forgiven for thinking a player would have to constantly be on the move to chalk up such a distance, but they're not.
Football is a game made up of sprints - lots of short, sharp, bursts of acceleration.
An ability to complete high intensity runs, one after the after, with short rest periods in between, can give a player a winning edge.
Come the start of the season it's easy to see who's out of shape - it's usually the player bending over, gasping for breath after their first surge of speed.
To make sure you're not crawling off the pitch inside the first five minutes, FFT recommends this speed endurance drill for your weekly summer workout.
This exercise - explained by the Nike Academy's performance director, Jon Goodman - involves a series of 10 metre sprints and explosive changes of direction.
It's going to burn, but it will be worth it when you're shrugging off fatigue and outrunning your opponent.
You can find out more about how you can get involved with the Nike Academy, and watch the players’ progress this season, by visiting facebook and NikeFootball.com.
For more fitness tips see:
Improve your speed, stamina and strength
Build endurance and a rock solid core
Run faster, boost endurance
Run harder, react quicker
