“I play midfield, but often run out of steam and get subbed. How can I improve my endurance?”
Phil Hawkins, Staines
Jack Rodwell says:
“Ideally you’ll build the base of endurance pre-season. While you may be suffering in early games, you’re building your match fitness – that’s something you can’t get in training.
Put in the extra work in your own time. I like to do ‘doggies’ – short, sharp, high-intensity runs, which replicate game-like conditions by focusing on explosive changes in direction and speed off the mark.
Mark out six cones, 5-10 yards apart, sprint to the first cone and back to your starting position, then to the second cone and back and so on. Do this for two minutes, rest for two and go again.
You can always try the bleep test. At City the coaches take our blood with a pin-prick finger test after every level to see how much acid is building up. I also do a lot of boxing work. The coaches hold up the pads and we go at them. I love it, but it’s the hardest training I’ve done.”
Rodwell wears Adidas Nitrocharge boots, designed for ‘The Engine’ player. See adidas.com or @adidasUK
For more football fitness tips see:
Fast-track to fitness
Make your engine work faster, harder and longer
Forge football fitness
The fastest way to stay in shape
Three drills to help football endurance
Run faster, boost endurance
Build endurance and a rock solid core
Make the difference with Premier League fitness
