Press-ups and planks
Transcript
Done right and supervised, bodyweight strength work is low risk and useful. Here's how to start, with press-ups and planks. Warm up first, with an adult watching. You need a mat or flat grass. Watch. Lower your chest towards the ground, then push back up. First, push the floor away. Now move to your forearms. Then, stay straight, like a plank of wood. Not this, with your hips sagging. Eight to fifteen press-ups, then three planks of twenty seconds. Two or three times a week, never two days in a row. Add reps only when every rep is clean. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
Upper-body and trunk strength with your own bodyweight only. Technique first: every rep clean, with your body in one straight line from head to heels.
Set up
- Warm up first
- An adult watching
- A mat or flat grass
How it works
- Warm up first, every time: the FIFA 11+ Kids warm-up (ages 7-13) or FIFA 11+ from 14 (episode 2 shows it), about 15-20 minutes, or your club warm-up, with a coach or parent watching.
- Press-ups: arms straight and your body in one line from head to heels. Lower your chest towards the ground, then push back up. Do 8-15 clean reps.
- Rest 1 minute. If you are ready for a second set of press-ups, do it now, then rest again.
- Plank: forearms on the ground, elbows under your shoulders, up on your toes, straight from head to heels. Hold 20-30 seconds, rest, 3 times.
- Do this 2-3 times a week, never on two days in a row. Add reps only when every rep is clean.
Coaching points
- Push the floor away. Think about pushing the floor away from you, not about your arms. Lower with control, then push back up until your arms are straight.
- Like a plank of wood. Stay straight like a plank of wood: one line from head to heels, in the press-up and in the plank.
Not this
Hips sagging towards the ground. When you can no longer keep the straight line, stop that set or that hold, and rest.
Dose
- 8-15 press-ups, 3 planks
- 2-3x a week, not in a row
Our target: 8-15 clean press-ups and 3 planks of 20 seconds, 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, adding reps only when every rep is clean (our pick, not a rule). The numbers sit inside NSCA 2009 (1-3 sets of 6-15 reps) and FIFA 11+ level 1 (3 holds of 20-30 seconds), and the days and the clean-rep rule match the Football Reach plan.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Build to 2 sets of 15 clean press-ups with 1 minute of rest between. Then add the FIFA 11+ level 1 side plank: lie on your side with your bottom knee bent and your elbow under your shoulder, then lift your hips and top leg until your shoulder, hip and knee are in one line. Hold 20-30 seconds, 3 times on each side.
Easier
Press-ups with your hands on a sturdy bench or a solid wall (an incline press-up), and move to the floor when every rep is clean. Younger players and beginners: shorter plank holds, building up to 20-30 seconds.
Safety
- Do this with a coach or parent watching.
- Bodyweight only: no weights.
- Warm up first, every time, and use a mat or flat grass with space around you.
- 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, so there is a rest day between sessions.
- If something hurts when you train, stop rather than training through it, tell an adult, and get it checked by a GP or physio.
Sources
- NSCA - Youth resistance training position statement (2009) (opens in a new tab)
- American Academy of Pediatrics - Resistance training for children and adolescents (2020) (opens in a new tab)
- FIFA - The 11+ injury prevention programme poster (opens in a new tab)
- BJSM - International consensus on youth resistance training (2014) (opens in a new tab)
- The FA - Youth development phase and the physical corner (opens in a new tab)
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
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