Busy ECNL Soccer Girls: How to Make Time for Strength Training In Season

In-season strength training is non-negotiable for today’s ECNL female soccer players.

The Girls ECNL is the most intense and competitive soccer league in the United States, with the average team practicing 3-4x a week, with 1-2 games on the weekends.

ECNL league play is a year-round pursuit of league games, showcases, and playoffs on the national stage.

For young girls, the ECNL league is a marathon that requires them to maintain energy, physical endurance, explosiveness, and strength throughout.

Don’t get me wrong: EVERY young girl gets incredible benefits for performance and injury reduction from strength training consistently, but if any girl soccer player needs strength training year-round, it’s an ECNL player.

This is because the level is high, and she must be robust to withstand (and thrive!) amidst the demands of the games, practices, and showcases.

More than female anatomy, lack of strength is a bigger risk factor for ACL injuries.

Thankfully, more ECNL girls are taking their strength training seriously in the off-season and the few weeks they have off in the summer, which is a start. However, once training has stopped, all those gains they made in the off-season wither away within a month.

Continuing to strength train during the ECNL season is paramount for the health of the girl soccer player. Strength training makes muscles durable enough to change direction, jump, and perform cutting movements. It also speeds up recovery because strong muscles don’t fatigue and get sore as much as weak ones.

If You’re Too Busy, Do This

One of the most common complaints I get about in-season strength training is that it takes up too much time and can be overwhelming for ECNL girls’ soccer players.

I get that it’s scary to add something extra to the 3-4 practices a week, homework, and other extracurriculars.

The good news is there are plenty of solutions for the busy ECNL girl soccer player to maintain her strength in season and continue to become the best athlete she can be.

For starters, in-season workouts can be short! A girl doesn’t need to kill herself in the gym and trudge through an extensive workout. In-season workouts must be about efficiency and hitting the most important lifts for the major muscle groups.

Most of my ECNL girls work out for no longer than 30 minutes in a strength session, and this includes the warm-up! They feel energized and amazing as a result.

 

Make Time

The truth is, any teenage girl can find 30 minutes to strength train in season. This is when we must teach the importance of priorities and managing schedules. What in the schedule can go? Can you cut back on social media usage? Or what can you be more disciplined with? Can you get homework done during lunch or during a free class period? Can you show up to practice 15 minutes early to get your speed work in as a warm-up?

The best athletes are disciplined in their routines and don’t get caught up in distractions. They’re diligent with their time, in fact, protective of it.

If staying healthy and well-recovered is important to a girl, she will make time for in-season strength.

 

The Four Lift Trick

To make workouts quick and beneficial, I like to use a Four-Lift Trick, which means we attack the four most important exercises for the day.

An example would be hitting muscle groups that need love for improved knee stability, body composition, explosiveness, speed, and change of direction:

1. Hex Bar Deadlift
2. Chin Up
3. Split Squat
4. Dumbbell Floor Press

And as the season progresses, we switch to more explosive movements like medicine slams, medicine ball throws and kettlebell swings as we change from our strength to power phase.

We don’t need to go wild with a ton of exercises and sets and reps – just the minimal effective dose to drive a strength and speed adaptation and incremental improvement over time. In season training is similar to putting coins into a piggy bank – it compounds over time into big changes.

Too, this ensures girls are never sore for practices and games.

 

Frequency

So how many times a week should an ECNL girl do strength training during the season? It depends.

Some girls can fit in 1x a week only because they practice 4x a week.

Other girls can do 2-3x a week because they practice 3x a week.

I’d argue whatever a girl can be most consistent with, without feeling overwhelmed, is best, so it can range from 1-3x a week. Girls, however, need to understand expected results from each training frequency.

Here is an info graphic I give my athletes on what each frequency accomplishes:

So yes, it’s okay to train 1x a week. I’ve changed my mind on this. But girls must understand this is more of a maintaining strength plan. Expectations must be clear.

Any athlete can continue to improve in season on strength and speed, but the frequency will determine how fast that happens.

 

In Season No-No’s

Here are some no-no’s in season that make girls worse:

1. Not having ANY off days —> If girls have off practice, I don’t recommend putting strength on these days. I’d rather the day be fully OFF. Instead, lift on practice days! It’s okay to do so. Let work days be work days, let recovery days be recovery days. We have to remember recovery is king for even getting strength gains. This is when muscles repair and rebuild.
2. Doing a lower body strength day 1-2 days before a game—> The last lower lift I give usually occurs mid-week on Wednesdays, far enough out from weekend games so girls are fresh for games. However, this can be on a case-by-case basis, and some girls are fine with two days out. It’s best to see how they respond.
3. Fearing speed training —> Girls can speed train in season. I program speed days on practice days and my girls show up 15 min early to practice to get there few max effort sprints in. This helps improve speed during the season! Usually, this occurs on a Tuesday or Wednesday before practice, but it can look different for each girl and her schedule.

 

Remote Training

The best part about the world we live in today is remote training is becoming increasingly popular and normal. 

For busy ECNL soccer girls, this can be an amazing option because they can do their workouts at home without making a long drive to a facility. I’ve had plenty of ECNL girls embrace remote workouts because it saves them time. It also saves parents an extra commute, which has been the biggest game changer and relief.

In season strength training must continue. Don’t wither away. Don’t fall off. Be disciplined now and you’ll set yourself up for good habits when you’re older and a busy, working woman.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erica Suter is a former college All-American soccer player from Johns Hopkins University. She also was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in April of 2024 for being an impact player who forever changed the women’s soccer program.

Suter is giving back to the game and to female soccer players. She is a full-time performance coach with a Master of Science in Performance Enhancement. She helps girls with speed, agility, strength, and conditioning development and has been training girls for over 12 years in the ECNL, GA, and NPL.

Her players have gone on to play college soccer at UNC, University of MD, Pittsburgh, Towson University, University of Charleston, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Rutgers, and more.

Check out her podcast: The Soccer Queens Podcast

WORK WITH ERICA:

Book a remote training consult HERE

Speaking Engagements with Erica for Your Female Athlete Teams (in person or zoom)

To book, email me at: fitsoccerqueen@gmail.com

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