How to Train like a USWNT Member
Carli Lloyd never takes a day off. Alex Morgan trains while seven months pregnant. Ali Krieger worked tirelessly even when her future on the USWNT was a giant question mark. The USWNT is the best in the world, and it’s what the team — and the players on their own — do while training that sets them apart from the rest of the world. If you’re looking to train like the USWNT, you can follow a daily routine comprised of the following elements:
- Eating a healthy diet throughout the day (really, every day)
- Working on the ball (passing drills, shooting drills, or footwork)
- Strength training
- Recovery
Diet
Let’s face it: eating healthy isn’t fun. No one would rather eat a plate of spinach than a slice of pizza, but if you want to play with the best, you have to eat like the best. For the USWNT, that includes a diet of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates. According to Dawn Scott, when the team is altogether they put out a buffet for the players at every meal. Staples of the USWNT diet include eggs; yogurt parfaits; smoothies incorporating veggies, fruits, coconut oil, and chia seeds; salmon; kale; and beetroot juice. To refuel at half time, try a handful of gummy bears, a banana, or a sports drink.
Diet is the part of training people often forget, but it’s also crucial to assure you’re playing at your absolute best.
Ball Skills
If you want to do the same drills USWNT players do, look no further than Beast Mode Soccer. Director David Copeland-Smith works with players like Alex Morgan, Allie Long, and Mallory Pugh on drills you could easily do at home either on your own or with a teammate or two.
The Beast Mode Soccer Instagram is full of videos of these drills and instructions for how to do them, but our favorite involves simply setting up four cones wherever you are and working on your footwork. It’s an easy, customizable drill you can do in your backyard or even inside the house if needed.
If working on your foot work or shooting isn’t what you’d like to focus on that day, you can instead take a ball and pass it against a wall or curb, like Carli Lloyd’s trainer James Galanis has her do. While the drill may seem simple, it’s a surefire way to fine-tune your first touch.
Strength Training
Former-USWNT fitness coach Dawn Scott shared a simple endurance routine that can be done just about anywhere. The following circuit should only take about 30 minutes.
- Run 1 mile
- 30 seconds of push-ups
- 30 seconds of 180 squat jumps
- 30 seconds of medicine ball slams
- 30 seconds of alternating lunge jumps
- 30-second plank
- 30 seconds of speed skaters
If that routine doesn’t sound like your speed, Julie Ertz is a fan of single-leg squats and lunges and tons of core work, including basic crunches, bicycles, toe-touches, and various planks. Or, you can go the Carli Lloyd route. Her trainer, James Galanis, has Lloyd do 1,000 sit-ups and 500 push-ups a day.
Recovery
After all that, it’s time to make sure your body recovers properly. Always stretch after a workout, and if you have the time, incorporate a quick yoga or pilates session into your training.
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