Develop pre-season fitness with Jermaine Jenas

After England's World Cup disappointment, there are many English players waiting in the wings to prove they deserve a place in Fabio Capello's next squad. Not least our Maximuscle Ambassador, Jermaine Jenas, a player whose proven midfield engine might have added some much needed energy to England's displays in South Africa. We met up with Jermaine during the World Cup and asked him to run us through his range of training drills which he uses to boost his pre season football fitness.

Jermaine Jenas guide to pre-season fitness - A day in the life:

8am Breakfast - Start the day right

It's key to get off to a good start, so the day begins with a bowl of wholegrain cereal with fruit, 1 scoop of Promax & Creatamax capsules. This starts the metabolism, aids muscle development and protein absorption, essential for optimal training.

9.30am Pre-training fuel-up - Power up before training

TO make sure we have sufficient energy to see the session through, we consume a Viper Active Sports Drink & Creatamax capsules. This will provide us with vital carbs and BCAA's that will act fast, and ensure we are ready from the start

10am Drill 1 - Interval training

The first drill Jermaine put us through was football-specific interval training, to condition our lungs and legs to perform bursts of high intensity running and process oxygen efficiently during lower intensity recovery periods. Jermaine explained that everything they do at Tottenham is supported by research with elite footballers. This involves regular sprints interspersed with steady jogs, and back in to sprints. We can vouch that this is easy at first, but by run five we were really feeling it, while Jermaine was smiling smugly!

Interval training fact file: Interval training has been shown to boost V02 Max, the distance covered by around 20%, increase the number of sprints per match and increase the amount of active time a player gets on the ball per match. It also helps you recover between sprints meaning you are ready for the next sprint.

How to do Interval Training

• Jog slowly for 30 seconds with a ball
• Increase your speed to around 90% all-out effort for 30 seconds
• Repeat 10 times (start with 5 intervals and build up to 10 if your fitness is low)

Post-drill: We consumed another Viper-active drink, Creatamax capsules, and did some extra stretching to prevent muscle tightening. This was also to prepare us for the next drill.

11am Drill 2 - Lactate sprint training

Drill 2 was lactate sprint training. This is possibly one of the worst things ever, and as Jermaine Jenas put it, "probably the most hated pre-season torture and the one the players really dread, but simply have to do for match fitness". Despite the pain, Jermaine assured us that the rewards of sprint training are awesome, giving players the football-specific conditioning that allows them to sprint down the flanks again and again during the full 90 minutes of the match. The ability to combat high lactic acid levels also enables you to feel fresher and maintain skill during the heat of a game.

How to do Lactate Sprint Training

• Sprint all out for 10 seconds (go hard - really hard!)
• Walk and stretch for 2 minutes (suck-up the oxygen!)
• Repeat for 5-10 sprints

We can confirm that it's tough, it's brutal, but the rewards will turn you into a better footballer, whether it's 5-a-side or pro football.

Post-drill it's time for much needed energy recovery and muscle repair nutrition: We consume a Recovermax and Maxi-Milk to help put the vital nutrients back in to the body and begin muscle repair.

Lunch:

Time to power up the carbs, protein and energy levels with chicken pasta bake and salad, coupled with a 30 minute power-nap (a secret of the pro's). This restores vital glucose stores in the muscles needed for the next drill, and allows the muscles to begin recovering with the help of earlier protein absorption.

2pm Drill 3 - Football strength and power

After recovery shakes, lunch and a quick power-nap, we headed off to the gym with Jermaine for the final drill, one he calls strength and power development. Jermaine says that weight training has become a key to better performance and injury prevention for many of today's professionals, but stresses the importance of developing 'high performance muscle mass'. In other words, an extra 5-10lbs of muscle can be a big advantage to a footballer, but you need to make sure it's not just there to 'look pretty'. Jermaine emphasised the need for us to lift explosively and work with loads we could only lift for 3-5 reps per set to develop "high-power muscle that increases your weight:power level".

How to boost strength and power

• Front squats 3-5 reps x 5 sets (rest 2 minutes between sets)
• Power cleans 3-5 x 5
• Bench press 3-5 x 5

Post workout we opt for a Cyclone All In One protein shake to kick-start recovery and aid power development. This provides all of the essential ingredients including protein, creatine, Glutamax®, HMB and more to enable fast absorption and quick results for muscle repair and growth.

How often should we do this?

Jermaine Jenas suggests trying these weight training drills 1-2 times a week to build your football power, combined with 3-4 sprint and interval sessions, and soon you will have the premium fitness to excel.

Thanks to Jermaine for pushing us through the pain barrier, and good luck in the Champions League during season 2010/11.