Empowered Athletes

An Informative On Soccer (by Mike Herold)

Below is a speech my brother wrote while in school for his Master's degree in physics at Auburn University… [more]

Why You Should Play Small Sided Soccer

The past few weekends I had the priveladge of playing and speaking to participants in a small sided soccer… [more]

Brazilian Testosterone and Hips

Here are two research reviews I did both related to soccer performance. Why invent when… [more]

Soccer Videos: Ajax Speed Training, Ronaldo Skills , and Poliquin on Gluten

Soccer Videos and one that is related to performance and health with Charles Poliquin that are worth… [more]

Booze, Plyos, Hamstrings, and More

Many soccer athletes strive for greatness, but few reach their goals let alone the pinnacle of their… [more]

Does Overtraining Exist For The Soccer Player?

May 24, 2013 By Mat Herold Leave a Comment

Warning: The following videos contain strong profanity. Above and below you will find a few videos that feature a man named CT Fletcher. I discovered him a month ago or so and I have taken quite a liking to him. Why? Because he is tough as nails, works his ass off, and pulls no [...]

My Top 5 Exercises In The Weight Room For Speed (re-posted from SpeedEndurance.com)

May 22, 2013 By Mat Herold Leave a Comment

(This is an article I wrote for www.speedendurance.com, a great site on track and field and training in general.) This article is guest blogged by Mat Herold, a former D-1 soccer player and certified strength and conditioning coach with a Masters of Science degree in Exercise Physiology. Visit his website at www.empoweredathletes.com Mat also wrote [...]

My Own Training

April 10, 2013 By Mat Herold

Currently, I am only playing soccer occasionally. By occasionally, I mean around 1x every couple of weeks, and that is just because I cannot help stopping myself from participating in the sport I love so much. You see, for the last year and a half I have been focusing my training efforts on achieving a [...]

Zen And the Art of Playing Soccer

April 8, 2013 By Mat Herold

Soccer and athletics are zazen, they're meditation – moving meditation. As you are running down that field, making a pass, dribbling past a defender, there are moments of timelessness and ecstasy and challenge and emptiness. There is a secret dimension in soccer and sports. The philosopher Michael Novak wrote that, "This is one of the [...]

Using Stairs- Eccentric Strength For Soccer

March 23, 2013 By Mat Herold

Rocky felt like a champ when he got to the top of his stairs and you will too. Below I demonstrate a few exercises using stairs that will help you develop leg strength and power for soccer. If training for explosiveness, do not attempt to go up too many stairs per set and make sure [...]

Bieber To Bale: Training, Testosterone, and Domination

March 9, 2013 By Mat Herold

There is so much going on in the world of strength and conditioning, I thought I would share some stuff that will without a doubt benefit your soccer performance. It has nothing to do with playing more FIFA… although I have heard a lot of people tell me lately it helps their actual soccer. It [...]

Your Questions, My Answers

January 31, 2013 By Mat Herold

1. Mat, what are your thoughts on weighted sleds? I am interested in purchasing one but I am not sure about their effectiveness. Thanks a lot for writing. If money and space are not issues, definitely get the sled, I love them! I am a big fan of Joe Defranco (from New Jersey) because he is [...]

7 Genius Things I’ve Said Because I’m A Genius

January 11, 2013 By Mat Herold

I don't actually consider myself a genius, I am just incredibly smart….I kid. I don't consider myself smart at all actually, but I am extremely obsessive about developing athleticism for soccer so I feel if I was able to boast about any smidgen of intelligence I do have, it would have to be on the [...]

Soccer Greatness Versus Soccer Goodness

November 29, 2012 By Mat Herold

Soccer Greatness versus Soccer Goodness Over the years, it has become quite clear to me that good soccer players have a different level of tolerance than others. -A tolerance to pressure situations -A tolerance to fatigue -A tolerance to pain -A tolerance to criticism -A tolerance to make a mistake and move on [...]

Sprained Ankle Playing Soccer?

November 27, 2012 By Mat Herold

If you sprained your ankle playing soccer or are looking to prevent sprains, below are some fantastic simple exercises that will not only help prevent injury but also make you a far better athlete. Barefoot Anything Going barefoot wakes up all of the muscles of the feet and also eliminates an elevated heel allowing [...]

Interview with Vancouver Whitecaps Fitness/Strength Coach, Mike Young

November 19, 2012 By Mat Herold

It is a huge honor to have Coach and Dr. Young for an interview. Mike Young, Phd in Biomechanics, has vast experience helping athletes of all walks of life get measureable results in speed, power output, strength, and overall performance on the soccer field and on the track. His bio speaks for itself, but a few notables include being on 6 [...]

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