Professional soccer player Sebastian Lletget’s career with the Los Angeles Galaxy started off on the, ahem, right foot. In 2015, his first season with the Galaxy, Lletget scored five goals in his first seven Major League Soccer starts.Unfortunately, his stint with the U.S. men’s national team didn’t begin as well. Minutes after banging home his first goal for Team USA in March, Lletget limped off with a foot injury that required surgery, and will likely sideline him for another month or so.Still, you can bet the 24-year-old Bay Area native will be back later this MLS season—and finding the back of the net on the regular. Here’s how to get a body like his.
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Charlie Crowhurst / Stringer / Getty
Strength & Power
“MLS is a physical league, so when I joined the Galaxy, I wanted to get bigger and stronger, and not get knocked off the ball,” says Lletget. “I train in the gym after practice two to four times per week. I focus on having a strong core and lower body more than anything. I’ll do a lot of planks, crunches, deadlifts, and whatever else my strength coach has for me that day.”
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Victor Decolongon / Getty
Singular Focus
“Soccer players spend 95% of the time on one leg, which makes their single-leg stability and strength our No.1 priority,” says Galaxy strength and conditioning coach Dan Jones, C.S.C.S. “One of the best exercises for soccer players is the Bulgarian split squat with a goblet hold—kettlebell or dumbbell. It promotes single-leg stability, anterior core stiffness, external rotation of the hip, and good posture.”
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Victor Decolongon / Getty
Abs Blast
“When I’m done with everything else, I love to head over to the pullup bar,” says Lletget. “I’ll do three sets of 15 reps of hanging leg raises and three sets of 15 reps of hanging knee raises. It’s great for the abs. Women love the six-pack. Although I’ve got a girlfriend now [Mexican-American pop star Becky G], so it’s a little bit different. But the same applies, haha.”
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Robert Mora
Killer Conditioning
“Sometimes we’ll do these really difficult fitness challenges,” says Lletget. “There’s the beep test. I’ve also done a farmer’s walk with a pair of kettlebells around the entire stadium. And occasionally we’ll do suicides on a soccer field: sprinting from the end line to the 18-yard box and back, half-field and back, the other 18-yard box and back, and full field and back. After one of those you’re finished. Literally finished.”
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Victor Decolongon / Getty
Fuel Up
“Here with the Galaxy, we focus on consuming high-quality proteins like eggs, grilled chicken, lean beef, and fish, such as salmon, tilapia, and cod,” says Galaxy Sports Performance Dietitian Kristen Andrews, R.D., C.S.C.S. “Keeping in mind how much ground the guys cover, I like to emphasize complex carbohydrates at every meal. Oatmeal, whole-grain toast, or whole-grain pancakes for breakfast; brown rice, quinoa, couscous, potatoes, and whole-grain pasta for lunch and dinner; and fruits and vegetables at every meal.”
Shake it up
“All of our players drink protein shakes after training sessions and games to maximize muscle protein synthesis and glycogen resynthesis,” says Andrews. “Players who are looking to put on muscle mass or rely heavily on the phosphagen energy system—due to their position—have creatine added to their shakes.”
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Robert Mora
Road to Recovery
“The injury to Sebastian was extremely unfortunate,” says Jones. “Post-surgery, the approach shifted to keeping him in decent cardiovas- cular shape and maintaining strength in every other way possible. Even when big injuries happen, you can still get so, so much work done in the gym to maintain your current fitness status and even utilize that time to target your weaknesses. You just have to be creative about it.”
Eat to heal
“Sebastian had to manipulate his diet after the injury,” says Andrews. “He’s consuming nutrients involved with bone health such as vitamin D and calcium, and nutrients involved in soft tissue repair such as vitamin C. He’s controlling inflammation with fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.”
Professional soccer player Sebastian Lletget’s career with the Los Angeles Galaxy started off on the, ahem, right foot. In 2015, his first season with the Galaxy, Lletget scored five goals in his first seven Major League Soccer starts.
Unfortunately, his stint with the U.S. men’s national team didn’t begin as well. Minutes after banging home his first goal for Team USA in March, Lletget limped off with a foot injury that required surgery, and will likely sideline him for another month or so.
Still, you can bet the 24-year-old Bay Area native will be back later this MLS season—and finding the back of the net on the regular. Here’s how to get a body like his.
Strength & Power
“MLS is a physical league, so when I joined the Galaxy, I wanted to get bigger and stronger, and not get knocked off the ball,” says Lletget. “I train in the gym after practice two to four times per week. I focus on having a strong core and lower body more than anything. I’ll do a lot of planks, crunches, deadlifts, and whatever else my strength coach has for me that day.”
Singular Focus
“Soccer players spend 95% of the time on one leg, which makes their single-leg stability and strength our No.1 priority,” says Galaxy strength and conditioning coach Dan Jones, C.S.C.S. “One of the best exercises for soccer players is the Bulgarian split squat with a goblet hold—kettlebell or dumbbell. It promotes single-leg stability, anterior core stiffness, external rotation of the hip, and good posture.”
Abs Blast
“When I’m done with everything else, I love to head over to the pullup bar,” says Lletget. “I’ll do three sets of 15 reps of hanging leg raises and three sets of 15 reps of hanging knee raises. It’s great for the abs. Women love the six-pack. Although I’ve got a girlfriend now [Mexican-American pop star Becky G], so it’s a little bit different. But the same applies, haha.”
Killer Conditioning
“Sometimes we’ll do these really difficult fitness challenges,” says Lletget. “There’s the beep test. I’ve also done a farmer’s walk with a pair of kettlebells around the entire stadium. And occasionally we’ll do suicides on a soccer field: sprinting from the end line to the 18-yard box and back, half-field and back, the other 18-yard box and back, and full field and back. After one of those you’re finished. Literally finished.”
Fuel Up
“Here with the Galaxy, we focus on consuming high-quality proteins like eggs, grilled chicken, lean beef, and fish, such as salmon, tilapia, and cod,” says Galaxy Sports Performance Dietitian Kristen Andrews, R.D., C.S.C.S. “Keeping in mind how much ground the guys cover, I like to emphasize complex carbohydrates at every meal. Oatmeal, whole-grain toast, or whole-grain pancakes for breakfast; brown rice, quinoa, couscous, potatoes, and whole-grain pasta for lunch and dinner; and fruits and vegetables at every meal.”
Shake it up
“All of our players drink protein shakes after training sessions and games to maximize muscle protein synthesis and glycogen resynthesis,” says Andrews. “Players who are looking to put on muscle mass or rely heavily on the phosphagen energy system—due to their position—have creatine added to their shakes.”
Road to Recovery
“The injury to Sebastian was extremely unfortunate,” says Jones. “Post-surgery, the approach shifted to keeping him in decent cardiovas- cular shape and maintaining strength in every other way possible. Even when big injuries happen, you can still get so, so much work done in the gym to maintain your current fitness status and even utilize that time to target your weaknesses. You just have to be creative about it.”
Eat to heal
“Sebastian had to manipulate his diet after the injury,” says Andrews. “He’s consuming nutrients involved with bone health such as vitamin D and calcium, and nutrients involved in soft tissue repair such as vitamin C. He’s controlling inflammation with fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.”
