Functional and machine training delivered similar U19 soccer skill gains
In short
In Norwegian U19 male soccer players, 8 weeks of 2 supervised 70-minute strength sessions weekly improved LSST shooting-test time versus control by 0.43 seconds with functional training and 0.50 seconds with machines. The machine group also gained 2.2 kg more body mass than control. A practical reading for gym-goers is to prioritize a sustained training dose over the style label, without treating this as proof of equal strength or muscle gains.
Machine work also carried over to a soccer skill test. A Norwegian U19 male-player trial in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that functional and machine-based training both improved Loughborough Soccer Shooting Test (LSST) time relative to control. The respective reductions were 0.43 and 0.50 seconds, with comparable improvements across the two training styles.
What separated functional training from machine training?
The trial randomly assigned 33 players to functional, traditional or control groups, with 11 in each. Functional sessions used unilateral free-weight exercises across multiple movement planes. Traditional sessions used bilateral machine exercises in a single plane. Both training groups received supervision for 2 sessions × 70 minutes per week over 8 weeks.
Should gym-goers focus on dose before style?
The useful coaching lesson is to secure a consistent dose before chasing a training label. This was not a comparison of different doses, so it cannot establish 2 weekly 70-minute sessions as optimal. All groups played soccer twice weekly during the first 4 weeks; control stopped organized training in the final 4 weeks. Continuing to train is therefore part of the context behind the advantage over control.
Was the machine group's extra 2.2 kg muscle?
The machine group increased body mass by 2.2 kg relative to control. That is a scale-weight finding, not a measurement establishing 2.2 kg of new muscle. Likewise, a faster soccer shooting test does not demonstrate a higher squat or bench press maximum.
What should a fairlift log capture when choosing a program?
Log session count and exercise selection in fairlift, then judge a program by records accumulated over weeks. The Muscle Index is based on squat, bench press and deadlift 1RMs; shooting-test times and machine loads cannot substitute for those lifts. Check your Big 3 records in the calculator, and use progress beyond adding weight to give the log more context.
Each group contained only 11 young male soccer players. The abstract does not report differences for sprinting, jumping, dynamic balance, change of direction or mobility, so it cannot establish superiority or equivalence for those outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
Did functional training improve soccer skill more than machines?
Functional and machine training produced comparable LSST time improvements in this U19 male soccer trial. Relative to control, time fell by 0.43 and 0.50 seconds respectively; the findings do not show functional training was superior.
Are 2 sessions × 70 minutes weekly optimal for everyone?
That was the dose used by both training groups for 8 weeks, not an established universal optimum. Different doses were not compared, and control stopped organized training in the final 4 weeks, making sustained training a more useful practical priority than a style label.
Did machine training add 2.2 kg of muscle?
The machine group gained 2.2 kg more body mass than control. Body mass alone cannot establish how much muscle was gained, and the finding does not guarantee the same change for gym-goers.
Were the effects on sprinting, jumping and balance also equal?
The abstract does not report differences for sprint speed, vertical jump, dynamic balance, change of direction or mobility. It therefore cannot establish equal effects or a superior style for those outcomes.
How should program choice relate to the Muscle Index?
Record session count and exercises in fairlift and compare progress over weeks. The Muscle Index uses squat, bench press and deadlift 1RMs, so a soccer shooting-test result or a machine load cannot replace those records.