Sprint Champ Targets Footballer Fitness

As Wayne Rooney heads to Portugal for a pre-World Cup preparation camp more professionals are following his lead and gearing themselves up for next season, by taking on a preseason preparation camp with 13 time Olympic and World Champion Michael Johnson.

The 400m record holder has set up his world renowned sports performance training organisation, Michael Johnson Performance, in partnership with Perform at St. George’s Park, the National Football Centre in Burton upon Trent.

MJP is known widely in the US as the destination for NFL athletes for off-season training and conditioning and recently launched its UK HQ at St George’s Park, in an attempt to bring its facilities and coaching expertise to football.

The UK Pre-Season programme will create bespoke training for athletes including a focus on speed, injury prevention, nutrition analysis and support, massage and physiotherapy, mental skills training and more.

Brock Christopher, performance director at Michael Johnson Performance, commented: ‘The take up for our first Pre Season Preparation camp has been outstanding.’

‘We have had tremendous success in the US with NFL stars training with us during the off season and we are delighted to bring this opportunity to the UK.’

‘Our programme will give individual players a head start going into the new season and there seems to have been a significant shift change in the mindset of the modern footballer.’

MJP, founded by the former World and Olympic champion Michael Johnson, operates training centres and trains athletes around the world, including some of the world’s most recognisable elite, professional, and Olympic athletes and teams.

Former athletes that have been through the MJP experience include, Detriot Lions Ndamukong Suh, Olympic gold medallist Jeremy Warriner and Baltimore Ravens Michael Oher.