Blog
Free Resources
Advanced Strength Training Guide Advanced Game-Specific Conditioning Guide Advanced Injury-Prevention Techniques Guide Sync Your Training to Your Menstrual Cycle Performance Testing Protocol The FootyFit Speed System: Quick Start Guide The Footballer Readiness Score
Masterclasses
Advanced Strength Training Masterclass Advanced Game-Specific Conditioning Masterclass Advanced Injury-Prevention Techniques Masterclass
The FootyFit Manual
Strength & Conditioning 101 for Footballers
Join FootyFit Academy

Building Premiership Footballers with Loris Bertolacci

Loris Bertolacci is one of Australia's most respected high-performance coaches, with more than four decades of experience that includes working in elite Australian Rules football. Across his career he has helped develop premiership-winning teams at Essendon and Geelong, while also pioneering many of the strength and conditioning methods that are now commonplace throughout the AFL.

 

In this first episode of The FootyFit Podcast, host Jacob Andre sits down with Loris to discuss the evolution of AFL strength and conditioning, how successful football programs are built over time, and why player development should always take precedence over chasing short-term results.

 

They also explore Loris's experiences working in China, his views on modern sports science and technology, and what the future of high performance looks like.

 

In this episode you'll learn:

  • Loris's journey from becoming one of the AFL's first full-time fitness coaches.
  • How Essendon's famous 1993 premiership team was developed.
  • The philosophy behind Geelong's rise to the 2007 AFL Premiership.
  • Why power and speed development remain the foundation of elite football performance.
  • How to individualise strength and conditioning programs for footballers.
  • Why overcomplicating training can actually reduce performance.
  • The importance of patience when developing young AFL talent.
  • Loris' thoughts on Richmond's player development strategy.
  • How GPS, force plates and modern technology are changing high-performance sport.
  • Where AFL strength and conditioning is heading over the next decade.

 

Whether you're a footballer, coach, strength and conditioning professional, or simply passionate about high-performance sport, this episode is packed with practical insights from one of the most experienced practitioners in Australian football.

 

---

 

Connect with FootyFit

📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/footyfit_au

📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/footyfitau/

👥 Join the FREE FootyFit Fam Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/footyfitfam

🏆 Learn more about FootyFit Academy — our ultimate professionally-designed, high-performance training program designed for footballers to dominate on the field: https://www.footyfit.au/footyfit-academy

 

---

 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to The FootyFit Podcast, leave a review, and share it with a teammate or coach who wants to maximise their performance.