The 6 Move Workout America’s Top Soccer Scorer Landon Donovan Uses to Stay Strong at 44

For Landon Donovan, the path to becoming US Soccer’s greatest-ever goal scorer was paved with sweat—and an obsession with putting in more sweat. In his recently released memoir, "Landon", Donovan describes how his training fixation started before he’d learned to read and write, working tirelessly on skills with his half-brother at the age of four and five, and becoming even more intense as he aged into his teen and professional years. 

“Even among other soccer players, I had a one-track mind about it,” he writes. “I was maniacal about my methods.”

Donovan’s book also delves into other aspects of his mind, specifically his mental health. The six-time MLS champion outlines not just his rise through the ranks of American soccer, but his struggles with depression and the internal struggle it required to forgive his absentee father and restart their relationship later in life.

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How Landon Donovan Trains for Mental Clarity

Physical activity has always been Donovan’s anchor, but in the absence of a pro-career framework, the 44-year-old has found that a daily sweat is no longer about the scoreboard—it's the essential maintenance required to keep his demons at bay.

“It’s crucial for me. If I’m in a bad place, my wife will go, ‘you need to work out, don’t you?' he said in an interview with Men’s Journal. “For people with depression or who are susceptible to depression, getting your heart rate above 160 or 170 for a few minutes per day changes everything.”

The way he gets to that heart rate threshold has changed, though. In his 40s, Donovan has put a new focus on strength training, working on maintaining his muscle mass and strength while keeping his heart pumping.

By pairing the below resistance training moves with bursts of high-intensity cardio work, Donovan says he can maintain his strength while maintaining the endurance he needs to compete in his post-retirement array of rec sports—hockey, pickleball, and more—and to stay on top of his responsibilities as a father, coach, and TV analyst.

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Landon Donovan’s High-Intensity Strength Circuit

First, warm up. Donovan likes to start with a walk with his dog, then 3 to 5 minutes of quick pedaling on a stationary bike to get his blood pumping.

Next, he does three sets of each exercise, going until he’s about two reps from failure in each set (for the wall sit, time yourself the first time, and try to match or beat that time in future reps). In between sets, he “rests” for one minute on the stationary bike. Don’t have a bike handy? Do a fast march in place for one minute instead.

How to Do Dumbbell Bench Press

1. Lie face-up on a bench with your feet flat and core braced.
2. Holding dumbbells at shoulder-width, lower the weights to chest level with your elbows tucked at a 45-degree angle.
3. Press the weights back up while keeping your shoulders pinned down to ensure your chest, not your shoulders, does the work.
4. Perform 3 sets, alternating with a one-minute stationary bike ride between each.

How to Do Dumbbell Bentover Rows

1. Hold dumbbells with an overhand grip, push your hips back, and hinge forward until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
2. Maintaining a flat back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the weights toward the sides of your chest.
3. Lower the weights and repeat.
4. Do 3 sets, with a one-minute stationary bike ride between sets.

How to Do Dumbbell Curls

1. Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, palms in.
2. Squeeze your glutes, pull your shoulders back, and flex your triceps. This will keep you from thrusting with your hips.
3. Now, maintaining an upright torso, bend your elbows to lift your hands up to your shoulders, your palms facing the cap of your shoulder. Squeeze your bicep at the top.
4. Lower your arms and repeat.
5. Do 3 sets, with a one-minute stationary bike ride between sets.

How to Do Wall Sits

1. Stand with your back against a wall. Walk your feet out slightly from the wall. 
2. Slide your back down the wall until your knees are bent around 90 degrees. In this position, your lower back, upper back, and head should all be in contact with the wall. Your feet should be directly below your knees, so your knees form 90-degree angles.
3. Brace your torso and maintain this position for the prescribed duration of the hold. You can rest your hands on your legs, cross your arms, or let them hang at your sides.
4. Do 3 sets, with a one-minute stationary bike ride between sets.

How to Do Y-T-W Shoulder Raises

1. Lie facedown on a floor or mat with your arms and legs straight so you’re fully stretched out.
2. Make fists and put your thumbs up towards the ceiling, with your arms and torso forming a “Y” shape.
3. Keeping your arms straight, raise just your arms and shoulders so your thumbs go closer to the ceiling. This is the letter “Y” raised. Bring your hands back down to the floor.
4. Now move your thumbs and arms out to your sides so your body forms a “T.” Raise your thumbs up again. This is the “T” raise. Bring your hands back down to the floor.
5. Now bend your arms and pull your elbows down and towards your sides, so your arms form a “W” shape. In this position, squeeze your shoulder blades together to open your chest and lift your elbows off the ground.
6. Repeat this sequence for all your reps: Y raise, T raise, W raise.
7. Do 3 sets, with a one-minute stationary bike ride between sets.

How to Do Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

1. Stand with the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing your thighs, your feet around shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. 
2. Keeping a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back like you’re opening a door behind you with your butt. This starts the hip hinge. Keep pushing your hips back so your chest continues going towards the floor while you maintain a flat back. Let your arms hang like noodles so that the weights go towards your feet.
3. Maintaining this flat back position, thrust your hips forward to stand back up.
4. Initiate the hip hinge again to lower the weight to the floor while maintaining a flat back. Repeat.
5. Do 3 sets, with a one-minute stationary bike ride between sets

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