Soccer Strength & Conditioning in Raleigh, NC
Your club teaches the game. We build the athlete: faster, stronger, more durable, and ready for the last minute of the last match.
Forged strong. Anchored in faith.
Ephesians 6:11 — Put on the full armor of God
Why soccer needs its own training
Soccer asks a lot of the body at once. Players sprint repeatedly, change direction under pressure, jump to contest balls, absorb contact, and still have to perform late in the game. General fitness doesn’t prepare a player for that mix. Training built around the demands of soccer does.
How it Works
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Ready for anything.
Every session starts by preparing the whole athlete. We activate the key muscles, take the joints, tendons, and ligaments through full range of motion, and run through the functional movement patterns soccer demands. Along the way we raise core body temperature and wake up the nervous system, so players move fast, react sharply, and are ready for whatever the session or the match throws at them.
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Training with a purpose.
Every session targets a specific energy system, specific physical skills, and specific movement patterns, all chosen for direct carryover to the pitch. Some days that means power and strength, others speed and agility, others stamina and endurance. Nothing is random. Players always know what they’re building and why it matters on game day.
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Recover well. Stay in the game.
Our cool down is part of the training, not an afterthought. Athletes work through static stretching, mobility, active recovery, and self-myofascial release (foam rolling and similar tools), and we spend extra time on any areas that need attention. The goal is to help players recover faster, reduce injury risk, and show up ready for the next session.
Train With Us
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Periodized physical training programming
Technical testing and development tracking through Skill Challenges
Growth-area guidance based on your test results
Weekly content for your specific track
Nutritional guidance
Guidance on peaking for matches and managing a competitive season
Injury prevention and recovery protocols
Recruiting, collegiate, and professional pathway guidance
Direct access to ask questions and get feedback
A faith-centered approach to development, on and off the field
Lifelong tools that carry a player from youth through adulthood — in soccer, in , in coaching, and in general health
Weekly training, delivered by email — your physical training (GPP (General Physical Preparedness)-based conditioning and strength work), a soccer skill test, and recommended competitive play for the week (ArmorBall 1v1, or 2v2/3v3 small-sided play)
Weekly technical challenges — compete against friends or yourself while getting purposeful touches.
Your track's WhatsApp group — questions, encouragement, and tips, alongside players on the same path as you
Ongoing Full Armor Blueprint content — training, nutrition, tactical understanding, mental toughness, and faith-centered development, delivered as part of your weekly emails
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4:30pm
6:30pm
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Every player who joins Full Armor Soccer — in any format — receives the full Full Armor Blueprint: a complete plan covering nutrition, sleep, physical training, technical development, tactical intelligence, mental toughness, and spiritual growth, built into your training from day one.
Try it first, on us:
Your first class is free.
No pressure, no commitment — just come see what Full Armor Soccer is about.
Physical Qualities
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Long-duration aerobic work. Builds the engine that sustains performance across a full match and a full season.
Lactate Threshold: Long challenging efforts over 11 minutes
Example: 20 minute row for max meters
Aerobic Threshold: Long moderate efforts over 11 minutes
Example: 20 minute row at a moderate pace
Strength Endurance: Build structural durability over time — the ability to maintain proper mechanics and resist fatigue
20 minute AMRAP: 10 pull ups/20 DB walking lunges
Power Endurance: Sustain explosive capacity across a full session
Example: 18 minutes: 12 med ball slams/12 broad jumps
Agility Endurance: Keep movement mechanics sharp over long durations
Example: 15 minute agility ladder (in-in-out-out), rest :30 every 10 efforts
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High-intensity interval work. Builds the ability to repeat hard efforts and recover between them — the primary energy demand of soccer.
Glycolysis: Intervals and hard short efforts 15 seconds-2 minutes
Example: 4×200m/Rest 8:1
V02 max: Intervals and hard short efforts 2 minutes-11 minutes
Example: 3×800m run/2 minute rest
Strength Stamina: Build the ability to produce high structural force repeatedly without full recovery
5 rounds 10 thrusters/90 second rest
Power Stamina: Reproduce explosive efforts without full recovery
Example: 4 rounds :30 box jumps/:30 off
Agility Stamina: Maintain movement quality and joint control through accumulated fatigue
Example: 5 minute continuous T-Test
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Structural and functional load-bearing. The foundation of power, durability, and injury resistance.
1–5 reps: Max strength (heavy load, neural focus, some myofibrillar growth)
Example: 3×3 rep back squat/5 minute rest
5–8 reps: Strength + myofibrillar hypertrophy
Example: 2×8 deadlift/3 minute rest
8–12 reps: Hypertrophy (mix of myofibrillar + sarcoplasmic)
Example: 10 rep max bench press
12–20+ reps: Hypertrophy with more metabolic stress (often labeled “sarcoplasmic”)
Example: 2×15 push press/3 minute rest
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Explosive output. The ability to produce maximum force in minimum time — sprinting, jumping, striking.
Short explosive efforts where maximum force can be applied to a quick movement
Example: 6×3 med ball slam/rest as needed
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Maximal velocity over short distances. Efforts under 15 seconds. Pure sprint quality.
Efforts under :15 that can be completed by repeating a movement pattern as fast as possible
Example: 3x:10 bike sprint/3 minute rest
Speed Strength: Short efforts that can be completed by repeating a strength movement pattern as fast as possible
10×2 back squat/:60 rest
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Rapid directional change and movement quality. The ability to accelerate, decelerate, and redirect efficiently.
Short duration efforts that require quick deceleration to acceleration.
Example: 5×5yd shuffle down and back to 5yd backpedal
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Training that intentionally combines two or more physical domains inside a single piece of work — strength, power, stamina, endurance, agility, or speed — to build the capacity to perform across multiple demands without full recovery between them.
What it is
A mixed modal session is not a test of one physical quality. It is a deliberate combination of two or more domains sequenced inside a single continuous effort. Where a pure strength session isolates load and rest, and a pure stamina session isolates intervals, mixed modal work removes that isolation — demanding that the body produce different types of force and energy output back to back, round after round.
This reflects how soccer is actually played. A match does not ask a player to sprint, then rest fully, then jump, then rest fully, then hold off a challenge. It asks all of those things in rapid, unpredictable sequence. Mixed modal training builds the physical and neurological capacity to meet that demand.
Example: 3 rounds for time of 10 presses/200m row/30 box jumps
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The ability of your muscles and joints to move through a full range of motion. It helps improve movement efficiency, reduce injury risk, and perform actions like sprinting, turning, and kicking more effectively.
Every session closes with mobility work while the body is still warm. The session ends right so the body recovers right. This is non-negotiable regardless of session type.
Methods: 1-3 minute standing straddle, deep lunge active reaches, foam roll quads
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Skill work such as juggling, dribbling, shooting, etc., promotes the ability for the brain to develop the appropriate neural pathways to have technical proficiency
Meet the Creator
Soccer Performance at CrossFit Full Armor is powered by Full Armor Soccer.
Full Armor Soccer was born out of my own story — the mistakes I made, the lessons I learned too late, and a desire to give players something I never had.
I didn't come to faith until 2015, at 29 years old. My playing career was already behind me. Looking back, I can see clearly how much that absence shaped everything.
I grew up with one vision: play professionally for a top club and represent the United States in a World Cup. And for a moment, it looked like it might actually happen. By 14 I was the starting center back for the top club team in the country — one of a handful of defenders being tracked by regional and national team scouts. The path was there.
But I made a decision that changed everything. I watched forwards score goals, receive glory, and command attention — and I wanted that. So I walked away from a position I was genuinely elite at and chased something I wasn't built for. Not because I lacked ability, but because my identity was wrapped up in the wrong thing. I wanted to be seen.
I worked hard enough to earn looks from top Collegiate Division I programs. Coaches always found their way back to putting me at center back. Teams won. But I was selfish — I resisted the role consistently, moved into attacking positions, and performed adequately when I could have been exceptional somewhere else.
After college I played in the USL, attended a combine in Florida, and caught the attention of a coach from Real Salt Lake who invited me to training camp. From there a group traveled to Turkey for pre-season camp alongside some of Europe's top clubs. I was asked to play in a defensive role. I stayed briefly — and then simply stopped.
I remember walking along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea thinking I want nothing to do with soccer anymore.
I had trained without a single day off since I was six years old. I was 24. I was emotionally hollow — worn down by difficult teammates, demanding coaches, multiple concussions I hadn't properly recovered from, and a spiritual battle I didn't yet have the tools to fight. I believe God was pulling me out of the game for that season of my life. I just didn't know it yet.
What I thought was failure, I now understand was preparation.
I spent the next fifteen years in fitness, strength and conditioning, and soccer coaching — working at high level clubs and colleges, developing players, and slowly falling back in love with a game I had once wanted nothing to do with. I've only recently started to enjoy soccer the way it was meant to be enjoyed — freely, without my identity riding on it.
That's what Full Armor Soccer is for.
I want to build an environment where players don't make the choices I made. Where soccer is a gift held loosely, not an identity gripped tightly. Where players are developed completely — physically, technically, tactically, mentally and spiritually — and sent out not just as great players but as people grounded in God, ready to honor Him and carry the gospel wherever the game takes them.
Instead of becoming the world class center back I may have been, God used every wrong turn to shape me into something more useful — a coach who understands the pitfalls from the inside, and who genuinely wants something better for the players in his care.
Coaching Experience: Strength and conditioning coach/soccer coach at Princeton University and Campbell University. Additional coaching experience at NCFC, Cleveland Select, Core Results, TKO Boxing, Capital Strength and Conditioning, Anytime Fitness, CrossFit Zeal, CrossFit Shoofly, GRACE Christian School, Triangle United, University Swim Club, Sport HQ (former owner), Full Armor Soccer (owner).
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2) – CrossFit
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) – NSCA
Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) – NSCA
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) – (Issuing Organizations, NASM, AFPA)
Precision Nutrition Level 1 (PN-L1) – Precision Nutrition
USSF Coaching License – United States Soccer Federation
B.A. in Health Communications: Emphasis on Exercise Science, Psychology & Sociology – University at Buffalo
About Full Armor Soccer
"Work hard. Honor God. Let the game be played with joy that lasts."
The mission of Full Armor Soccer
We pray before we play. Not to win even though we always try to — but to remember why we're here, who gave us these bodies, and what it means to compete with integrity. The standings are real. The effort is full. The perspective is anchored in something greater than the scoreline.
Work Hard We train in any condition — rain, cold, heat, snow. We play on any surface — grass, turf, dirt, street, pavement. We do not wait for perfect circumstances to put in the work. Fitness and technical skill are not given. They are built through time, repetition, and the willingness to show up when it would be easier not to. We play hard because that is how we honor the ability we have been given.
Honor God Contrary to much of the soccer world, we do not dive. We do not complain to officials. We do not retaliate when opponents are harsh. We are respectful whether we win or lose, whether the other team reciprocates or not.
We are not soft. We compete physically, we challenge for every ball, we press hard, and we play to win. There is nothing honorable about backing down from a contest or shrinking from competition. The difference is intent — we play hard against our opponents, never at them. We do not go in to hurt. We go in to win. That line is clear and we hold it.
We do not need to repay anyone for anything — God sees all and He is our foundation. We carry on. We give our best. We try to win the right way, every time, because how we play is a reflection of who we serve. The scoreboard is temporary. Character is not.
Enjoy the Game While we work at a high level, we play with genuine joy. Soccer is a gift and we treat it that way. We compete with energy, we express our individual gifts freely, and we build each other up rather than tear each other down. We celebrate our teammates. We embrace the grind because we love the game it produces. The best teams are not just physically sharp — they are connected, and connection starts with enjoying what you do together.
Full Armor Soccer exists for players who want to compete hard and go home at peace — because their identity isn't on the scoreboard.
Testimonials
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Daniel Gwyther - Watford
"I have been fortunate to play with some great players during my career but quite frankly EJ is one of the most disciplined athletes I have ever met. Always at the forefront of fitness whether on the field or in the weight room, EJ was constantly looking for ways to improve be it through nutrition, physiology or psychology. Anyone looking to enhance their athletic prowess through an elite training program should contact EJ as his passion and knowledge will elevate your performance."
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Martin John - Cardiff City
"EJ's meticulousness and understanding of both nutrition and physical conditioning with regards to optimal football performance has been unrivaled during my time as a footballer.
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Zack Compton - UNC Asheville
"Eric Johnson's soccer training with our son has changed Zack's life for the better! Zack's overall soccer fitness and skill level has been taken to the next level and then some. When Zack was certain that he wanted to pursue playing college soccer, we contacted Eric to discuss a plan for increasing Zack's soccer fitness level to be competitive at the collegiate level. With Eric's professional guidance, Zack's speed on the field and improvement in his footwork has enabled Zack, a center forward, to get around tough defenders and consistently score goals for his team. Zack's dream of playing collegiate soccer has been realized due to consistent and ongoing personal training with Eric. Eric's positive outlook, focus and commitment to excellence in all aspects of his training truly sets Eric Johnson apart from other trainers. I can highly recommend Eric Johnson to successfully train and mentor any soccer player at any skill level and age to improve his/her game!"
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Greg Shepka - Western Michigan
"I had the distinct please to play both with and against Eric in club/ODP and college. As a teammate nobody worked harder and cared more. He worked effortlessly to continue to grow as a player and always help others accountable. As an opponent both his skill and work ethic made him extremely hard to go against. I fully endorse Eric both as a person and coach, as you won't find anybody who holds the passion for the game the way Eric does."
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Kyle Mckinney - Penn State
"Eric has always been dedicated to training and becoming as physically and mentally fit as possible. His focus and discipline in both areas has made him a great mentor. A great teacher must also follow his own regime, and he does that."
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Lee Catchpole - Norwich and England
"I can attest that EJ is one of the most driven, knowledgeable, young soccer minds in the game. He remains dedicated to implementing the best strategies and research-based methods for improving fitness and overall performance. EJ is committed to excellence and I have no doubt that you will be thoroughly satisfied with his service."
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Yahaya Musa - Wilmington Hammerheads
"One thing I remember about EJ is his intensity with everything he does. Whether it was in training or games he had an intensity that was contagious."
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Ernest Alvaro - Tahuichi Academy
"EJ possessed the unique understanding of the game that he can readily pass on to aspiring players. He was not only one of the most technically talented players on the field, but also one of the fittest and smartest. I trained with EJ on several occasions while at Buffalo and his ability to quickly analyze and provide insight was always extremely beneficial to my development. I am confident that his expertise will be crucial to young players who want to reach their goals of college or professional soccer."
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Daniel Stevens - PS Kemi Kings
"EJ is a former teammate at the division 1 level of college soccer. His physical conditioning and training standards where always admirable and at the highest level. If there is anyone I would trust to provide a high quality training program it would be EJ!"
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Tony Labudovski - Pittsburgh Riverhounds
"Eric Johnson shows true class as a player and as a coach. He plays with great passion and is very technical with the ball. It was an honor playing with Eric."
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Andy Straight - Cleveland Select
"EJ's knowledge and passion for the game brought out the best in myself and the players around me. He was well respected amongst the team and we benefited greatly from his teachings and tactics that were provided to us in training sessions. There were even occasions when we would call EJ on non-training days and he would come up to the field to help us out on his own time. Examples like this go to show the type of character and leader EJ is. Since graduating from West Geauga I have found myself using EJ's teachings both on and off the field and can say that I would have never been the player or man I am today without him."
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Andres DeLeon - University at Buffalo
"EJ as a former colleague of mine I can safely say is a gentlemen and a scholar. The beautiful game is something he adores and possesses a perpetual eagerness to master it. Whether on or off the pitch he will give his students 110% of his effort"
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Alex Andrews - Arsenal
"EJ is a top class professional in every sense, both on and off the field and holds himself and others around him to a very high standard. His knowledge of holistic training and nutrition together with his drive, dedication and ability to conduct himself professionally is exceptional. As a coach and mentor to performance athletes EJ is no doubt one of the most exciting and innovative coaches out there."
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Joe Whiteley - College of Charleston
"If I could Characterize training with Eric, first I would have to point out his focus and persistence. He sets the bar and pushes his expectations of himself and his team to accomplish his/the team's goals. You know you are going to work hard and enjoy it when you are in a training session."
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Jordan Brouk - University at Buffalo
"I have never played with anyone as dedicated to soccer as EJ. From training effectively to proper nutrition, his holistic approach and dedication to the game is of the highest grade."
Faith First
Full Armor Soccer takes its name and identity from Ephesians 6 — the call to put on the full armor of God. That imagery is not decorative. It shapes how this community approaches training, competition, and each other.
The standings are real. The effort is full. The competition is genuine. But the perspective is anchored in something greater than the scoreboard. Players are expected to compete with everything they have — and to remain people of integrity when the final whistle blows.
This is a community for players who want to honor God through their effort, enjoy the game with lasting joy, and build something in themselves that lasts beyond any season.
