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A Fact About How Soccer Makes You Stay in Shape

Sep 12, 2011 | By Rogue Parrish
A Fact About How Soccer Makes You Stay in Shape
Photo Credit Martin Rose/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

The physical evidence of how soccer makes you stay in shape is evident in the pleasing proportions -- neither plump nor ultra-skinny --of the vast majority of soccer players. Elite soccer players look even more toned and often find an excuse to lift up their jerseys to display four-packs abs, in the case of female standout Abby Wambach, or even six-packs. Sports scientists assemble facts on how soccer makes you stay in shape, even if you play at the recreational level.

Body-fat Percentage

Playing soccer links to a lower body-fat percentage, according to published scientific research. Body composition is an important component of fitness for soccer as extra fat “acts as a dead weight in activities where body mass must be lifted repeatedly against gravity,” writes pioneering sports scientist Thomas Reilly in “Science and Soccer.” Running and jumping for the ball burn calories and become easier as you become fit and carry less excess weight.

Research Findings

Soccer pro teams report average body-fat percentages of 9 to 16 percent, with higher body-fat values for goalkeepers than field players who run two to three times as much as goalies. The U.S. men’s national team is even leaner, averaging below 7 percent. And Spanish researchers at the Universidad de Zaragoza tested children aged 9 to 14 who played league soccer against non-players and found significantly lower body-fat percentages in the young soccer athletes.

Cardiovascular Fitness

You may not crack the barrier of 10 percent body fat, especially if you are a female athlete, but even in recreational soccer your cardiovascular fitness is bound to improve significantly. Cardiovascular fitness, more than body-fat percentage, in fact may be the principal indicator that you are staying in shape. Sports scientists measure maximum oxygen uptake, or V02 max, via a treadmill test to determine cardiovascular fitness. A study of healthy Danish women by sports scientist Jens Bangsbo and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen found V02 max results elevated by 7 percent after four weeks and 15 percent after 16 weeks for a group of women recruited to learn to play soccer compared to a control group.

Expert Insight

Bangsbo’s colleague at the University of Copenhagen, Peter Krustrup, and their colleagues found recreational soccer to be one of the best long-term guarantees of good health, compared to either no activity at all or to jogging. Krustrup confirmed cardiovascular fitness benefits, as well as fat reduction, in a survey of men aged 20 to 43 among a group of men recruited to start playing soccer. He also found greater muscle development and reduced blood pressure among soccer recruits compared to joggers. The commitment required if you engage in a team sport such as soccer, with its scheduled weekly games, also serves as a useful motivator to stick with getting and staying in shape.

References

Article reviewed by BudK Last updated on: Sep 12, 2011

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