I’m going to let you into a not-so-well-kept secret. The guys you see playing Sunday football in the park, and the men you see straining their necks to watch the pub TV during a match as Harry Kane weaves towards the goal – nearly all harbour a secret desire to be Premier League players.
Obviously we’re not all wandering around thinking we’re Twinkle Toes himself (or Cristiano Ronaldo, for any non-football fans still reading). Most of us would settle for being an occasional substitute for West Bromwich Albion, just as long as we could say we’d made it into the big time.
It’s summer and a lot of you will be playing football, whether that’s five-a-side at your local leisure centre or having the odd kickabout with T-shirts as goal posts in your local park. So here’s your go-to guide for Premier League fitness – or how you can get on your way to being the next Ya Ya Toure, Raheem Sterling or Mesut Ozil.
The NHS recommends that adults should do 150 minutes of exercise every week. This is because exercise can:
- reduce your chance of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke by 50%
- reduce your chance of an early death by 30%
- help with your mental health, reducing your risk of depression by 30%
- reduce your risk of dementia by 30%
- reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 50%.
It’s important to do a mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise. Football counts as aerobic, vigorous-intensity activity – so one game a week is a fantastic contribution towards your weekly exercise goal.
To add some muscle-strengthening exercise, how about push-ups or sit-ups at home, a gym workout or even some hard work in the garden?
So how do you match up?
According to Men’s Health, Ronaldo runs about six miles in a typical match – so why not get a pedometer and see how many steps you do? As a rule of thumb 10,000 steps = about five miles. Ronaldo also sprints at 21 miles per hour, 33 times in a typical match. Just to make you extra jealous, he can also kick the ball at 80 miles per hour.
According to The Telegraph, the Premier League player who covered the most distance up until March in the 2014-15 season was, surprisingly, Stoke’s midfielder Stephen N’Zonzi, who ran no less than 187 miles. Hot on his heels was Burnley’s George Boyd at 186 miles and Hull City’s Jake Livermore with 184 miles.
Match Report
So in summary, the Man of the Match is you. By adding football into your weekly workout, or using it to kick-start it, you’ll be well on course to lift the cup at the end of the season. Get a group of mates together – or the kids – and head to the park, or see if there’s a Sunday league you can join in your area.
Don’t expect to be Goldenballs in your first few games – it takes time to build up to match fitness – but with dedication and commitment, you will get there.
Playing safe
However experienced you are, it’s important to avoid injury. Here are some of the most common sports injuries:
- sprains
- strains
- hamstring injuries
- injuries to the muscles, bones and joints
- injuries to the tendons and ligaments
- broken and fractured bones
- back pain
- shoulder pain
- knee or heel pain
- torn skin.
Look after yourself:
- Make sure you warm up properly.
- Don’t expect too much of yourself too soon.
- If you’re injured during a match, stop playing so you can recover. Rest the injured area and take a painkiller if necessary.
- Swelling can be eased by applying an ice pack to the area – you can even use a bag of peas from the freezer.
- If you have a serious injury, always get it checked out – especially if you hit your head.
Source: Get in the game!
Mambo - The healthier lifestyle magazine for Africans