Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Football Training and Fitness

Years ago players used to have a pint and a fag at half time, in the 1950′s and 60′s it was common for them to do so, and certain clubs even gave the players free cigarettes. Things have changed a lot since them days and nowadays its all about the fitness of a player. Being fit means working out, doing exercise and maintaining a healthy diet.
Fitness along with accuracy is the most important part of your game. Without it you will fail to succeed at the top level. Being able to run about a pitch for 90+ minutes is a tough task, using all sorts of muscles as you twist, turn and jump along the way. Look at the like of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, they constantly run up and down the football pitch for the duration and hardly ever break a swear, why? Because outside of the game they are training like mad, its their job. They will train all week practicing and developing their fitness.
To improve your fitness you should:
If not already doing so take up jogging/running, start light and increase it gradually along the way, aim to do this at least 3 times a week, jogging for around 10 to 20 minutes if possible
Look at what you are eating and drinking, its no good if you spend half your life at McDonald's and drink lots of coffee!! Be hard on yourself and it will work in the long run. Try to eat three meals a day, and don't skip breakfast, as you have heard a million times before, 'its your most important meal of the day.' And drink plenty of water, this will hydrate your body, I found drinking a glass or two of water before bed is a real good way to hydrate yourself and you will wake up feeling better in the morning. 70% of your muscle is made up from water, this is why you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and don't mistake hunger pains, they could be pains telling you to drink water instead.
Eat food such as pasta, fish (especially tuna), chicken and fresh fruit (especially banana.) You can still have chocolate and burgers, but cut them down. You will eventually feel good inside yourself and the cravings for fatty foods will shrink.
Make sure you get enough sleep, 8 hours a day for an adult is plenty. Don't work too hard, have a day off in between your workouts, or your body will become tired in the process.
Keep track of your process, keep a chart of what you are doing. I found the best way to stick to something is to plan ahead your goals, write down what you have to do on your next training session and try to do it, then the next session add something to it and so on.
Remember you don't have to join an expensive gym, for instance you can use your stairs (if you don't live in a bungalow) and walk up and down a couple of them for a few minutes at a time.
So what are you waiting for?? Get started today and you will soon be feeling fitter and more alert whilst playing football.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6357307

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