How To Gain Muscles Like Your Favorite Football Player?

Posted by: KHTS Guest in Home Town Station May 20, 2019 - 10:17 am 0 391 Views

Football is a very intense sport that features contact on every play. Footballers may be muscular, fast, lean, and agile, depending on the position they play. Building strength, agility, and muscle helps them increase their physical strength when playing, giving them the power to block players, break tackles, and struggle past their opponents. To look like your favorite footballer, you have to be committed to building physical endurance and muscle mass and eating well.

Here are things you can do to gain muscles like your favorite football player.

Plyometric exercise

Plyometric exercise is when you perform fast-acting explosive movements to develop muscular power and core strength. This exercise allows muscles to deploy maximum force in the minimum time possible. Muscular power is not to be confused with strength, though. Muscular power is determined by the rate at which strength is converted to speed. Your ability to carry out this exercise in the minimum time possible is the key here, and not the physical strength you possess. Plyometric training will allow you to condense the amount of time your muscles require to exert maximum force, and each of your muscle contractions will translate to greater power development. Your core muscles are critical when delivering and breaking tackles, so exaggerate your movements to get the most out of it and build up the power. Some plyometric exercises you can do include box jumps, agility ladder training, long jumps, skipping, tuck jumps, hurdle hopping, bounding, jumping over a ball with one foot, and standing long jump.

Weightlifting

You need to lift weights often. Most football players focus on lifting weights off-season, during which they try to gain several pounds of muscle mass for their next season. Your weight lifting exercises can be either full body or muscle specific. Training for superior muscle growth not only gives you greater strength, but it also prepares you to withstand inevitable contact. It also reduces the risk of injuries by strengthening bones, muscles, and connective tissues like ligaments and tendons. Some of the weight lifting exercises include squats, bench press, snatches, dead-lifts, and jump squats. Do not lift on consecutive days, to allow your body adequate time to rest and regenerate. Lifting heavy weights, however, has the potential to make you huge and reduce your speed and agility. To avoid this, be involved in aerobic physical activities as well, do only effective weight training exercises, keep your reps relatively low, and do not use steroids.

Speed and precision training

Practice sprinting and agility drills to develop precision and speed. Have cones in place at set distances then sprint from the beginning line to the cones then back again to the beginning. Use an agility ladder to help you practice coordination. Start with a simple ladder drill the scale up to a more complex one that uses the outside of the ladder and the spaces between the rungs to improve your reaction times. Try to do these drills in 20 to 40-minute intervals, similar to the game.

Proper nutrition

There are four reasons why nutrition is vital for a footballer: as an energy source, to build muscle mass, to aid in reducing injuries and staying healthy, and to maintain ideal body consumption. The most important nutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Protein fuels muscle growth and repair, helps the muscles relax and contract, and builds tendons and ligaments that support bones and hold together your muscles. Protein is also required for boosting insulin and thyroid production, supporting the immune system, and regulating digestion. Without enough protein in your body, you run the risk of illness, injury, or feeling run down. Protein is also used for energy in times of need when carbohydrates are depleted. Energy depletion mostly happens when your body is recovering from an injury or when your caloric use surpasses your intake. Carbohydrates should form a daily part of your meals because they provide energy and fuel the body and also help in recovery post-workout. Healthy fats contain essential fatty acids required for brain function and blood clotting. They also transport soluble vitamins, which are critical for the immune system, for building muscles and healthy bones.

Balance aerobic and anaerobic fitness

One misconception about football’s physical requirements is that it is purely aerobic. Although it is aerobic in duration, it is mostly anaerobic in intensity. This means that you should find a balance between the two, and avoid overplaying aerobic fitness because it can restrict performance. This is possible because high-level aerobic exercises do not have any impact on the intense activities required during a game. Aerobic fitness gives you endurance but focusing on only endurance will limit you from developing power and strength. Finding your balance is critical if you are focused on being all rounded and performing at an optimal level.

Take time to rest

Given the hectic demands of the game, giving your body time to regenerate is crucial. Exercise breaks your muscles down, so allowing them time to develop and grow back stronger cannot be overlooked. Muscles heal from exercise during rest and synthesize new muscle fibers. Additionally, do not lift two days in a row. Recovery time is as important as activity time, and not allowing your body the rest it deserves could be stopping you from achieving your peak fitness. Do foam rolling to reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscular soreness) and prevent the build-up of fascia. Make sure you spend at least 10 minutes foam rolling or stretching your body, to aid in recovery.

To achieve strength, power, speed, and explosiveness then have the ability to bring all these together, takes hard work in your diet, in your workouts, and your daily habits. Building your athletic power for optimal performance is not easy, but it is achievable. Setting and understanding your goals will ultimately bring you balance and lead you to success. Put in the work and take your game to the next level but make sure you are doing it right. You will otherwise not see the results. Additionally, be patient and consistent as you work towards your dream body.