I didn’t need to read this study to know that soccer is a better workout than jogging. I played soccer for about a dozen years growing up and it always kept me in good shape. Last night, to celebrate the end of my son’s 5th & 6th grade fall soccer season, we had a parent/kid game.
“Even though the football (soccer) players were untrained, there were periods in the game that were so intense that their cardiovascular was maximally taxed, just like professional football (soccer) players,” said Dr. Peter Krustrup, head of Copenhagen University’s department of exercise and sport sciences, who led the study.
Krustrup and his colleagues found there were periods during soccer matches when the players’ hearts were pumping at 90 percent their full capacity. But the joggers’ hearts were never pushed as hard.
I played halfback for the full hour. I wore my heart rate monitor so I could see where I stood and let’s just say I got a good cardio workout in, I stayed between 135 and 165 the entire time, usually around 140-145.
Unlike the soccer players, the joggers consistently thought their runs were exhausting.
“The soccer players were having more fun, so they were more focused on scoring goals and helping the team, rather than the feeling of strain and muscle pain,” Krustrup said.
I kept my heart rate up for 20 minutes longer than I normally do, yet I did not sweat nearly as much and other than being winded I felt no pain. Except for today that is, wow am I sore!
My son is playing winter soccer and I volunteered to be head coach. I’ll find out this week if I am needed. Another good excuse to get up and move around!
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