Fitness is coming home!

02 July 2021

It’s hard to not notice the football frenzy taking hold of the nation at the moment. And although rowdy football fans and boozy pubs are not something you usually associate with health and fitness, it certainly encourages people to participate in more sport and outdoor activity.

Companies such as Sports Direct even launched a campaign over the Euros called ‘Just a game?!’ featuring Eric Cantona to promote their sportswear and inspire people to start their footy journey.

There’s no denying that football brings people together and this summer will be an even greater chance for people to unite through their love for the game after over a year of restrictions and isolation. Here are a few ways you can enjoy the beautiful game as part of your fitness regime.

Join a five-a-side

Joining a five-a-side is a fun and sociable way of keeping on top of your fitness game. It’s basically a group workout you can do with friends, co-workers or it could even be something you join to network with other fitness enthusiasts. As well as the social element, five-a-side football is of course also a great fitness boost. It enhances your heart health and increases your VO2 max, meaning you’ll be able to train at a greater intensity, hitting the heavier weights for more reps.

Organise a Charity Football Match

Charity football matches are a great way of bringing people together and giving back to the community at the same time. If you’re a member or employee of a fitness club that has an astroturf facility or similar, why not look into setting up football matches for charity? You could organise a tournament, team up with a club/company, or even take over a stadium!

Work on your kick-ups

It may sound silly, but kick-ups are a deceptively difficult skill, and also a great exercise if you want to get a proper sweat on. You’ll work out your whole body; cardiovascular exercise, your quads, hamstrings, calves and, because you use your arms a lot, you’ll tone your upper body. But it’s not just about the exercise, mastering kick-ups will have you feeling like a pro and let you get into the spirit of the football season (and of course show off your skills)!

So, maybe it’s time you kicked up your fitness level a notch? If you’re a Personal Trainer Training with PT Academy we’d love to hear about your footie-inspired workouts.