There is no doubt that soccer players have some of the best-looking bodies in the world of athletics. It often looks as if playing soccer is the surest pathway for staying fit and building a perfect-looking body.
When male soccer players score goals, they often celebrate by taking off their shirts out of excitement. Soccer fans often enjoy this form of celebration especially the female folks because they get to have a glimpse of the well-toned abs and perfectly streamlined bodies of their favorite male players.
The frequency in which you see soccer players with great-looking abs might make you start asking if soccer helps in building abs or if it is just a mere coincidence. In popular culture, people with well-built abs are often considered physically fit and healthy.
Most men even search for the easiest ways of burning belly fat and toning up their abs because they feel that it makes them more attractive to ladies especially when taking random strolls at the beach.
But does it mean that all soccer players have toned abs? While most soccer players have an athletic look, we have seen soccer players with chubby or skinny bodies too.
If you are one of those people considering playing soccer because your instincts tell you that it helps in building abs, this article may interest you because we will be discussing how playing soccer affects the abs of soccer players.
Quick Navigation
Can soccer get you abs?
People engage in sports for different reasons—aside from making money. Getting a charming physique is often one of the major reasons why people do sports.
A perfectly chiseled abdominal muscle often called six or eight packs usually reflects how physically fit an athlete is. Most soccer players usually feel fat and unfit when their abs aren’t properly buffed.
Soccer players might be toned and muscular but a great number of them often look skinny which we suspect is the reason why developing nice-looking abs isn’t usually a problem for them.
Soccer is a full-body workout which is why soccer players often tend to have very strong legs, muscular arms, and well-buffed abdomens.
Professional soccer players who have played soccer over a very long period often stand a higher chance of having all these characteristics compared to amateur soccer players.
While playing soccer, there is a lot of running involved and while running, players often twist and turn their torsos which helps in burning belly fat and developing abdominal muscles. Soccer players run as much as 7-10 miles per game.
Soccer players visit the gym a lot and some even have private gyms in their houses where they do most of their workouts. They work out a lot because they need to kick balls with adequate power, easily evade defensive attacks, run for longer periods without getting exhausted, improve their average speed, and also maintain their signature physique.
Aside from improving on their agility, stamina, and speed, soccer players also put the effort into maintaining their physical look by eating right and exercising. Soccer players may not have the best-buffed bodies in the world of athletics but they have the perfect kind of body for soccer without a doubt.
They may not be the athletes with the highest number of hours per day in the gym but they no doubt have impressive cardio endurance and functional muscle strength.
We discovered that soccer players strip off extra fat from their bodies easily because the game of soccer works their entire body while burning a great number of calories at every match.
Playing soccer alone without training and eating like professional soccer players usually do wouldn’t get you those abs you secretly desire to have. Well-built abs will take less time to become vibrant if you lower your total body fat while avoiding foods and drinks that cause the stomach to bulge.
Eating healthier foods will help you drastically in reducing extra body fat and you wouldn’t have to exercise too hard when building your body muscles. Extra fat on the body usually slows soccer players down and reduces their level of endurance as well.
Imagine playing soccer with a large tummy, aside from being embarrassing, it can also be very difficult or even dangerous in certain circumstances. Well-chiseled abs aside from giving soccer players a great look and physique can also increase their average speed, confidence, and stamina while on the soccer pitch.
The abs are part of the core area of the human body and developing core strength is crucial for soccer players because the core is actually where balance emanates from. Soccer players with a well-built core region can easily dribble, sprint very fast with light thuds, and change directions.
Without properly building core strength, soccer players would easily get exhausted and frail. All core workouts usually affect the abdominal muscles directly or indirectly and they are often recommended for soccer players both male and female—albeit at different paces and intensities.
How do soccer players get abs?
As a soccer player, working on your lower back and abs is very helpful to you not just because you can confidently show them off by taking off your shirt when you score a goal but because it helps in improving your game.
Interestingly, a good physique is often a prerequisite to landing lucrative endorsement offers. Most brands—especially drinks—will want their customers to believe that soccer players rely on their products to get those great bodies.
Soccer players develop good-looking abs because they work hard in building their core muscles which include gluteal muscles, obliques, lower back, and abdominal muscles. The power and explosiveness of soccer players initially originate from their core.
If you are a soccer player or just an admirer of well-chiseled abs, we have compiled a list of measures and procedures you can follow while trying to get your abs to look like that of your favorite soccer players.
Engage in core muscle building exercises
Core muscle exercises are combinations of exercises or workouts specially designed to target specific areas of a soccer player’s midsection. Soccer players don’t only work on their legs just because that is the most frequently used part of their body during soccer matches and training.
Since soccer players are not bodybuilders, we have listed a collection of some of the most effective workouts used by modern soccer players in enhancing their core strength and building their abs.
T-Bar for the Obliques
The T-Bar requires a soccer player to take a push-up position and also shift their body weight to the right-hand side and simultaneously rotate their body in such a way that the left-hand rises and forms a T.
Switch your body weight to the left-hand side after a couple of rotations and try the same movements for some minutes. Keep increasing the difficulty of the exercise as much as you can bear and don’t skip any day in a month.
Superman pose for the Glutes and Lower back
You perform this core exercise by lying facedown on the floor and stretching your arms outwards above your head like the famous superhero.
Tighten your core region and concurrently lift your chest, arms, and legs off the floor for a couple of minutes before bringing them down slowly. Repeat these movements for a couple of minutes.
Plank Jacks for Upper and Lower Abdominal Muscles
You start by lying facedown on the floor as you did in the superman pose but now with your forearms and feet flat on the ground.
Tighten your torso and move your feet out wide for a couple of seconds before moving them back into position. Repeat this movement concurrently while keeping your upper body firm and busy.
Russian Twist for the Obliques
This workout can be started by sitting on the floor with bent knees in front of your trunk region with your feet positioned flat on the ground. Start leaning backward until your torso is 45 degrees to the floor then extend your arms in front of your chest with the palms faced downwards.
Start twisting your upper body to your left as if you are trying to look backward, don’t stop until you can’t twist further then retract to your former position. Do the same to the right and keep repeating for both directions for about ten minutes before switching to another exercise.
Flutter Kicks for the Lower Abdominal Muscles
Start by lying flat on the ground with your face turned upwards, your arms beside you, palms facing down beside your glutes, and your legs extended outwards. Lift your right heel 12 inches above the ground and your left heel 6 inches above the ground.
Keep your core engaged and tight while switching the level of your left and right heels between 6 and 12 inches without dropping them further. Gradually increase the speed until it becomes too difficult to keep up with. Engage in this exercise for about ten minutes for maximum effect on your core region.
V-Ups for Upper Abdominal Muscles
You are to lay completely flat on the floor facing up with your legs stretched and arms extended outwards above your head. Lock your knees and elbow tightly while simultaneously lifting your lower and upper body, making constant efforts at touching your toes with your fingers anytime you make a move.
Eat the right diets
Diet plays a huge role in keeping fit and maintaining the right type of physique suitable for soccer players.
Oftentimes, players who are not well informed about staying fit while playing soccer put all their effort and focus into training and exercising without considering their daily diets.
Experts say that exercise plays only 20% of the role when it comes to building a suitable soccer player’s body and diet plays as high as 80%. These statistics clearly show that working out as a soccer player without eating the right meals will do you more harm than good.
For example, a soccer player who works out every day but drinks a lot of alcohol can’t gain nice-looking abs no matter how hard they train. Abs are mostly covered by excess belly fats and they can’t be visible until the belly fats are reduced to the lowest level possible.
The prominence of your six-pack also depends on where your body is genetically programmed to store excess body fat. This is why some people never grow fat, no matter how bad their dietary plan is.
Your six-pack will start to disappear when the amount of carbs, fats, and protein you ingest is higher than the number of calories you burn after each exercise. Avoiding crash diets and fast foods will do you a lot of good as a soccer player.
When you play soccer and also eat the right kind of meals as directed by your dietician, your abs will be properly toned and also get firmer because sprinting eliminates cellulite from the body.
Do you need a six-pack for soccer?
Abdominal muscle, rectus abdominis muscle, or six-pack as some people often chose to call it, plays a major role in the life of soccer players although you don’t necessarily need it to play the sport. A well-organized soccer training must contain workouts that target the core muscles in the body.
Six-pack supports the lower and upper body of soccer players by increasing core muscle control which aids soccer players in twisting, turning, and running which are necessary actions that soccer players can’t do without.
A well-defined six-pack also encourages an explosive performance on the soccer pitch and reduces the chances of getting injured among other advantages as listed and briefly explained below.
Body Stabilization
Properly developed abs help in stabilizing the body of soccer players by engaging the active usage of more muscle groups for better upper and lower body coordination when a player plays soccer.
Soccer players often employ actions like turning, rotating, and twisting. During such actions, the abdominal muscles bond with the back muscle to coordinate a stable trunk movement and avoid injuries.
A well-built six-pack supports the upper and lower movements of the body such as the arms and legs which are necessary tools for balance and stability in the human body. When soccer players are stable, they can perform better while playing soccer.
Back Muscles Support
When working out to properly build your abs, you involuntarily also work your back muscles which make up the core muscles. The back muscles get worked on when you perform jump training or plyometrics.
Developed back muscles when combined with properly built abs can enhance a soccer player’s explosive force on the pitch and also prevents injuries to the back and abdomen.
Better Breathing
Soccer players often need a lot of oxygen to function effectively because the body works faster when we are in action and the intensity of our actions grossly determines how much oxygen we would need.
The abs help better in the contraction and expansion of the lungs when they are in good shape. It usually helps in exhalation by contracting the diaphragm for carbon dioxide to be properly expelled from the body of a soccer player. Better breathing can optimize a soccer player’s average performance.
Conclusion
Most people dream of getting a chiseled, strong, and toned six-pack which is often their major reason for playing soccer. People who feel like soccer is too difficult often end up worshipping gym houses just to be blessed with toned abs.
Working out in gyms isn’t always as exciting and fulfilling as playing soccer although you stand better chances of building your dream abs faster in gyms if you know the right workouts to engage in.
The admirable physique of soccer players often demonstrates that playing soccer is a sure way of developing toned abs aside from going to the gym. Playing soccer is very good because it doesn’t only give you great abs, it also builds your core muscles, legs, and upper body.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!