Football is an aerobic exercise that activates your entire body. Although it's mostly about your lower body muscles, having bazooka legs is not enough to handle the physical demands of running around for 90 minutes.
Let's look at some of the most important muscles related to playing football and ways you can exercise them to accumulate more power and endurance.
Core muscles. No matter what sport you play, strong core muscles are vital to your ability to control your balance. Strong core muscles also reduce the strain on your back preventing injuries.
To strengthen your core, you can do all types of crunches, back extension or leg lifts. In short, anything that makes your abs burn.
Mo Salah's pharaonic abs are just as marvellous as Egyptian pyramids but they also serve a purpose
Quads. Quadriceps are the biceps of your legs in the sense they make your legs look big. Other than visual effects, having strong quads gives you a bit of everything: a stronger kick, better mobility and balance.
The best exercise for quadriceps is hands down the squads but if you're not a fan of those, try a leg extension in a machine.
Be like Cristiano Ronaldo and never skip a leg day
Glutes. Strong glues lead to smoother hip extension, help generate more force for a kick, and improve your acceleration and jumping ability. They also make your butt look good and yes, men are allowed to have nice butts.
You can work your glutes by doing squats, one of the most basic exercises out there. Have a barbell on your shoulders for more difficulty or just squat as much as you can. The best thing about squats is that they also work pretty much every other muscle in your legs.
You can also try Bulgarian split squats, which may be even more intense.
Before injuries wrecked Eden Hazard, he was a sublime footballer and his buttocks actually contributed to that
Calves. You need strong calves not just to look like Jack Grealish but to ensure your ankle mobility. Strong calves reduce the risk of nasty ankle injuries that can get you out for months.
The best thing about exercising calves is that you can do it literally anywhere without any equipment. Rise on your toes and then slowly get back down on one or both legs until you feel the calves burning. Have dumbbells or just something heavy in your hands to increase the difficulty.
Jumping a rope is also amazing for your calves.
Jack Grealish's overpowered calves look as if they lead their own life but they help him dribble his way to scoring goals and assisting teammates
Hamstrings. Hamstring muscles are responsible for knee bending and hip rotation. They are crucial to stabilising your knee joint. Remember that knee injuries are the worst so no excuse not to strengthen your hammies.
Such exotic-sounding exercises as Romanian deadlifts or kettlebell swings will work your hamstrings but make sure you do them right. Ideally, hire a personal trainer who will oversee your training session.
That's what the infamous hamstring injury looks like; even the most thorough professionals are not insured against it but they'd be a lot worse off without training.
