What Muscles Do You Work When Playing Football? Which Body Parts Get the Most Benefit?

Playing soccer for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we training when playing soccer?

Depending on the sport you play, certain areas of the body will be called upon more than others, but what about when you play soccer? Will you tone and refine your figure by playing soccer? Below is a list of the muscles and muscle groups strengthened and sculpted by soccer!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

Soccer requires very little effort from the upper limbs.

Trunk and pelvis (Chest, stomach and back)

• Abdominals: These are made up of several layers of muscle (rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transverse) whose function is to flex and rotate the trunk.

Lower limbs (glutes, thighs and calves)

• Glutes: Located at the intersection of the lower limbs and the trunk, the gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) are among the largest and most powerful muscles in the body. In particular, they provide mobility for the thigh and support for the pelvis.
• Quadriceps: Located at the front of the thigh, the quadriceps is made up of 4 muscles (vastus femoris or rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh over the hip, as well as extension of the leg over the thigh.
• Hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semitendinosus). They ensure leg flexion and thigh extension.
• Calf muscles: also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles comprise 3 muscle fascicles, including the soleus and gastrocnemius. These muscles help extend the foot down the leg

With sprints, jumps, changes of direction and duels, soccer is an intense physical activity that mainly works the lower limbs and the cardio-respiratory system.
In addition to the aerobic work that trains the heart, soccer promotes the explosiveness of thigh muscles (quadriceps, psoas…), hamstrings, adductors and peroneal muscles.