Can You Get Fit Playing Soccer? Why Soccer Is a Great Workout for Adults

Can you actually get fit by playing soccer?

Yes. Soccer can provide a full-body workout that combines cardiovascular exercise, changes of direction, acceleration, balance and repeated movement — often without feeling like a traditional workout.

And for adults who find it difficult to stay motivated on a treadmill or in a gym, that may be soccer's biggest advantage: you're exercising while doing something you actually enjoy.

You don't need to be match-fit before you start playing soccer. For many adults, playing soccer can be part of how they become fitter in the first place.

For adults in Vancouver looking for a different way to stay active, soccer can combine exercise with the familiarity and enjoyment of playing the game.

Why soccer is such an effective workout

Soccer constantly changes what your body is doing. During a session, you may walk, jog, accelerate, slow down, change direction, control the ball, pass and shoot.

That makes a soccer workout very different from simply running at one pace.

Cardiovascular fitness

The repeated periods of movement and recovery in soccer challenge your cardiovascular system. As your fitness improves, it can become easier to keep moving, recover between harder efforts and stay involved for longer.

Agility and movement

Soccer involves stopping, starting, turning and changing direction. Those movements challenge coordination, balance and agility in ways that straight-line cardio often doesn't.

Strength

Running, accelerating, decelerating, changing direction and striking a ball all require your legs and core to work. Soccer isn't a replacement for every form of strength training, but it involves much more than cardiovascular exercise alone.

You're thinking about the ball, not the workout

This may be one of the biggest benefits.

Run on a treadmill for an hour and you know you're exercising for an hour.

Put a soccer ball at your feet, add passing drills, shooting and a small-sided game, and your attention shifts to what you're doing with the ball.

The soccer becomes the workout.

Do I need to be fit before I start playing soccer?

No — but the right environment matters.

Going straight from years of inactivity into a competitive 90-minute match probably isn't the best way to return to the sport.

A structured adult soccer session can allow you to gradually build your fitness through warm-ups, ball work, technical exercises, movement and appropriately paced games.

That's especially important if you're returning to soccer after 10, 20 or even 30 years away.

What if I haven't played soccer in years?

You're certainly not the only adult in that position.

Work, children, injuries, moves and everyday life can gradually take soccer out of someone's routine. Then one day you realize it has been years since you regularly kicked a ball.

You don't have to return at the level you were when you stopped.

Start where you are now.

Your touch may be rusty. Your fitness may not be what you remember. That's okay. Both can improve with regular training.

Is soccer a good workout after 40 or 50?

Soccer can be an enjoyable way for adults in their 40s, 50s and beyond to stay active, provided the intensity and format are appropriate for the individual.

The goal doesn't have to be recreating the way you played at 20.

Adult-focused sessions can emphasize progressive fitness, technical work, mobility, movement and smaller games rather than expecting everyone to play at the same pace.

If you've been inactive for a long time or have health concerns, it's sensible to speak with an appropriate healthcare professional before beginning vigorous exercise.

Soccer fitness vs going to the gym

There isn't a universal winner.

A gym gives you precise control over resistance, exercises and training intensity. Soccer gives you movement, cardiovascular work, skill development and a game to focus on.

And consistency matters.

If you hate going to the gym but look forward to playing soccer every week, the exercise you enjoy enough to keep doing may ultimately be far more useful than the theoretically perfect workout you continually avoid.

Getting fit while becoming a better soccer player

There's another advantage to soccer-based fitness: your fitness and soccer ability can develop together.

Instead of doing an hour of cardio and then finding separate time to practice soccer, a well-designed session can incorporate both.

You can work on:

• first touch
• passing and receiving
• shooting
• movement
• agility
• soccer-specific fitness
• small-sided play

That makes soccer particularly appealing to recreational players who want to get fitter and improve their game.

Ready to play again?

Back2Soccer is recreational soccer for adults in Vancouver, BC, designed for people who want to get fit, sharpen their skills and enjoy playing soccer.

You don't need to join a team or commit to an entire season, and beginner-friendly options are available.

Your first class is free. Browse our adult soccer classes in Vancouver or pick a date from the drop-in soccer schedule.