The question of how fit a Premier League footballer is comes up all the time. When you see them with their shirts off and abs rippling, you wonder if there’s any feat of human performance they can’t achieve.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the quintessential poster boy for this kind of stuff. The 38-year-old is still thumping home the goals with a body that would make Teddy Sheringham in his prime weep.
But is it all for show? Or do these footballers actually have a high level of fitness? And, if you tried really hard, could you be like them?
The History Of Football Fitness
In the 1990s, football was high-profile, but the margins weren’t as tight as they are today. As such, the expected performance level demanded by coaches at clubs like Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur thirty years ago were not as high as they are today.
You could see this phenomenon in the type of players getting into the game. Paul Gascoigne dominated the news cycle in Britain during this era despite bundling around the field most matches and not eating the best diet. You could still see examples of this culture in the 2000s with Wayne Rooney. The Boy Wonder scored goals for United like there was no tomorrow, but he wasn’t eating quinoa salads and optimizing his training routine as modern superstars do.
Measuring Fitness
People like to measure footballer fitness in two ways: body fat and VO2 max. These give a sense of how much physical work a player can do on the pitch.
Body Fat
The average footballer in 2023 had a body fat percentage of around 6 to 10 per cent. By any standard, that’s lean, which is why it is always so impressive when they take their shirts off. Thirty years ago, that figure might have been a little higher on average, but probably not by much.
VO2 Max
There’s also been a rise in VO2 max in recent years, perhaps the best measure of cardiovascular fitness. Today’s players can do more work, on average, than those who entered the first season of the Premier League back in 1992, meaning they can run farther, perform more tackles, and break more often.
According to testing, the average Premier League player has a VO2 max of between 48 and 62 ml/kg/min. To put that into perspective, one of the highest ever recorded was 93 ml/kg/min by elite cycling champion Miguel Indurian while the average for the general population is 35 to 40 ml/kg/min. Therefore, they’re fit, but their fitness isn’t yet at extreme levels, suggesting improvements could still be made.
Could You Be As Fit As A Premier League Footballer?
Given the above discussion, it is possible you could become as fit as a Premier League star with the right approach. Getting above 48 ml/kg/min would require a lot of training, but it is achievable.
To get there, you’d need a combination of different training types, including some intense methods. The main activity would be long-distance endurance exercise (LSD). This approach can build VO2 max significantly, which is why elite cyclists and marathon runners have the highest in the world. Cycling, running, or swimming for 30 to 60 minutes a few times a week might do the trick.
You’d also need to include high-intensity interval training (HIIT), something that most elite soccer stars do regularly. Research shows that sessions as short as 10 minutes can have a profound effect on fitness.
Learning how to become a spin instructor could also help. These professionals continuously engage in HIIT, helping them become among the fittest sports professionals.
Finally, you might want to add weight and hill training to your stack to improve VO2 max further. “Rucking”, where you carry a heavy backpack with you while training, can have a profound effect on overall fitness levels if done at the correct intensity.
Of course, exercise alone won’t get you to Cristiano Ronaldo’s level of performance. You also need to nail your diet. And that’s going to be the sticking point for most aspirants. Many professional footballers enjoy expert nutrition throughout the week and only have the occasional treat at the weekend, which will feel Spartan to many.
If you want to try it, start by eating whole foods and plenty of plants. Pairing this food with exercise should give you a leanness that helps drive your VO2 max higher.
You might also need a personalized training plan and an exercise physiologist to provide instructions on how to best approach the task of achieving pro soccer levels of fitness. Getting assistance helps you track your progress and determine whether you’re on the right track.