Getting a kick out of five-a-side
football Get involved with a game of five-a-side Football fever has gripped the globe once again with everyone from young to old glued to their television.
Everyone is waiting with baited breath to find out if their team has made it through to the next round of the World Cup.
Along with an increase in beer sales and loud cheers, men, women and children are digging out their boots and taking to the sportshalls, MUGA pitches and any grassy patch free of sunbathers, to work up a sweat in a game of fives.
Five-a-side football is the most popular amateur sport in the UK today with some 30,000 leagues across the country and an estimated 1.5 million adults playing every week.
As well as being a great way to meet up with friends and indulge your fantasy of still making it into St Johnstone’s first team, a game of fives brings with it an abundance of fitness benefits.
As with all football playing, you’ll enjoy a significant cardiovascular workout from all that running around which in turn helps with blood pressure, weight control and bone density.
Additionally, because five-a-side is more intense, it keeps you more engaged and gives you more action meaning your flexibility and coordination will improve and your heart rate will increase quicker and for longer.
Research by professor Peter Krustrup and his team from Copenhagen University has shown that the average heart rate during a game of fives was on average 80 per cent of the maximum, with a heart rate over 90 per cent of the maximum for more than 15 per cent of the total time.
So how do you get ready for the action? Running around continuously for the duration of the game is a workout in itself but you can increase your chances of lasting the pace by putting in some strength and cardio training at the gym along with short sprint practise at the track.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes such as metafit, GRIT and Plyo are ideal, as well as the more traditional all-rounders of circuits and core classes. Try also preparing your body properly with dynamic stretches targeting calves, thighs and back.
In Perth city and wider
Keep that World Cup fever running
Perthshire, you can play five-a-side in one of the many Live Active Leisure sportshalls.
And to keep that World Cup fever running, the people at LAL are offering everyone the chance to take part for £1 per person per play from July 30 to August 5.
Check www.liveactive. co.uk for full details. You can find out more about joining the league by searching for PerthDistrict-5-a-side-League on Facebook