How many muscles does a footballer need?  Athletics coach explains it – Bundesliga


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Summer break in football meanwhile also means: The stars present their muscular bodies on vacation!

Leon Goretzka (26) and Benjamin Pavard (25) recently showed their dream bodies. Ex-Bayern talent Flavius ​​Daniliuc (20) is almost reminiscent of a body builder.

But: Do footballers really need bodies like that? BILD spoke to athletics coach Matthias Blankenburg.

BILD: How useful are mountains of muscles for footballers?

Blankenburg: “I think footballers with mountains of muscles are exaggerated. The question that arises: why? Football is a sport in which certain skills and abilities have priority. Too much muscle is literally in the way. “

BILD: Why?

Blankenburg: “There are certain skills and qualities that a footballer must have. In addition to the high technical level, these include parameters such as speed, agility and jumping ability. If you have a certain mass of muscles, you can no longer fill these parameters. Increased strength does not automatically mean that you are faster or better. At a certain point it works rather counterproductive. “

BILD: You have just prepared David Alaba for his start at Real Madrid. Does he have the right balance?

Blankenburg: “He is a wiry and mentally extremely strong guy. Everything really fits, he has the perfect physical constitution. Compared to other players, he is absolutely on the top tier. There are extremely good muscles, but still liveliness and speed. “

BILD: Why do more and more footballers pump themselves up like this despite the disadvantages?

Blankenburg: “You have to differentiate. There are players who lack stability or who lack robustness. Then it makes sense to build a stable muscle construct, primarily to prevent injuries. Another important reason is certainly the evolution of football. The sport has changed and developed to such an extent: There are more and more games, the requirements are increasing and the speed of the game is getting higher and higher. Nowadays the football player has to demand a lot more from his body in order to withstand these loads. But you shouldn’t overdo it. “

BILD: Where has the limit been reached?

Blankenburg: “It gets in the way when speed, agility and endurance suffer because you are simply dragging too much muscles around with you. The oxygen consumption of the muscles is very high, especially during high, intensive loads. If there is too much muscle, the other areas mentioned suffer from the high demand for oxygen – and that especially with loads of at least 90 minutes.


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Probably a little too much of a good thing: Ex-Bayern talent Flavius ​​Daniliuc (now Nice) showed himself with mega musclesPhoto:

BILD: Is it also a lifestyle and image issue?

Blankenburg: “Today a lot is also about aesthetics. The boys ‘battle’ each other. One of the initiators was certainly Cristiano Ronaldo, who brought this body cult to life among players. Healthy and good appearance, attractive and sexy – so don’t just give the image of a typical football player. The cult of the body has come to the fore in recent years. ‘Sex sells’ also counts for boys. “

BILD: How much work is there in the super bodies?

Blankenburg: “There’s a lot of work involved! That is daily training and an individual nutritional concept. Attitude and behavior play a major role here, but so do the basic genetic requirements. There are three different body types – ecto-, meso- and endomorphic – and there is no doubt that these form the indisputable basis for a player’s physical development over the course of his career. “

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