Recently with my abundance of free time I happened to fall back in love with the beautiful game, football (or soccer. Whichever floats your boat). But let me paint you a picture of life before football…
Prior to football, I was more interested in basketball, it being the sport I enjoyed playing the most since I was 15. I was being physcially active regularly, through working out and playing basketball, being decently healthy. However there was an issue, despite the active lifestyle that was being adopted, there was a body part that I always neglected, ( and no it is not my legs I do train legs…) it was my core. My abs had not gone through a single excercise let alone workout for as long as I could remember. I just could not be bothered. In my mind the body goals were big back, big chest and big legs but never rock hard abs. So life went on and my abs continued to be the weakest muscle in my body. Little did I know that that was about to change.
As I started to play football I noticed changes in my abs. It all started with soreness. I felt that my abs were sore after playing football with friends and I started getting sore in weird places. The side of my ribs, just above my hips, and right below the belly button. And in no time I started to feel that my tummy was tight. Only then did I realise that my ab muscles grew? ‘From what?’ That’s what I thought too and then it hit me, it was football that made then grow.
I think the reason they grew was the same reason that my leg muscles grew when I first started to pick up running. Because my body never experienced any stimulation of that muscle up to that point. To be completely honest, I don’t even know how and why my abs grew. Through a quick Google search it says it helps with balance, preventing injury and can help with coordination? I guess those were the benefits that I am gaining every time my abs got sore. That being said I still refuse to go through a single exercise of abs but I am glad to know that at least through football my abs aren’t getting neglected like before.
Also, I don’t want to mislead people into thinking that I have abs and that is the furthest thing from the truth and in reality, I am still a pudgy boy. But the physical changes I have experienced through football has helped me improve in other areas. I have always under estimated what it means to have a strong core but now I know, I feel like my posture has improved, it has made working out easier especially when it came to squats and pull ups which both need a strong core, my stamina has increased so much more than I could ever imagined.
What I’m trying to say is, I just hope you guys find an activity you’re bad at and tackle it head on. If this story has taught me anything it is that you will adapt and you will grow. No matter the difficulty of the activity or goal of which you are trying to achieve physical or otherwise. Sometimes, just doing the act, taking that first step, is good enough to grow.
If you are interested in a pair of football boots, here is the link for the Adidas X SpeedPortal.1 and Adidas Predator Edge.1 Low going for less than retail price!
It Never Hurts To Try
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