Soccer is better exercise than jogging

I play a pick-up game of soccer for two hours once a week. This game is notorious for causing injuries: one time I twisted my foot and was out of commission for a year. The game has resulted in multiple surgeries for some of the players involved. So why do we play? Mostly because it's a lot of fun.

Now a new study led by Peter Klustrup offers us a new reason to play: Apparently if we don't kill ourselves during the game, we actually get more exercise than spending an equivalent amount of time jogging:

Each period of exercise lasted about one hour and took place three times a week. After 12 weeks, researchers found that the body fat percentage in the soccer players dropped by 3.7 percent, compared to about 2 percent for the joggers.

The soccer players also increased their muscle mass by almost 4.5 pounds, whereas the joggers didn't have any significant change. Those who did no exercise registered little change in body fat and muscle mass.

Wow! Even more impressive is this tidbit:

The soccer players and the joggers had the same average heart rate, but the soccer players got a better workout because of intense bursts of activity. Krustrup and his colleagues found there were periods during soccer matches when the players' hearts were pumping at 90 percent their full capacity. But the joggers' hearts were never pushed as hard.

Unlike the soccer players, the joggers consistently thought their runs were exhausting.

"The soccer players were having more fun, so they were more focused on scoring goals and helping the team, rather than the feeling of strain and muscle pain," Krustrup said.

I agree, soccer is a lot more fun than jogging. Unfortunately, our group can only get together once a week, so the rest of the week I have to settle for less effective workouts. However, given the intensity of our games, I'm also decreasing the chances I'll get injured, so perhaps this is for the best.