I get asked this question all the time and it becomes a great discussion point everytime I go to football training. Is it good or bad to be going to the gym while you are playing football for a team and even more importantly, how does it affect your game? My answer everytime is pretty much:
It depends on how you like to play. Do you like a very fast non-contact game or do you rather a slightly slower but physically demanding game of football on your behalf?
I’m going to tell you now that Ronaldinho has a great balance of both strength and speed. He has enough of both to be a real threat on the field and that is why you and I call him to be the very best player in the world because he is like a well oiled machine.
So What Does This Mean For Me?
What I’m trying to say here is that if you decide that you would like to bulk up for the ladies and for yourself, be prepared to reap the effects. Naturally you will get slower than what you already are because as you put on muscle, that means the more weight that your legs need to carry. So therefore, you will lack the speed and finesse that someone like Cristiano Ronaldo possesses. He hardly gets into a physical encounter with his opponents doesn’t he, because he depends solely on his speed and flair to get past defenders.
Now Don’t Discount Going To The Gym Just Yet
Let’s take the situation described above and see how not going to the gym will affect him. Take note that if he is trying to hold off a defender who has him locked into the corner of the field, the chances are Ronaldo will come out second best because he lacks the strength to keep a defender off his back. What does this mean for you? It means that id you go to the gym while you play, be prepared to be physically ready to win the ball off your opposition and manoeuvre your way through the defence using your body weight. Fondly enough, Ronaldo plays in the English Premier League, one of the most physically demanding leagues on the planet, where using you body weight and strength to get past defenders and keep strikers at bay is the key to winning.
So Which One Is Worth Pursuing?
Both. You will need the best of both worlds to do well in the future. As I outlined above, Ronaldinho possesses both strength and speed which is a deadly combination to have. When you have these two attributes, that makes for a hard time for the defender to take the ball off you and possession of the ball increases as a result. To finish off, I am going to leave you with a story of a friend of mine who decided to hit the gym full-time and gave football a rest. When he was skinnier, he was lighting fast along the field, getting past defenders with ease and speed. However, when backed up, would lose the ball due to the lack of strength he had. He then decided to start going to the gym meticulously to gain weight and strength. Sure enough, after a year and a half, he became a huge powerhouse. Now as I watched him play a few things were instantly noticeable:
- He was much slower than before
- He relied on his body weight to keep the ball at his feet
- He relied on his size to keep defenders from access to the ball
Do you want to play this way? He now has to work on his speed, and I’m glad to say is coming along well. I personally play like Ronaldinho, in the sense that I use both my speed and strength. This is I believe the way to go. So go to the gym but in moderation, that is if you want to be a great player like Ronaldinho and the only girlfriend you ever want to have is the game of football. If you only play football for fun, I recommend you go ahead and gym it more often, for some real girls 
