Video by BarclaysFootballTV
Every Liverpool fan likes to say that the team is going to give them a heart-attack, but if you’ve ever wondered what actually happens to your heart during a football match then you’re not alone — Barclays Football were wondering as well, and as part of their #YouAreFootball campaign, the decided to find out.
During the Reds 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield last month, Barclays Football hooked up former Reds striker John Aldridge, and a number of fans around the world, to heart rate monitors while they watched the match. If you’ve ever felt like your heart was about to leap out of your chest, you’re not alone; and really, you’re not all that wrong.
With the test subjects wearing the Firstbeat Bodyguard 2 devices, they found that when your team concedes, your heart rate increases to 145.5% of resting, and when you score, your heart rate increases to 215.5% of resting — a seriously substantial change.
“A fan’s heart rate may behave differently from an athlete. Because athletes are so much fitter their heart rate and blood pressure respond more slowly to exercise” said Dr John Perrins, a cardiologist who was consulted during the experiment. “The actual heart stress – increase in heart rate and blood pressure – experienced by the fan could actually be greater than the player’s.”
Who said that watching sports is supposed to be fun?
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