Daily Stretching

Potential-Monke

Hello all. I've recently (as in since Saturday) started training with the local American Football team. I won't be playing this year, but i will be training with them twice a week.

I've led a very sedentary lifestyle for the last 10 odd years. I'm 31 in May, overweight by about 3 stone and have very little cardio ability. Typically, i also have slight asthma, and i am a smoker. I've started a diet, which is working, and the cigarettes are going in a month (i've found previously that setting a date works better than just deciding to quit now).

After training on Saturday, i tweaked a calf muscle and a hamstring was also giving me the evils. I've been plastering myself with deep heat cream since, and i'm nearly ok again for training tomorrow night.

What i wanted to know was, is there any stretching i can do on a daily basis to help with the muscles i will be working. The position i'm looking at will be O-Line and D-Line, which basically is short bursts of strength. Going by the pains, the areas which seem to be most effected are the calves, hamstrings, shoulders, upper arms and middle/lower back.

Unfortunately, because American Football is still not huge here, there is no full time physio to help me, just someone who turns up to games to help (all voluntary).

So, if someone could point me in the direction of a few videos or links which outline the best stretches i can do on a daily basis to help me loosen out and prepare the muscles i'll be using mostly, so i can avoid injury, i'd be greatly appreciative. To note, I'm not a fan of cardio and detest running/walking/cycling. They are something i can probably get into in the future when i'm a bit fitter, but for now i know full well i won't do anything like that (that's why i'm training for O/D-Line, very little running!). I'm just looking for stretching i can do at home daily. I also work shift work, so my working pattern is all over the place!

Cheers in advance.

I don't play sport myself, so this might be totally off base, but as someone who is big into stretching, I'd recommend maybe having a look at some yoga videos online, particularly ones that say they're good for runners (as it will focus on your legs). There's also the common stretches, like putting your heel out on the ground in front of you and bending your supporting leg to stretch your hamstrings, pulling your heel up to your bum behind you to stretch the front of your leg, taking one elbow in the other hand over your head and reaching down your back to stretch your arms and taking your arm with a locked elbow joint in front of your collar bones to stretch your shoulder.

As for preparing for those short bursts of strength, other than your training itself, you could invest 3 euro in a skipping rope and do some short bursts of skipping in the morning, it will help improve your calves and ankles (if you're carrying extra weight and doing sport you really need to take care of your ankles).

Another thing I'd point out is that you mention pain in your lower back. This is very bad. If you don't want to end up with back problems, focus on strengthening your stomach/core muscles in order to take pressure/strain off your back.

siochain

Yoga
Mobilitywod.com
Becoming a Supple leopard (book)


The above will help with flexibility and ROM

runawaybishop

http://phraktured.net/starting-stretching.html

http://phraktured.net/molding-mobility.html

mickman

i do yoga every morning for 10-15 mins and it helps loads

atilladehun

I'm no expert but this is what I'm doing around my exercise:

http://www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-runners-pre-run

http://www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-runners-post-run

Foam Rolling really really helps too

http://q.equinox.com/articles/2013/11/foam-roller

discus

Just to throw my 2 cents in. People make supple leopard out to be a great thing, but it's hype has peaked thank god. You can stay injury free with a basic routine of stretching, until you have settled into the sport and find what muscles/joints you need to maintain or work further on.

The following is so out of vogue that I'm sure most will disregard it upon first viewing the webpage, but a simply routine like this has helped me massively in the past 2 years. No bands, balls, rollers or grids, just 2 m^2 area of flat ground.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/multimedia/stretching/sls-20076840

siochain

supple leopard has its value in teaching good movement, stretching and mobility work for more advanced lifter or athlete.

discus

Yeah true, it's probably the difference for some atheletes/competitors placing in the top 3 or not... maybe. But I reckon OP is a while away from that. It's a well expensive book though!

Alf Veedersane

I got it for thirty quid on bookdepository. Didn't expect it to be as good as it was because it seemed to be overhyped but in all honesty I've found it showed me how to reduce hip problems beyond what I could with 'conventional' stretching. For that alone, it was money well spent. Cheaper than a visit to the physio.

Potential-Monke

Well a week or so on and i'm still a bit tender all over from the last session, and think i may have done something to my ankle as it's kinda sore to walk on and makes me limp ever so slightly. S'what i get for jumping in at the deep end!

It's the basics i need for now until, as discus said, i can figure out my problems areas and focus on them more!