When preparing for an upcoming season of football, there are a few simple steps to take to help keep yourself injury free.
Gradual Conditioning:
Provide your body with enough time to adjust to the increased physical demands and don’t go too hard, too early – you should include a mix of cardio, strength training, agility and skills development.
Warm-up and Cool-down Routines:
Implementing a warm-up and cool-down routines into your preseason is paramount to staying injury free. It will help prevent soft tissue injuries like muscle strains and promote muscle recovery.
In addition you should place emphasis on the importance of eccentric strength training, in particular for your calves and hamstrings as they are common sites for soft tissue injury in Football. Eccentric strength training will improve your body’s ability to adapt to load which will increase the amount of pressure that you can withstand in your tendons, making them less susceptible to injury.
Nutrition and Hydration:
With an increase in exercise, your body will require more to keep fueled and hydrated.
Make sure that you are eating the right foods to adequately fuel your body and drinking enough water to replenish fluids.
Rest and Recovery:
Adequate rest periods between training sessions are essential so that your body has time to recover. During these rest periods it is still important to use this time effectively to aid recovery.
Some additional methods that can also be beneficial to recovery can include:
Ice baths
Gentle swim in the ocean
Light walk and stretch
Good nutrition and hydration
Adequate sleep
At Boost Health Collective, we’ve found that preseason athletes who receive regular Remedial Massage and Myotherapy treatments effectively manage their bodies throughout the preseason while rebuilding the strength and fitness they need for the upcoming season
This treatment approach is highly effective for:
Injury prevention
Reducing muscle tension
Enhancing muscle recovery and promoting healing
Relieving aches and pains
In conjunction with regular treatment, practitioners will advise you on exercise inclusions and modifications that are specific to you and your goals.
Do preseason right, prepare early and set yourself up for success!
