This may have been the best World Cup of all time. In England the BBC asked readers what they thought. They considered nine categories including; best goal, biggest controversy, the best underdog and best late drama. In 6 out of 9 of the categories the Brazilian World Cup came out top. As the curtains close on an unforgettable competition, players and fans are left exhilarated but exhausted. Dutch player Arjen Robbin covered the most distance in the tournament, totalling 79.3km. That’s 11.3km or 7.02 miles a game. For most, it’s time to recover. In this article we provide a rejuvenating stretching routine to help recover from strenuous soccer.
So much passion, time to recover
Players shift their training from performance enhancing, physically and mentally taxing work to exercises that help them be ready for the next season with their club teams.
Mentally, players may have a period of rest from the pressures of competition. Performing on the big stage for sustained periods of time is challenging. Just like the body can be over trained, the brain can be too. Pressure on performance takes its toll.
Physically, recovery can be aided by getting blood flowing around the body but without causing any further micro trauma. That is, small tearing to the muscles. A great way to do this is to complete a gradual, slow resistance band stretching session. This helps loosen out the muscles and joints. Hold the stretches for a minute, gradually increase tension throughout the duration of the stretch. Also try applying some force using your muscle while doing the stretch. For example when completing a hamstring stretch, tense your hamstring a little, then relax it, and increase the stretch again. By doing this you should be able to stretch a bit further, but careful not to overdo it.
Below is a full body stretching routine. Hold each stretch for approximately 1 minute. Take deep, gradual, relaxing breaths throughout. This can help calm the mind as well as relax the body.
|
Stretch |
Target muscles |
Band |
|
Quad |
Medium |
|
|
Glute, Groin, Hamstring |
Heavy |
|
|
Ankle, achilles tendon, calf |
Medium |
|
|
Lats, pecs, deltoids |
Medium |
|
|
Back |
Heavy |
By adjusting the position of the Leg Liberator stretch you can target the Glutes, Groin and Hamstring. Below stretches the Glute. Put the leg directly above the body to stretch the hamstring and across the outside of the body to stretch the groin.
Liberate the leg: holding this position stretches the Glutes
Happy Recovery
The above stretching routine was completed using the Medium and Heavy resistance bands. Both of which are contained within the standard mobile gym kit in a bag. Workout, and recover anywhere, anytime.
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