The Fitness/Nutrition Thread | Page 22 | Vital Football

The Fitness/Nutrition Thread

Both my Hamstrings have gone stiff, as of yesterday. Do you think I'm doing too much, or do I work through it?

Said a few times to a few of you (and to myself, it is hard!) to not forget rest days.

Be an idea to Google some stretches as well (and take them easy, stretches can be harder than people realise and can be powerful)

I use a massage thing called theragun. Expensive but awesome. That helps. Just used it actually. Now in my fir sauna!

So a rest or a very light ride and a few stretches would be my opinion. Sounds like you've gone from zero to a hundred miles and hour. The body does need time to catch up.
 
Went for the battle rope session yesterday. Mixed with face pulls, hyperextension and a clam stretch (for the hips) with resistance bands.

Then an ab session.

Love this athlene program, so intelligent.
 
Both my Hamstrings have gone stiff, as of yesterday. Do you think I'm doing too much, or do I work through it?

Common sense would say stop and as JF says rest days are important. But rest days don’t need to be sitting on the sofa type days. My rest days from running will still be at least a 3 mile walk with pooch. And at this time of year with better weather, lighter evenings, they will actually be 4-5 miles. If not too bad I would go for a walk mate, so they don’t stiffen up further.

Funny you should say about working through. I get a lot more niggles and muscle strains nowadays which is probably an age thing but as I’m a bit obsessive about getting my 4 runs a week in I have worked through a couple of slight calf strains In the past year or so. I have no idea about the science behind this but it actually worked and I haven’t had any lasting effects either. But I guess i would be told off by an expert .
 
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Depends on the level of stiffness/pain really. Getting blood pumping into the calves for instance, doesn't sound a bad plan, unless it is over a 6 or 7 out of 10 pain wise, then it could be a muscle pull, you can take a muscle pull to a serious injury if you don't watch it.

And yes, said a few times in the thread, active rest, you don't have to be sitting down or sleeping all the time, stretches, light movements etc just not full out training.

With my brain aches, I sometimes go into the gym when I'm not well and test, sometimes it blows the cobwebs away and things are ok, other times I get a pretty quick 'no' and obviously with a brain situation, you learn to listen - in fact, you don't really need to learn, there is no arguing with it!

Sadly we do, as the generations move from 20's and 30's where everything works better and you recover quicker, have to listen to our bodies and allow for some recovery. Every 10 years you do notice a difference don't you!? Pain innit! LOL
 
Thanks all. I actually had a rest day on Thursday, which just involved an hour walking the dogs. Maybe I just went too hard yesterday? 29 miles, at a decent pace.

Anyway, I just did a slow 14 mile ride to loosen the legs up, letting the motor do more work than usual. It seems to haver done the trick. They feel better now.

As for stretches I try and do them. My friend is an osteopath and he's shown me some great ones, but I do need to get more organised and regimented about doing them, I think. At the moment it's just on an ad hoc basis, when I remember!!! Yeah, I know, I'm useless!!!
 
How you finding the tensing?! You doing the pushing against things that are unmoveable as well?
Ha. Yeah at work ive been doing the following...
Tensing of as many areas as i can. Try to do it in sets of 3... so tense. Few moments rest then tense again.
Then anytime i get the chance i blast some jumping squats.
Have done some wall squats. Jesus they hurt.
When something needs moving i improvise an exercise out of it. For example a trolley, once moved i will hold by the rail and lift the front end and do some improvising bicep movement for as many as i can.
Have found some railings where i hold them and try to prise them open, similar movement to hulk hogan ripping his top off. And try my hardest for as long as possible or until distracted.
Makes the days tick along quicker and gets the blood pumping a tad. Think its definately helping keeping hold of the muscle mass i do have so i am definately going to keep doing it. Was a great idea! Thanks
 
Before the villa game we had run out of drinks and essentails. So put on my bag and ran the 2mile to the shops. Went as fast as i could. Did it in just over 11 minutes.
Then did the shopping which was my rucksack full, and two bags for life on either side and ran back. My shoulders hurt. I can confirm that the run back was nowhere near 11 minutes.
 
Ab session done this morning, save pushing after my main session late this afternoon. I have a spreadsheet now (yeah, yeah, that said) with about 15 different exercises on, I do 5 or so per session, nice way to alternate and hit different areas, plus not grow bored.

End of the 4th week this week on the Athlene Beaxst programme, looking forward to the next 4 week block, because things are swapped around a little.

Oh and the battle rope session the other day, blimey! I have quite big hands, not sure how folks with small hands keep a grip on them. Enjoyed the session, not done them before.
 
Told myself off a bit today after allowing myself a few minutes indulgence. I said to myself 'I didn't have a fair crack at youth, now I'm getting old!' as I conceded weighted reverse lunges, and potentially squats will be no more. I then told myself (as many of you would like to) to 'shut the f*** up' and I rallied.

I momentary lapse is fine, it is true re youth, but then, my knees have been buggered since I was 13, they aren't going to be getting better at 51 are they? But there are ways around this, I can use the vibro plate to do lunges for example.

Still an awesome session and some clever bits in the program. Pretty epic session, including 3 sets of 12 deadlifts and 116kg. Ouch! Pretty awesome that actually.
 
Been reducing the runs with pooch as said previously bit worried about over doing it. So been doing more intense runs when on my own as it has to be slower with her when she is off chasing things.
7 miles in 61 mins tonight. Still going around the fields a lot of the run so bit uneven and takes it out of the legs I find more than the roads.
Then back home and pick pooch up for 3 mile walk with her. Love that its the time of year I can do this. Winter sucks!.
 
Hard day yesterday. Walked to the shop in the morning which is about 2 miles there and back , then followed up with 3 reps of a kettlebell routine.

Then last evening I did my 400 meter runs flat out with a minute in between and managed 10 of those. The last one was pure torture though.

Just done another 3 reps on the kettlebell as well.