It's been a while...

Discussion in 'Player' started by Coach_Hayles, Jan 17, 2014.

  1. Coach_Hayles

    Coach_Hayles Member

    Dec 23, 2013
    Redmond, WA
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Haven't played regularly in about 10 years. Not in terrible shape but don't make a habit of getting regular exercise, either. Desk job. Currently 28, just about to turn 29. Want to get into some pickup games - just as a sub to start with. Not jumping into full length games right away.

    What exercises do you recommend to get back into playing? Anything that builds stamina and also something that will help avoid dragging around a pair of heavy, tired legs.
     
  2. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    #2 rca2, Jan 17, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2014
    Fartleks and general strength training to start. For the first 2-3 weeks it could be as simple as alternating running and jogging intervals, and pushups and situps. Something for the legs would be okay too. 1-legged body weight squats might be too aggressive to start. Better to start with 2 legs. If you have access to weights, a general conditioning routine would good instead of the body weight exercises. Be sure to warm up and cool down, including stretches. Take it real easy at the beginning. Push too hard and you can get surprised with inflamation. It has a way of creeping up on you when starting off after an extended layoff.
     
    Coach_Hayles and nicklaino repped this.
  3. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    You have to get in a little better shape before you start fartlek. Please do not do a situp they ar back killers especially if your out of shape do crunches instead less strain on the back
     
    Coach_Hayles repped this.
  4. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know that feeling! I had about 3 years between finishing college soccer and before I started playing in an adult rec league. Even though I was in pretty good shape from running 10Ks and a half marathon during that lull period, I still had a really hard time getting back into soccer games. No amount of running can really prepare you to be in soccer shape. Expect to struggle during the first few games back and to be really sore afterwards!
    That being said, you still need to do some running where you vary your pace, like fartlek, even if you have to work into it slowly, as you have to have some cardiovascular fitness. Also I'd recommend working on your agility to prepare for the multi-directional movement of soccer that straight running won't give you. To start, the agility work can just be warming up before your run with some shuffles, etc.
    Take it slow, and enjoy being back in the game!
     
    Coach_Hayles repped this.
  5. hegs

    hegs New Member

    Feb 8, 2014
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    I know this feelign 3 years, I usally do beep test :D!
     
  6. Coach_Hayles

    Coach_Hayles Member

    Dec 23, 2013
    Redmond, WA
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Ouch. That is all.
     
  7. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yep! :D I hope you still enjoyed it! Don't forget recovery: light jogging, stretching, use a foam roller if you have one. It really does help.
     
  8. Elbullio

    Elbullio Member

    Dec 24, 2010
    Its always so positive to hear about people wanting to start playing again!

    My contribution is towards the physical element of football on your body. As you are 28 and not 18 anymore, injuries will be a concern for you. What i would invite you do to is the following:

    1) Start taking a fish oil (Omega 3) supplement. I cannot stress this enough. That should prevent any inflammation in your joints, and take care of the worst soreness once you start playing.

    2) Agility. You have desk job and problably sit down all day. Start stretching. 60 seconds of quad, ham and glute stretching. Once a day. I bet they are all tight, so start loosen your limbs, it will hurt, but make you feel great!

    3) If you can manage it, Core strengthening. Chances are that some of your muscles arent fireing properly and will - beyond any shade of doubt - cause you to be injured. Which sucks. So, to get everything going again, do the below workout a couple of times a week (or more) to give your body a wakeup call. It takes around 10 minuttes to complete. No gym subscription needed.

    2 x 60 seconds of front plank - tighten glutes and maintain a straight line.
    2 x 20 seconds of side plank - each side
    2 x 60 seconds of glute-ham bridges - again, maintain straight line.
    15 x 3 reps of squats - get as deep as possible and remember to stick that butt out
    finally 2x20 leg raises.
     
    rca2 and Coach_Hayles repped this.
  9. Coach_Hayles

    Coach_Hayles Member

    Dec 23, 2013
    Redmond, WA
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    It was good fun. Even if the body struggled the brain was still there.

    I've seen a lot about the foam rollers. They're essentially giving you a massage, right? Getting the knots out.
     
  10. Elbullio

    Elbullio Member

    Dec 24, 2010
    Yup. An efficient self massage.
     
    lil_one repped this.
  11. Coach_Hayles

    Coach_Hayles Member

    Dec 23, 2013
    Redmond, WA
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    The stretching has really helped over the last couple of days. I played another 90 minutes last night and with plenty of pre and post game stretching my hamstrings feel fine this morning.

    Unfortunately I did get a knock on the foot so my day still isn't pain free.
     
  12. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    #12 rca2, Mar 6, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2014
    RICE and ibuprofen work miracles. Even for minor soft tissue injuries or inflamations, ice initially will prevent or reduce swelling (swelling causes soft tissue injury) and then if soreness persists after 48 hours use heat therapy to promote circulation. In my experience ibuprofen reduces swelling by affecting blood flow. So I use it very sparingly and for short periods.

    My last issue was persistent soreness in a glute. One heating pad session and it disappeared.

    Having said that, I consider being sore for 24 hours after a match as normal--not an injury. And the recovery routines mentioned above (by you and others) are a good way to deal with it. The way I tell is if light exercise (jogging or walking) feels good, then I am not injured. Believe it or not, your body will adapt to healing small cuts and bruises if you play regularly. So you will recover a little faster as you play more, and do an "active rest" recovery.
     
    Coach_Hayles repped this.
  13. TabLalas

    TabLalas Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    Jersey
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Coach_Hayles, i also noticed that you said that you have a desk-job.
    Even sitting down there are still periods thru the day that you can get a couple minutes of exercise even IN your chair.
    I went from a pretty physical job to a job that I have to park my a$$ in a chair for 8 hours so when I'm sitting in my chair I'll do half-crunches in my chair in 2 minute intervals. I'll also do leg lifts while seated. All core excercises.
    This has all worked, after a month I can crack walnuts on my abs.
    Don't use an excuse like "well I sit down all day at work" rob you of a chance to workout.
    If you're worried about your coworkers laughing at you then show them a pic of your six-pack after a month of this.
     
    HouseHead78 repped this.
  14. Elbullio

    Elbullio Member

    Dec 24, 2010
    Desk job crunches... Must be a Jersey thing?
     
  15. Coach_Hayles

    Coach_Hayles Member

    Dec 23, 2013
    Redmond, WA
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    So I've been playing weekly (sometimes twice a week) for the last couple of months. The stretching has worked wonders with the majority of the pain. One persistent problem I'm having is my shin splits. Some weeks they're not too bad, other weeks they're agony. Is there are stretching I can do to minimize them?
     
  16. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    There are different conditions that people call "shin splints." The type I experienced is due to the calf being too tight and the muscle pulling away from the bone exposing nerves. Periodic stretching of the calf resolves the condition and keeps it from reoccurring.
     
  17. TabLalas

    TabLalas Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    Jersey
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's a "thinking outside the box" thing.
     
  18. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Usually shin splints occur because of too much stress on the connective tissue around the shin....too quickly getting back into activity or changing the running surface. If you're doing running throughout the week on the road, I'd suggest moving to a softer surface like trails (which will also strengthen the calves to help prevent shin splints). Ice may help, and stretching the calves like rca2 suggested. If it continues, your calves might just need a rest, and you have to take a week off. Of course, I'm not a medical professional, so if its really painful, go talk to a doctor or PT because it could be something else.
     
  19. TabLalas

    TabLalas Member+

    Mar 29, 2007
    Jersey
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Another thing on the shinsplints; invest in a good pair of shoes.
    If you're playing quite a bit you don't wanna go cheap, you get what you pay for.
    I've even doubled up before buying a nice pair of shoes and then buy some nice inserts.
    Take care of your feet and they'll take care of you.
     
  20. BackBlast

    BackBlast Member

    Jul 13, 2012
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    I started playing again about 2 years ago after a nearly 20 year break (youth player way back when :). I got shin splints as well that could get pretty bad after a hard workout our a long session. I went straight into it figuring the best way to get used to it is to do and then try to listen to my body's signals. I got my cardio up to where I wanted it and I trained pretty hard for several months.

    Anyway, I suspect continuous playing and inadequate recovery time was the ultimate culprit, and unfortunately "recovery time" for ligaments appears to not be very short as my rash of crushed and torn ligaments in my 2 year career of casual play can attest to. Further, you don't get the same strain signals that muscles provide for overuse. It was only after I broke a toe and slowly worked back into form several months later that they finally disappeared completely. But they never left me before the break when I was playing regularly, over months and months. I'm not sure I really needed the full 5-6 months the toe took for the shin splints or that they wouldn't have gone away eventually on their own, but some real time off seemed to do the trick for me. YMMV.

    Now if only I could get the other parts of me up to 100%... :eek:
     

Share This Page