To lessen the chance of injury and improve performance, we all should ease into exercise with an orchestrated warm-up, Mr. Verstegen said. These eight exercises approximate a typical warm-up for the German national soccer team, so for many of us, they “might be a workout in itself at first,” he said. But persevere, and the moves will become easier, he said, and your subsequent workouts will be more productive. These exercises require a foam roller and resistance band, which are available at many gyms or can be purchased at sporting goods stores. They are best performed in the order listed. Foam Roll — Glutes Benefits: Rolls away pain and tightness in your power muscles. How: Settle your hip sideways on a foam roller. Roll back and forth, focusing on the gluteus muscles in the buttocks. Goal: Roll each side, pausing for 30 seconds on tight spots. Foam Roll — Quadriceps Benefits: Release quadriceps tightness and reduce your risk for injury. How: Make like a plank, facing the floor, elbows on the ground, with one leg straight and the other bent to the side, and the roller beneath the upper thigh of the outstretched leg. Roll back and forth. Goal: Roll each side, pausing for 30 seconds on tight spots. Mini Band — Lateral Bent Leg Walk Benefits: Activates your glute muscles and primes your hips for activity. How: Encircle your upper thighs with a resistance band. Keeping your legs shoulder-width apart, march purposefully from side to side. Goal: 1 set of 8 steps on each side. Inverted Hamstring Stretch Benefits: Improves balance and reduces your risk of pulling a hamstring. How: Like a bobbing bird toy, balance on one leg, arms outstretched and lean forward until you are parallel with the ground. Return to the upright position as gracefully as possible. Goal: 1 set of 4 reps on each side Lateral Lunge to Drop Lunge Benefits: Stretches the hip and thigh muscles that tighten from cutting and planting. How: Standing upright, stretch one leg to the side while keeping the other straight; drop into a side lunge; then straighten and swing the outstretched leg back until it is crossed behind you; straighten your pelvis; lower your entire body. But, really, watch her. Goal: 1 set of 4 reps on each side. Reverse Lunge, Elbow to Instep — With Rotation Benefits: Stretches your groin, hip flexors, gluteus muscles, and hamstrings. How: Watch this. Several times. Goal: 1 set of 4 reps on each side. Pillar Skip Benefits: Improves dynamic hip flexibility for greater speed on the field. How: Skip, keeping your back straight, chin up, knees high and arms swinging. Goal: 2 sets of 10 yards. 3 Hurdle Drill to Sprint Benefits: Improves agility and acceleration to win the ball. How: Set up three low obstacles, spaced a foot or so apart (small hurdles, if available; or perhaps hardback books, spine up). Skip sideways rapidly and nimbly over each obstacle; skip back; sprint to the far wall. Goal: 2 sets of 3.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 19:52:26 +0000
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