I don’t get injured – unless you count periodic blood blisters at the ends of my middle toes if I run too far/fast. I attribute that to:
- Warming up judiciously. Whether it’s swimming, biking, running, whatever, I spend the first 1-2 minutes going VERY EASY, then easing into about 20 minutes worth of progressively going faster/harder, but always within the bounds of my Long Run Pace, or Just Riding Along, or Cruising In The Pool. My turnover in the warm up is slower than main sets (run cadence, bike RPM, swim strokes per minute). I will sometimes throw in 3-8 short quick efforts (called strides in running, spin ups on the bike or 25s when swimming) if I feel the need to invigorate my muscles before working them hard. But I usually don’t need that.
- Stretching. I DON’T stretch before or after workouts. I DO stretch every morning for about 7-8 minutes, the same routine now for 20+ years. My own personal “makes me feel good” stuff. 1. “Good Morning” – I lean forward 90 degrees at the waist, and stretch my arms out to a wall about three feet high, leaning into my lats muscles to slowly get them longer. Count to 30 on each side. 2. Again, at the low wall, I stretch my achilles tendons 30 counts on each side, the first 20 with a straight knee, the last 10 bent. 3. Lean forward towards a chair, standing on one leg, the other heel on the chair seat, stretching my hamstrings, 15 counts each. 4. One-legged quad stretches: grab the heel of my shoe or pants cuff, and pull my foot back up towards my butt; the opposite arm goes elbow up, hand down behind my head for 20 counts (triceps; the opposite bicep is getting a stretch as well holding the leg), then 10 counts stretched out behind me to pull on my pectoral muscles. Immediately go into 15 counts with one knee up towards my chest, hugged there by my arm, and stretch my neck by twisting my chin towards my opposite shoulder. 5. A brief interlude of touching my fingers to the floor between feet about 18 inches apart. That’s it. I try to do modified dynamic stretching, starting a little stiff, then slowly trying to increase the pressure and thus range of motion.
- My core workout consists of flip turns when I swim.
- Weight lifting. 2-3 times a week, looking to get my muscles tired, but not bigger. 30-45 minutes – the last 15 some special stuff I do for my forearms to help with the residual of my spinal cord injury. Here are my basic 8 exercises: leg press, chest press, lats pull down, seated leg lifts (quads), hamstrings, shoulder raises, triceps extension, seated curls. One day a week, I do ONE set of FOUR for each, spending 2 MINUTES to do the four reps. The other time, I do 3 sets of 12/10/8 reps each, with the middle rep being the same weight as hte longer count sets from the other day. Got it?
- Don’t run every day; 3-4 times a week.
- Attention to proper form in all activities: swimming, biking, running, skiing, weights, stretching.
- Be willing to ramp up slowly if I ever take time off, but try to avoid taking time off.
The older I get, the more I’m looking for longevity in my athletic endeavors, hoping to fade away, not burn out. A longer, easier warm up I think contributes to that. If I try to get away with less than 20 minutes, I find the first interval or two will usually be slower than I want, as if my body is insisting on getting its full time for becoming ready.