Is a lack of strength and flexibility the real reason you suffer with aches and pains?

It still alarms me that so much emphasis is placed upon stretching or remedial care for injury relief. When you really think about it, it is hard to fathom that just stretching would make you an elite athlete. Earlier in the season one of my fellow team-mates was berated by another for not having stretched enough prior to him pulling his calf muscle.  Nothing to do with the fact he had done zero strength work, zero running and zero mobility work in the lead up to this game. And when he had pulled it, he was still encouraged to stretch so that he could carry on. So does strength and flexibility training help?

Now I use this guy as an example but I will be clear that I do not expect everyone to have the same knowledge as myself but I do find it remarkable how some information always slips through the gap and is then taken as gospel and spreads like wildfire.

So I guess this is my opportunity to educate so that we can make better informed decisions.
A pulled muscle is essentially like a frayed rope.  If we suggested to him that his muscle was a frayed rope do you think he would then stretch it?

NO, you would leave it well alone wouldn’t you and leave the field of play.

Overworked muscles, like ropes, will eventually break if given too much stress and for that guy, football offered too much of a stress for his body to cope with.

So what should he have done?

Well the preparation for that match should have probably started about 6 weeks prior with some light jogging and strength work as this would have built up a tolerance to cope with football.  Unfortunately for many the understanding isn’t there because the getting fit is playing football, not getting fitter to then play football.

The fitness and conditioning should be part of the process before we launch ourselves into game play.  This would enable a greater tolerance to the loads placed upon the body, and therefore a reduced chance of an injury occurrence.

Flexibility is not the reason for his injury, however a programme combining strength, cardiovascular and mobility work would be a great starting place. Longevity and quality of life are enhanced by looking after your body.  But as humans we like to skip the odd step and for the most part we will be ok, but at some point our body will scream out and say enough is enough.

We built our online coaching programmes, specifically our 6 week Move Well Programme, with this foundation of strength and conditioning in mind.  To lead a good wholesome life, looking after our body is crucial and this extends to much more than just playing sport.  It could be playing with grandkids on the floor, or weeding in the garden, or even just taking the stairs.