Getting injured is part of playing football and while you can’t escape it you can do some simple things to avoid it, says England physio, Steve Kemp.
And that starts in the morning while you’re tending to your gnashers. “Standing on one foot every day when you brush your teeth will work your glutes and address some balance issues,” explains Kemp.
To give yourself the best chance of an injury-free season you need to target the body’s largest and most powerful group.
“If you try and squat you’ll probably find that your glutes don’t do anything, like big seat cushions,” says Kemp.
“But your glutes are the biggest muscles in your body and if they’re firing it takes stress off the hamstrings and other muscles.
Once you’ve done your gym work during the week you have to do more than a few stretches five minutes before kick-off on game day.
“With the elite athlete we work on pre-activation,” says Kemp. “We get 20-30 minutes with the players in the gym before the warm-up and we look at things like bridging – when you lie on your back and push your bum up – this activates the glutes. If you get good you can go to one-legged bridges.”
Find out more from Kemp by hitting play and watching the full video.
For more football tips see:
England's pre-activation workout
Louis Smith's stretching school
Get the most out of your pre-match warm up
Kick-off on the front foot
The ultimate half-time warm up
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