Pre-game stretching and warm up

1 Start by taking a light jog at 40% MHR to get the blood flowing to the muscles and to wake the system up by telling it that its time for exercise/movement.

2 Set up a 10m x 2m area for you to then complete your dynamic stretches.

3 Start off by jogging from one side of the area to the other side and run backwards when returning to starting side.

4 Then go from one side to the other driving your knee up to 90º and opening your hips as far as possible then bringing the knee down. On the way back to the start, drive the knee up to 90º but on the left and right side, to the middle/medial line and drop knee to the ground. (Open gates & close gates).

5 Start by grabbing the knee under the kneecap, and gently pulling the knee up as far as you can to stretch out the gluteus maximus in the bum area. When returning to start, place one hand on top and one hand at the bottom of the shin, and pull the shin up to the stomach to stretch out the glute med on the side of the bum area.

6 Next, complete walking lunges to the end of the warm up area, taking the knee to almost touch the ground, and stopping before doing so, to upright into your normal starting position. When returning to the start, complete squats to increase the range of motion in the hips.

7 The muscles are now warm, and prepared for the session ahead. Finish off the warm up with 3 x 10m sprints.

You can also use products like the Flow Pro, Trigger Point foam rollers & therabands to get into the muscles and target certain areas that require more direct attention making sure, from a holistic point of view, you are prepared fully for your session as well as looking after your body after exercise.

The important message with stretching is, even if you are doing a park run or social soccer game, make sure you get there early before your mates do and then start your routine so by the time they come down you can join in on their stretches provided they are beneficial, and then you are more than ready to go.

For the ageing athlete or weekend warrior, this is an absolute must if you would like to walk two days after your exercise or prolong your career in competitive or social competition.