next day fitness

[Fred The Red]

Hey,

Sometimes i've to play local competion late in the evening.
When it happens that i have to play a long match...cramp etc.

But the next day i have to play again and my legs are still hurting and very heavy.

Are there sugestions to make this a little bit better so i can play
fitter the next match?

Thanks!

[david aames]

- slow warm up before your match, stretching afterwards
- ice bath
- massage if you can afford it
- 2 IBs before the match, 2 afterwards
- drink fluids

[sanitarium]

Well the biggest problem is the timing of the matches which cannot be fixed, so i'd work on personal fitness/ what kind of shape you're in


Once you build up endurance and muscle strength you should feel better, but for now:

Bananas - Great for muscles (potassium)
Lots of fluid - water, fruit juice
Stretching / Deep heat on the legs after the game.
Hot bath
Massage

Those are some ideas, hope this helps!

[baseliner]

Stretching. I've heard it said that stretching after a match is even more important than before. Won't go that far, but it is important to stretch after match. Watch a college match and see how often (in a tourney where they play 2 matches per day) the trainer comes on court and stretches a player right after a match.
IB before and after a match. IB before match relaxes the body and prevents pulls and tears. IB after a match reduces inflammation.
Ice starts repairing the micro tears. Heat may be relaxing, but don't think it is a good idea if you have another match next day. Does nothing to reduce inflammation and actually complicates matter.

[joebedford]

Ice bath, ice bath, ice bath, ice bath, and ice bath. You won't believe the difference ten minutes makes, and it is not as bad as you think.

I start with cold water in the tub and get in quickly (usually biting a towel, heh heh). Once you get past the initial jolt it's not that bad. Once I'm in, then I dump in couple of bags of ice.

Once I tried it once and felt the difference it made the next day, I was hooked.

[joebedford]

Almost forgot--do it as soon as possible after you play. Besides, it's easier to take when you're hot.