Tight hamstrings?

My boyfriend complains about having tight hammies, but refuses to do any stretching to try and alleviate it. He'll only do it when his coach is there, he won't do it in his own time, same as he won't work out unless he's at his martial arts class, but whines about putting weight on. Anyway, every time he or his classmates have any sort of pain, they dash off to the physio. I think it's so melodramatic - they're not professional athletes, why can't they take some responsibility for their own bodies? If he's got tight hamstrings surely there are exercises he can do without running to the physio every time they tighten up? It annoys me, it's like he can't help himself even though he can. Plus, if you do a martial art, you're gonna get hurt - you can't be paying for a physio every time you bash your foot! Argh it's frustrating.

I try telling him to stop whinging but he tells me off for being so 'cynical'. He broke his leg in November, so he's put on weight, but he'll only work out when there's a training class on. What's wrong with home work outs?! Grrr

Hi there

The secret to safe training is to be able to read the signs. All good instructors should conduct classes in a safe manner to reduce the risk of injury. On the other hand all students should train safely and treat each other with respect. Training hard is good for a young student as the body can take more hammer but speaking from experience any injury you obtain never goes away. As you get older these injuries come back to haunt you so training sensibly is the key.

With regards to stretching he needs to incorporate stretching exercises into his daily routine. These can be done whilst watching TV or first thing in the morning. Even just bending down and touching your toes will help. 5 mins every day should do the trick. Being supple helps reduce the amount of injuries as your body is more prepared for exercise.

You have to remember the point to training is to be able to defend yourself if the worst should happen. Doing high kicks from cold when your forced to will only result in damaged ligaments so its far better to be flexible all the time.

Physio will only help short term it doesn't remove the problem. Its a bit like taking a aspirin to mask the headache. Again training safely without ego is far better in the long run and its much cheaper. ;-)

As long as everything is done in a safe manner there shouldn't be any problems.

Best wishes

idai

Tell him to stop whinging and stretch!

To move the waste products from the muscles you need to stretch or cool down after any exercise.

deff. tell him to stop crying about it. if hes not gonna do anything about it then just shut the f up. i played football for 5 years dislocated both shoulders multi times, knees are messed up, dislocated left elbow, broken pinky and wrist on left hand. i did my rehab and now i continue to do so working out my areas that were and are still injured to keep my body in good physical form.

you should punch this guy in the mouth.

he knows the solution and wont do it. what a d-bag.

everytime he goes to sit down stick a cucumber on his chair.

That'll soon get him up and moving :P

and chicken, men are melodramatic lol. Why do u think its women that go through childbirth and not them ha ha :)

Kisses

Xx

I play rugby so I am new to this complaining about injury.?!?
However I did used to get tight hammies so during a game I wear Cycle type shorts underneath my rugby shorts. A lot of people do this because it keeps your hamstrings warm and so there is less chance of pulling it.

Buy him some compression shorts... they may not help his hammies, although that is what they are for, but it will show him how fat he is getting and maybe he will take notice... lol

Your boyf is a 'Lifestyle Athlete'. He's missing the point of Rugby, and of Martial Arts. This attitude is going to keep getting him injured, and wreck his fitness.

He likes the idea of being 'on the team' and 'doing martial arts'; he doesn't have a genuine reason for these activities. (sometimes, this happens to men who are either gay, or 'dys-gendered', and don't want to admit it; they get involved in 'macho' activities to feel more secure).

If his Martial Art (perhaps he's doing the wrong one) was meaningful to him, then the stretches would be an important daily part of his preparation for a regular class. You are wrong to say that 'if you do a martial art, you're gonna get hurt'. Sloppy technique and poor preparation are the usual causes of injury. Good technique will allow you to avoid the damaging effects of unexpected blows (you anticipate better, block more accurately, absorb the impact better, and react more appropriately). Good preparation means that you are less likely to cause damage to yourself (you are less likely to overstretch, overexert, or misjudge your mood and timing).

Going to the Physio is another activity that makes people feel 'like a proper athlete', because the stars of most sports are continually doing the same. In their case, it's because they are operating at the edge of what is humanly possible. Your boyfriend is only operating (to judge by your description) at the edge of what is easy, and having to go to a Physio is a sign of his amateurism and lack of commitment to his sport, and to his own body.

By behaving in the way you describe, he is actually ignoring a lot of the things he has been taught in martial arts classes. All martial arts will include the instruction to train constantly. This involves mental training when your body isn't moving, and physical training whenever it is. Every step, turn, breath and gesture can be performed in a way that trains your body to respond better, OR done in a careless way that helps you to deteriorate.

If this philosophy is important to you (you don't need to be studying MA to understand it,and believe in it) but not to him, then he might not be a constructive person to spend time with. Your own mental & emotional fitness will suffer if these conflicts keep coming up.

No amount of coping strategy (hot packs, strapping, physio attention) will stop his body becoming injured, if he keeps making it more and more vulnerable to damage by omitting the necessary ( DAILY ! )maintenance.