Squash, racketball and table tennis are great sports we offer at Racquets Fitness Centre in Thame. 

They are HiiT sessions, they are sociable, they are fun but can be competitive if you want.  They are addictive and they help you keep very fit.

As Martin, who is 81 this year, says – use it or lose it.  Keep going or you end up having to stop.  Martin plays squash or racketball 3 times a week.

But….

Your body isn’t as young as it was.

Your muscles need help to cope with the new levels of exercise.

Techniques for ensuring that your main large muscle groups become conditioned enough to allow you to play as much as you want are varied and you have to find which ones suit you.  It’s likely to be a combination that’s needed.

1. Warm up : massively important : tell your muscles in a controlled way that you are going to expect more from them for an hour – then they will work nicely for you during the uncontrolled workout : get the blood flowing through the muscles : you should be sweating a little BEFORE you start playing (though few really go this far)
2. Warm down and Stretching after : this gives your muscles the opportunity to release the toxins that are built up as waste during exercise
3. Massage : as you age your muscles do not release all the toxins and massage is the solution to this. Massage can be done any time after exercise although less intensively immediately after
4. Foam rolling (and other types of rolling) : this is a way of massaging the muscles yourself : rolling forces the toxins out of the pockets of the muscles : can be used lightly immediately after exercise : should be used any other time to locate built up toxins (yes it’s where it hurts) : should be used to release the toxins (yes that’ll hurt too) : good to be used as part of the muscle warm up too (might not be quite as painful as the other two)
5. Drink plenty of water : the muscles need to be flushed of the toxins especially after massaging them out : more exercise needs more water

After a break of a week or more

Your body will have built up the toxins from daily life during the break.  Any build up of toxins in muscles stops the muscles from working correctly.  If you then take uncontrolled exercise like squash or racketball (or football or rugby or – well any sport) the muscles that are not working correctly will pull on the nearest joint, tendon or ligament.  Classic squash injury after a break – achilles pain or rupture.   But it could be anywhere !!!

So warm up, warm down, stretch, take massages, foam roll and drink plenty of water

You have been warned

Now go and enjoy your sport