Getting Older and Stiffer

[MeHateHe]

It's something that didn't cross my mind much until I knew what it actually was, around the time I started officiating. I had always just taken my skates to the pro shop at the rink where I was about to play and I think they defaulted to 1/2" if you didn't specify. I tried out 3/4" and it made a world of difference. I even went up to 1" for extra glide which is more helpful as an official, since I was doing more officiating than playing.

For reference, this was in the Phoenix area where the ice tends to be on the soft side.

As a ref, I never got my skates sharpened more than twice a season after I moved to Vancouver Island, precisely because the ice was so soft. If my blades were too sharp, I found it reduced my ability to move laterally and because I was refereeing about 90% of the games I was working, I was more likely to be working deep in the endzone, near the corners and nets, so gliding was not part of my repertoire.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Blue Chew

 

[D1az]

I'd look into anything that has to do with exercises for the fascia.

Something which was completely ignored until quite recently, and is the source of a lot of stiffness and pain.

Despite exercising I didn't have enough movement and "stretching" related to how I moved and exercised, and my fascia started getting stuck at points in my back which was a source of a lot of pain and stiffness, all the way from my neck down to my knees.

It's really a thing of its own which too many ignore, including me, because we are completely unaware of its existence or how it works.

 

[bucks_oil]

I saw mention of a massage gun earlier and those really help.

Another thing, quite related, are those air-compression devices. Normatec (now HyperIce) make a hip-compression device that does wonders for me. It used to be sold with the legs, but it looks like now it is only sold with a "full body" package, which is more expensive.

My guess is if you wait a bit and look around online, you can probably find one used, because they are moving to "no hose, integrated pump" versions, so the old hose version will be around.

Full Disclosure 1: 50 year old goalie here and I started wearing these for 20 mins before any game... time permitting... and tracking my stats. It was worth -1.0 GAA for me, lol.

Full Disclosure 2: I happen to be buddies with one of the execs, so I get friends and family discounts. I keep telling him he should sell the hips on their own to hockey players... he says something is in the works. But I am a big fan, wife uses the legs before/after every run... and great for ski-trips with an apres beer in your hand...

 

[Grifter3511]

43 year old goalie who only plays drop in now but I play weekly 10 months out of the year. I also exercise pretty consistently (all weight training, almost zero cardio) 4-5 times a week. I absolutely love this hips, groin and lower back stretching routine.

 

[Grifter3511]

Dynamic stretching? Done wonders for me

I used to loooovvveee my static stretching. Like, I'd watch an nhl hockey game on the floor doing 5 or 6 different static stretches for 20-30 minutes each. I still like my static stretching, but I have come to appreciate the value and importance of dynamic stretching. Im now a dynamic stretcher in the morning and a static stretcher at night.

 

[PistolPete]

I used to loooovvveee my static stretching. Like, I'd watch an nhl hockey game on the floor doing 5 or 6 different static stretches for 20-30 minutes each. I still like my static stretching, but I have come to appreciate the value and importance of dynamic stretching. Im now a dynamic stretcher in the morning and a static stretcher at night.

Almost the same

I do dynamic.stretching every day outstation only after workouts.

Oddly, I found static stretching every day seemed to aggravate inflammation

 

[Grifter3511]

Almost the same

I do dynamic.stretching every day outstation only after workouts.

Oddly, I found static stretching every day seemed to aggravate inflammation

Yeah, I've had a tender lower left back for a while now and some of my favourite static stretches bother it...but some other ones I've found really help relieve it.

 

[PistolPete]

Yeah, I've had a tender lower left back for a while now and some of my favourite static stretches bother it...but some other ones I've found really help relieve it.

My static routine centers around the lower back area because that's a bad area for me if I don't stay on top of it


Funny thing is, none of them are stretches specifically for the back. After doing physiotherapy for a bit I came to appreciate how interconnected everything is and my physiotherapist actually had me target the hips, gluten, hamstrings, and inner thigh/groin area.

There's another one, can't recall the name of it but runs across the front in upper thigh/hip area, more in the pelvis region I guess.

They've done me wonders. Rarely get the lower back pain I used to (knock on wood)