Geriatric tandem instructors

[livendive 8]

OK, I'm not even in POPS yet, so not quite geriatric, but a hip flexor injury I sustained last weekend has me admitting that I've reached the age at which stretching is becoming a must. I know AggieDave has previously posted a work-out regimen for tandem instructors, but strength isn't something I rountinely find myself lacking. The Monday morning aches & pains are a bit more of a problem, especially when they stretch into Tuesday, or as in the case this week, Thursday. Has anyone come up with a good stretching routine for tandem instructors? I'm thinking shoulders, full back, and hips? It sounded here recently like some also encounter routine problems with their elbows?

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[steveorino 7]

Dave, I'm 53 ... and counting. I work out 4 days a week plus the skydiving on weekends (Cessna).

I do stretch a lot ... nothing designed, just simple stretches. Plus I lift light weights to keep strong. I have cut out process sugars for the past 4 months and while I'm no svelte, flat-belly twenty-something, I can hold my own.

steveOrino

[rhys 0]

Try the 'salutes to the sun' these are yoga positions.

I do those when i feel stiff and they do not take up too much time or energy.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[BIGUN 1,074]

Dave,

This may sound a bit silly, how old and well-constructed is your foot gear?

Bad L5S1 and injured MCL... talked to a Chiro friend and he suggested good cross-trainers. Bought some Sketchers and it makes a difference.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[livendive 8]

Quote

Dave,

This may sound a bit silly, how old and well-constructed is your foot gear?

Bad L5S1 and injured MCL... talked to a Chiro friend and he suggested good cross-trainers. Bought some Sketchers and it makes a difference.

I have, until this year, always done tandems in Tevas. It took until last year for me to make a connection between my footwear and my daily sore feet by the end of each season. So this year I put some high arch inserts into some Vans and told myself I'd wear them on both ends of the season, leaving me only 3 months in Tevas instead of 6. I mostly stuck by that & just got new Tevas two weeks ago to wear during the summer. Overall, probably not the greatest choice of shoes, but a lot more cushion and arch support than Chuck Taylors.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I stopped doing tandems in Tevas last year. I turned my ankle on the first jump of the day and left the dz in a bind. Another TM jumped the rest of the day to cover for me even though his back was killing him. I am pretty sure most other type of footwear would have lessened or even eliminated my injury, so I just don't do it any more.
Damm I miss barefoot tandems on the beach in Cabo.

[Schoenauer 0]

Stretching, exercising, food, and foot ware are all vary good and the only thing I would add to this list is cut down on alcohol and stay hydrated. Treat your body like an athlete should.

I am 44 and I to have had my aches and pains over the years and plenty of visits to physical therapy. A great thing I learned from my physical therapy and has eliminated my visits, is I needed to pay attention to the physical ergonomics of how I am using my body. The list could go on and on but a few examples are where and how I am sitting in the airplane, how I handling equipment like lifting to putting the rig on or off. The idea is to recognize and avoids continuous repetitive movements and do the same work differently, a little or a lot, to break up the repetitiveness. A simple one, I think to notice and do, is do you always carry the tandem parachute slung over the same shoulder when you walk in after a jump, and if you do change sides frequently though out the day.

Memento Mori

[jasonRose 0]

Chucks rule the sky
The key to stretching is this,
You can't just do once and a while, you have to stick it out for the long term.

A 5-10min light warm up to get you ready to stretch. Jumping jacks, running in place, up downs, front punches in a low stance etc. Common mistake is stretching to much when cold.

Once warm; focus on all primary muscle groups (daily), hold the stretch for aprox 10-15sec and slowly release and repeat. Take note of how far you get when trying to touch feet twist body etc. and try to increase the stretch a 1/4" after about 7 days of stretching.

If that doesn't work for you, start having crazy monkey sex every night.

Some day I will have the best staff in the world!!!

[feuergnom 22]

Quote

hold the stretch for aprox 10-15sec and slowly release and repeat

that is what our parents used to do. for any stretch to be effective you have to hold it for at least 30 seconds anything less is nice but useless (this comes from clinical background)

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[skydiveoc 0]

Quote

Chucks rule the sky
The key to stretching is this,
You can't just do once and a while, you have to stick it out for the long term.

A 5-10min light warm up to get you ready to stretch. Jumping jacks, running in place, up downs, front punches in a low stance etc. Common mistake is stretching to much when cold.

Once warm; focus on all primary muscle groups (daily), hold the stretch for aprox 10-15sec and slowly release and repeat. Take note of how far you get when trying to touch feet twist body etc. and try to increase the stretch a 1/4" after about 7 days of stretching.

If that doesn't work for you, start having crazy monkey sex every night.

Stretching and strength mobilityt will lead to better sex everynight too! Even if its with yourself like me.

Google Steve Maxwell...my idol. Jiu Jitsu blackbelt at age 55, kicks ass ,and has awesome strength mobility regiments for aging atheletes. Things like overhead walking presses and lunges with PVC pipes filled with water. Awesome core stability workouts.