Heart Rate Monitors to Prevent Overuse Injuries

The exercises & techniques to keep your body healthy for footbag.
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beckermj
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Heart Rate Monitors to Prevent Overuse Injuries

Post by beckermj » 11 Oct 2011 19:43

I have been starting to play regularly, and as I usually play by myself, I will end up just drilling certain moves. As everyone here knows, having a good training session, or a good session in general, is an intense workout. However, whenever I start to over-exert myself, I'll get kind of soreness on the inside part of my lower calf (the soleus, I think).

I first became aware of this soreness because it quickly escalated to pain when I started to get into running a couple years ago. To help my running fitness, I purchased a heart rate monitor (HRM) from Suunto that included a feature where it prescribed workouts with target times and intensities. The very first time I used my HRM, I started to feel my inner calf, but I looked at my watch and it basically said "slow down!". I followed the schedule generated by my watch, and remained injury free.

What my watch does is to prevent overexertion, a common ailment that holds, and shuts down, a lot of athletes back in many sports. Well, to get back to footbag, I was starting to have numerous intense sessions each week, and I felt that soreness creeping in again. Now, I am following my watch's schedule, and applying it to footbag to prevent any overuse injuries from footbag. It's hard to take it easy at times, but it pays off in the long run.

I guess I'm kind of putting a cautionary note out there about overuse injuries in footbag since it is such a high intensity sport. I would be interested to hear what other people have to say about it, as well as using HRMs while playing footbag!

Frank_Sinatra
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Post by Frank_Sinatra » 09 Nov 2011 09:56

Thanks a lot for this info. I have had some nagging pains for the past year and a half. Its kind of a migrating pain that travels around my calf/soleus/shin area, sounds kind of similar to what you were describing. I'll give this idea a shot and see how it goes.

FlexThis
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Post by FlexThis » 11 Nov 2011 14:30

I kick with an HRM to track my Calories burned. I can also tell before a run whether or not it will be a good one based on my current HR.
Go out and shred already.
~Damon Mathews

crazylegs32
Egyptian Footgod
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Post by crazylegs32 » 12 Jan 2012 21:41

Hrm is irrelavent to shredding. DUH

So if it beeps because youre too high youre supposes to slow down? Nonsense, use the hrm to train in nonfootbag stuff like running or bicycling. Then use the improved conditioning you built up to shred like a madman. The limiting factor Ive seen in players who dont achieve strong guiltless games is that were wimpy- need more conditioning beyond just footbag.

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