Elite football coach shares his tips on keeping fit and injury-free

Daniel Buberis, Athletic Development and Rehabilitation Coordinator for the premiership-winning Australian rules Port Adelaide Football Club shares his tips on how to keep fit and injury-free at work and home.

Starting his career at a timber factory and moving on to senior strength and conditioning coaching roles with the South Australian Sports Institute, Tennis Australia and the Port Adelaide Football Club, Daniel Buberis, is well versed in the types of stretches we should all be doing to minimise the risk of injuries – whether we’re an elite footy player, steelmaker or office-worker.

And with more than 45% of our injuries and illnesses in 2020 relating to musculoskeletal disorders, this information is more relevant to our workforce than ever.

Check out his stretching tips and demonstrations in the video below:

Here’s a summary of his main points:

• • Having adequate sleep is incredibly important for both cognitive and physical recovery and allows the body to return to the relaxation mode. You can find more resources on improving your sleep here.
  • After physical activity like hard work or sport, you should focus on eating something healthy to refuel, doing some cool-down stretches and relaxing the mind – in any order that suits you.
  • Before bending or lifting make sure you stretch your hamstrings, shoulders and neck and maintain a routine that works for you – a physiotherapist can prescribe specific stretches based on your work and lifestyle.
  • The most important thing is to maintain a consistent warm up and stretching routine – even five to ten minutes a day of walking compounds over the weeks to make a big difference.
  • If you’re working from home, which many or us are doing right now, remember to get up and stretch regularly – you can do basic stretches like lunges, and twists. Try to do this every 20 minutes.