Maintaining your health as a surfcaster

[Clogston29]

Originally Posted by ivanputski

What SPECIFIC stretches do some of you do for your casting shoulder? Do you find your lower back hurting from leaning to one side, with most of your weight on one leg?

i'm no expert, but heres my opion:

preventative shoulder exercises and stretches: scapular wall slide, scapular push up, lying (or kneeling if you have access to a cable machine) dumbell external rotation, sleeper stretch, broomstick peck mobilization, face pull with external rotation, any type of pulling excercise to help counteract the postural issues most of us have from sitting all day. i rotate all of these in and out of my workouts.

if you lower back bothers you, i'd suggest seeing a PT. you probably have some alignment issues and tight spots that are leading to bad posture. for me, it was tight hip flexures (see sitting comment above) leading to an anterior pelvic tilt (most of the population has this condition to at least some degree). if your back hurts now, its only going to get worse if you don't address it and it will certainly sideline you in the future.

also focus on standing up straight and pulling your shoulders back - holding a rod in front of you tends to make you lean forward, putting alot of stress on your lower back.

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by Clogston29

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if you lower back bothers you, i'd suggest seeing a PT. you probably have some alignment issues and tight spots that are leading to bad posture. for me, it was tight hip flexures (see sitting comment above) leading to an anterior pelvic tilt (most of the population has this condition to at least some degree). if your back hurts now, its only going to get worse if you don't address it and it will certainly sideline you in the future.

also focus on standing up straight and pulling your shoulders back - holding a rod in front of you tends to make you lean forward, putting alot of stress on your lower back.

Agreed. I had herniated disks about 3 years ago at cutty and could hardly walk. After a few courses of steriod shots, I went to PT to learn to stretch. I also do core excercises. Both are very important. I also think that laying on a bad couch and/or mattress can bother your back. I got a sleep by numbers bed (or something like that) and that seems to help also.

I go to the gym 1 -2 times in the summer and 2-3 in the winter. I ride a bike with rides 40 - 50 miles on Sat/Sun. Fishing alone isn't going to keep you in shape (for the most part).

[OLD GOAT]

Ivan Rather than surf casting why not try fishing instead.
Let me explain since i remember being where you are now.
While walking along a desolate beach why not make a few casts and then rest. I Would lay on the sand and in doing so i would notice that the seagulls where siting as well and would only get of the ground when there was a chance of picking up food.
What i,m trying to say is go slow and keep your eyes open It's amazing what you notice with more looking than casting.
My love for the beach is such that i try to go year round,sit at the top of a dune and keep looking.You will pick out the spots that you want to cast or fish at instead of the Barron stretches that you and i both fished before. Will you miss a fish??yes but in the long run you will wear yourself out in more productive areas
Hope this helps

[OLD GOAT]

About now i expect Capesams to give me a c- for every thing i just suggested to you

[BigFish]

I lost 20 pounds riding my canal bike? Just sayin'!

[SurfCaster413]

So its wrong that when you have had your 4th nos energy drink, and half a tin of skoal and you feel like your hearts about to pump out of your chest thats a bad thing?

All in all the damage I do surfcasting I wouldnt trade it for the world no matter hom much damage is done. Thats why I try to enjoy the finer things while am out there.

[JohnR]

I've realized my health plan is not worthy for others to follow

Just saying.