Brandi Chastain will be always the picture of the 1999 World Cup, which featured an extraordinary free kick to win the Cup for the U.S. Many think that celebration is what put her on the celebrity map but before the '99 Cup she made her name by scoring 5 goals in one game in 1991 and earning MVP honors in the first World Cup. She might be getting older but I'm betting that she can still out play us anyday and is pretty in better shape than most. Here's her weekly routine for staying fit and always ready for a pickup soccer game:
HEADING EXERCISE WITH RESISTANCE
Three-person rotation. Person A stands in front of Person B (Chastain) and tosses a ball, which B heads back to her. Person C stands behind B, holding a resistance band attached to B's waist. Sets of 10 or as many as you can in one minute. Five sets.
Brandi: "I create tension on the elastic band by moving away from the person who's holding it, and I maintain that tension while jumping up to head the ball. It works my legs and core while also working on balance. You feel it helping on the field when you're going up for a header or when an opponent is pulling or pushing to gain position."
ONE-LEG BALANCE WITH KICK
Stand on a balance disk on one leg for 30 seconds as partner keeps tossing a ball to be kicked. Switch legs. Five sets.
Brandi: "Balancing on an unstable surface, I'm forced to use every muscle in my leg and all the muscles in my foot. It also strengthens my ankles, which is important considering the number of ankle sprains in soccer. You don't need to add the kick. At home I'll just balance on the disk for a minute. If my husband or son [Cameron, 16] is around, sometimes they'll toss the ball, and I'll catch it instead of kick it."
[ More at SI.com ]
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