A new season bring a new challenge for Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna – avoiding further hamstring injuries.
The 23 year-old has suffered from hamstring tears in both legs in recent seasons. His most recent injury was a severe one and it has left him at a crossroads.
For the Aberdeen centre-half the time out of the game has led to him overhauling his training regime with the help of his club’s sport science department.
The result is a fit-again McKenna, one the man himself believes is ready for the rigours of a new season both domestic and international.
He said: “I want to stay fit and be more robust. I can’t keep breaking down every 10-15 games with my hamstrings. I just want to be fit and play as many games as I can.
“I have sat down with the physios, sport scientists and the medical team to put a plan together so I can get into the gym to keep up my strength work.
“Even if we have two or three games a week, I need to find ways to get into the gym at the right time to do the right exercises because I can’t keep doing what I have been doing before because I kept breaking down.
“We need to find that balance. Maybe, if I am not getting enough out of training I might need to do some more high-speed work just to keep on top of things.
“That is why we have sat down and put this plan together that will hopefully keep me fit.”
McKenna’s issues are in both hamstrings and he has learned due to the unique nature of the tears he has suffered in the last two years that he most adapt and modify his preparation for matches.
The Scotland international said: “I have a real weakness. I have torn my left hamstring two or three times because the last time it had two tears in it.
“I have also torn the right one so there is a weakness there and I need to stay on top of things, maybe more than the other lads.
“When boys are in the gym I maybe need to look at working on my hamstrings to make sure they are feeling good.
“I have never torn it by flat out sprinting. The first one I blocked the shot against Rangers and that came on the back of the Burnley game.
“Maybe there was a bit of fatigue there with 120 minutes down there.
“The other times I took a push in the back which put me in an unnatural position but there is no way if you are getting pushed you should be tearing your hamstring.
“It was clear I have a weakness there. We have tried to identify that and worked on it in an attempt to limit the chances of it happening again.”
McKenna credits one man in particular for helping him through his latest spell of rehab at Cormack Park and he hopes the work he has put in during the coronavirus lockdown will be time well spent.
He said: “Adam Stokes, head of medicine and sport science, I have had a lot of one-on-one time with him. I was back in Cormack Park six or seven weeks before the rest of the lads just to do my rehab. That was a big help.
“I stay in a small flat and it was difficult to get equipment in. I had bands tied over railings and different things just to get my exercises done.
“Adam was using me as the one person he could see a day. We were in the public park at Westhill doing running and rehab work.
“I have to thank him for taking the time because it would have been easy for him to say I don’t feel comfortable coming out or he could have used that time to see a member of his family but he used it for me for my rehab. I owe a big thanks to him.”
