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Answers by Tiki Barber, Former New York Giants running back
How does a football player play after getting hit so hard and so consistently?
I think most people understand how a martial artist can break a board and not break his arm because he conditions himself and calcifies his bones, so while it looks amazing, it's pretty easy for them.
The same things happen with football players as they take hits. Your body just starts to adjust to contact and you toughen up in certain areas. So while it looks bad, it doesn't necessarily feel that bad.
As you get older however, it is much harder for your body to recover. So at 22 years old (when) you get beat up for 60 minutes of a football game, you feel fine a few days later. At 32, it takes 5 days before you feel like a normal person again. You can measure the natural aging process not only by years, but by how many days you have to ice after game day. When you are still wearing ice on Friday, it's time to think about retiring.
How do older players in the NFL recover faster from football as they get older?
Great question, because every younger players needs to learn this process.
You have to get your body worked on: Massages, acupuncture, and ART active release technique (reactivates muscles that get shut down because of injury); constantly getting in the hot tub and cold tubs to reduce inflammation and promote blood flow to injured areas. It's about creating a routine to bring you back to health.
When you are young, you really don't have to worry about it that much unless you have a major injury. As you get older, you really have to supplement and eat right instead of trusting your body to come back.