AP Photo/Doug Murray
NFL running backs are supposed to fall off a statistical cliff before their 30th birthdays, as ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft detailed ahead of this season.
But Raheem Mostert is more than happy to defy those norms. At 31 years old, the Miami Dolphins running back is enjoying the best season of his nine-year professional career — and one of the best of all running backs in the NFL.
He leads the entire league with 10 rushing touchdowns through Week 8 of the season, and when you factor in his two additional receiving touchdowns, Mostert is just one score behind San Fransisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey in the race for most total TDs from scrimmage.
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
It's clear that he's managed outrun the expectations for a running back his age. But staving off Father Time is never a matter of happenstance.
Of course, the New Smyrna Beach, Florida, native is focused on getting ready for his weekly matchups throughout the NFL season — which, in a good year, can stretch all the way from August to February. But once the offseason rolls around, Mostert told Insider he turns his attention to rehabbing his body so he's ready not only for the following year, but for many seasons beyond that.
"Having these wheels stay fresh and tires being pumped up, that's the biggest thing that I could possibly do in trying to take care of myself," Mostert told Insider. "Every little thing matters."
There are plenty of "little things" factored into his offseason regimen, he says. He's turned to dry needling, a procedure in which needles are inserted into a "trigger point" of tense muscle tissue to reduce "muscle tightness, increase blood flow, and reduce pain," according to Mayo Clinic. He also gets acupuncture, which involves needles as well but is focused on energy flow across the whole body rather than specific pain areas.
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Mostert knows that many lower-body injuries stem from "abnormal mechanics of the foot and ankle" — as research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy suggests — so he takes time to "work on foot mechanics" off the field. He does exercises that strengthen appropriate muscles, tendons, and ligaments in his feet and ankles so that they properly distribute force and reduce strain on other parts of the body.
The Purdue alum also said he stretches copiously and leans heavily on his personal trainer throughout the year.
"During the season I go and pop in and we talk and he asks how I feel," Mostert said. "I just break down every minute new thing that I possibly can so that way I'm right and ready to go on Sunday, Monday, and Thursdays, and it's honestly a fun time."
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That remains true whether he's playing at home in Miami or on the road. And it's particularly important as he and the Dolphins head to Germany for a Week 9 matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Finding a way to control what's controllable — from getting enough sleep on the flight across the Atlantic to eating a standard pre-game meal — is the best way to ensure he "can handle business accordingly," Mostert said.
"It boils down to what you can do off the field and staying in routine," he added.
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He's even making sure he'll have a few creature comforts on hand in Frankfurt. Charmin — whose parent company, Proctor & Gamble, is a longtime sponsor of the NFL — is literally sending it's newest toilet paper to Miami's facility.
"I'm a creature of habit; I stay on a routine, a schedule, and one of the things that I want to do is bring some good toilet paper with me," Mostert said with a chuckle.
Mostert and the Dolphins will take on the Chiefs Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET, or 3 p.m. local time, at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park.
