The Warm Up
A properly programmed and well designed warm is a fundamental part of any strength and conditioning program. Their purpose is to ready the body for the activity to come ensuring that their bones, tissues and nervous system are all adequately prepared to not only allow optimal performance output but also to reduce/prevent the chance of injuries from occurring.
Benefits of an effective warm up:
Faster muscle contraction and relaxation of muscles
Improved rate of force development
Improved reaction time
Improved muscle strength and power
Improved oxygen delivery to tissues
Increased blood flow to muscles
Enhanced metabolic reactions
Improved psychological preparedness
Reduced risk of injury
Creating an effective warm up:
Rule 1 - The workout/activity and needs of the athlete will always dictate the contents of a warm up
When creating an effective warm up the first thing that should be considered is the workout in which you are warming up for, as the purpose of any warm up is to prepare the body for the activity that it’s about to undertake. As an example if you were about to do very intensive leg training session it wouldn’t make too much sense to have a warm up dedicated to the upper body.
Rule 2 - Most warm ups typically follow the same general structure/order
With regards to the broader components of the warm up, the structure/order is typically the same for most. The reason for this is that it has been deemed the safest and most effective order in which to adequately prepare the body for activity. Every warm up should begin as a general warm up and progress to a more specific warm up towards the end.
General warm up: May consist of roughly 5 minutes of light aerobic work to help increase heart rate, blood flow, muscle temperature and loosen up the joints by decreasing the viscosity of joint fluids. If the individual has any particular areas of issue then they might perform some myofascial release work using a foam roller as an example. Following this there is usually a period of general stretching which is typically dynamic in nature depending on the needs of the athlete. This type of stretching should aim replicate the range of motion that will be required for the activity to come.
Specific warm up: Consist of activation of necessary muscles and movements that more closely represent the movements of the workout/sport about to be undertaken. Using squats as an example an athlete may perform some glute activation drills such banded hip thrusts followed by a set of squats using an empty barbell. Following this the athlete may then begin to add weight to the bar whilst performing reps until he is performing at or close to what is required for the workout.
Rule 3 - The warm up should do what it says on the label, get you warm.
When performing a warm up it is important to stay away from the two extremes of the scale in terms of difficulty. Remember that the warm up is meant to prepare your body for the activity to come, if it is too easy then the body may be inadequately prepared for the activity, if it is too hard then the body may be too exhausted to perform optimally in the activity. Both extremes may compromise performance during the activity as well as increase the risk of injury. Generally speaking the warm up should be challenging enough to bring about a slight sweat without making you out of breath or exhausted.
Rule 4 - It Shouldn’t take all day
Remember that the warm up is not the workout and as such should not take up the entire session. Generally speaking most warmups should take roughly 10-20 mins however there may be occasional exceptions to this. The factors such as age, fitness level, training experience, as well as other individual traits may also determine how long the warm up may take. Using the factors listed here are some ways in which they may affect the warm up:
Age: Younger individuals may be able to have shorter warm ups
Fitness level: Higher fitness level may allow for shorter warm ups
Training experience: Individuals with more experience may be able to use shorter warm ups
This is not always the case for everyone and there will be times when I positive factor may be cancelled out by a negative factor such as a younger individual with a very poor fitness level.
Rule 5 - Keep it simple
It’s possible to get carried away with the warm ups when it comes to picking exercises, some people may find themselves doing every possible warm up drill they can think of and spend way too long doing it and sometimes forgetting what the goal of the warm up is. A good rule to stick with is to use drills and movements that offer the maximum amount of return for the minimum amount of work aka exercises with the best bang for their buck. If you do have particular problem areas then it is advisable to spend a bit more time on those.
Warm up example: general full body
General: lights aerobic work and myofascial release
5 mins rowing machine
Foam roller on any particularly tight or troublesome areas
General: Dynamic stretching
2-3 rounds through
Leg swings forwards, backwards and to the sides x 10 each direction
Lunge and reach x 10
Thoracic mobility: book openers or cat/cows x 10
Shoulder dislocates x 10
Specific: Prehab and activation
2-3 rounds through
Banded clam shells x 10 each side
Banded glute bridges x 15
Banded internal and external shoulder rotations x 10
Banded pull aparts x 10
Specific: Exercise movement patterns, progressing in resistance
This part can be used as a transitional phase between the warm up and the workout itself..
progression examples (barbell movements)
Squats with empty bar- squats with 50% of working weight- squats with 75% working weight
Bench press with empty bar- bench press with 50% of working weight- bench press with 75% working weight
Bent over row with empty bar- Bent over row with 50% of working weight- Bent over row with 75% working weight
The above is a very basic example of what a warm might look like but remember that the warm up should always be consistent with the needs of the athlete and the requirements of the workout.
