Advice for how to warm up correctly for sport
THIS week we begin Phase 2 of easing the restrictions for lockdown, that have been in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. Many sports people will be looking forward to returning to training albeit in smaller groups and while continuing to observe the HSE social distancing guidelines. One of the important aspects of all training or exercise is the ‘Warm Up’ as it will reduce risk of picking up injuries. What are the main tips to consider for WARM UP??
A well-planned warm-up has the potential to not only prepare athletes physically and mentally but also to help reduce the likelihood of injury and improve performance. One of the well-recognised warm up models often used by elite or professional athletes is the RAMP Protocol developed by Dr. Ian Jeffrey’s an internationally renowned author and fitness expert.
RAMP stands for Raise, Activate, Mobilise and Potentiate.
R – Raise body temperature.
A – Activate the most important muscles for the activity you are about to complete.
M – Mobilise your joints and muscles – by using a combination of foam rolling, static and dynamic stretching techniques.
P – Potentiate the main muscles you are using through various movement drills.
Aim of the ‘Raise’ section is to: Increase Body temperature, Heart rate, Respiration rate, Blood flow and Joint viscosity
This phase is often carried out in the form of a ‘jog around the field’, but it should also include exercises or simplified sports-specific movements which will resemble what will be carried out during the session.
For example, if footballers are preparing for a technical/ tactics session, then this section of the warm-up may include low-intensity, multi-directional movements or dynamic range of motion exercises which form part of the session. Some examples may include:
Simple Ball drills, change of direction drills, Sprint technique drills also lunges / squats/ press ups etc.
Activate and Mobilise can be grouped together.
The aim of this phase of the warm-up is two-fold:
Activate key muscle groups.
Mobilise key joints and types of movements used during the sport or activity.
During this phase of the warm-up, typical activation and mobilisation movements include:
Foam rolling, Mini-band routines, Balance work,
Squats and lunges, Spinal mobility exercises.
These exercises may be used for most if not all of the athletes competing in the same training session or activity.
However, after these general exercises have been completed, attention should then be paid towards individual preparation requirements.
For example, this may involve each athlete doing their own tailored prehabilitation programme such as specific joint mobilisation exercises, glut or hamstring exercises, mini-band routines, rotator cuff and shoulder stability work, core exercises, balance exercises etc.
Incorporating these individualised exercises into the warm-up may help reduce injury risk and improve performance. The activation and mobilisation phases should also try to be specific to the demands of the particular sport or position played.
Potentiation or Performance phase.
The aim of this phase is to ‘prime’ the athletes for their session or competition. This phase of the warm-up is to focus on exercises which will directly lead to performance improvements.
This phase generally includes drills which are of gradually increasing intensity and specific to the sport. For example, a sprint session may include sprint-specific drills of 5-10m accelerations. In team-based sports such as GAA or soccer, this may include the use of plyometrics (jumps, bounds, hops and skips ), reactive agility drills, specific ball drills and sprints using various intensities and distances, in GAA it may also include tackling drills or practice of specific ball skills.
After the completion of these phases and by gradually increasing the intensity of the exercises as the warmup progresses, the athletes should be sufficiently prepared for the training session or competition ahead.
Guidelines for the duration of each phase can vary and may be based on several factors such as athlete’s age/ sport, time availability, the athlete’s physical requirements, and content of the session ahead.
There are many useful resources readily available to help athletes and coaches with designing optimal warm up routines.
The GAA medical, scientific and welfare committee in conjunction with a working group of leading experts have developed ‘The GAA 15’ a standardised warm-up programme aimed at reducing injuries sustained by GAA players (available on GAA.ie – GAA 15 coaching instructions ).
There is also the ‘FIFA 11+’ is a 20 minute warm-up programme that has been shown to reduce injuries by a possible 50% when performed prior to training (at least twice a week).
For all exercises correct techniques is important. After the basic warm up is done players can progress to the intermediate and advanced strength, plyometric and balance exercises. (Available on FIFA.com – FIFA 11+ programme or many warm up documents available on FAI.ie)
Other useful websites with sports specific warm ups: www.athleticsireland. ie www.worldrugby.org and www.iscp.ie has good advice for marathon runners.