How To Properly Warm Up Before Practice Or Competition

The warm up exercises are a crucial part of any sports or fitness training program. The importance of a structured warm up routine should not be under estimated when it comes to the prevention of sports injury.

In order to be ready to perform speed work or compete at high intensities, you must get warmed up properly. An effective warm up must consist of a series of dynamic and active movements that start with low impact, low intensity exercises and progress naturally to high intensity, full speed exercises that simulate the intensity of the upcoming practice or competition.

Dynamic flexibility is the act of quickly moving a joint through its range of motion with little resistance, improves flexibility, coordination, balance, proprioception, elasticity of the muscles and ligaments, increases core body and deep muscle temperatures, elongates active muscles, decreases the inhibition of the antagonist muscles and stimulates the nervous system and therefore helps decrease the chance of injury.

Conversely, static stretching involves passively stretching a giving muscle by placing it in a maximal position of stretch and holding it for an extended time, usually 10 seconds. The disadvantage of static stretching is that it may only improve flexibility and does little to elevate core body temperature.

Stretching is a critical part of the warm up, but stretching is NOT the warm up.

Perform dynamic exercises that are similar to the types of movements they will be going through during practice and competitions. Keep moving and gradually increase the intensity of your activity. That way you can get the blood flowing into the muscles through a natural progression.

The movements should be performed in a continuous and “down and back” fashion over 10-20 yards and be of low to moderate intensity. The entire dynamic warm-up can be done in as little as five minutes or as long as 20 minutes.




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