Whether you’re just getting into physical activity, or you’ve been active your entire life, warming up before you exercise can feel a bit tedious. You might have had a long day and just want to get right into your workout. You might be new to whole experience and aren’t quite sure what to do. Perhaps you’ve been working out for years, but never received any guidance or coaching on how to warmup properly; thus, your warmup consists of aggressively swinging your arms across your chest and behind your back like you’re Michael Phelps on the starter’s block. 

No matter the caliber of athlete, properly prepping your body before physical activity is crucial in avoiding injury and maximizing athletic performance. Spooner physical therapist, Meredith Wall, PT, DPT, FAFS, helps highlight what makes for a successful warmup, and gives us some recommendations to implement into our routine! 

 

Checking the boxes 

Regardless of the intensity and nature of your physical activity, your warmup should always be designed to accomplish the following: 

  • Take joints and muscles through a full range of motion
    • This will improve muscle flexibility and prepare your body to respond and function more fully in various positions and angles. In addition, this helps prep your central nervous system to increase body awareness and coordination. 
  • Increase core body temperature 
    • The increased temperature allows for optimal muscle efficiency and provides a boost in flexibility, which helps prevent from strains or tears. 
  • Increase heart rate and blood flow
    • Brings increased oxygen and nutrients to working muscles. Also, increasing your heart rate gradually during the warmup can minimize the stress put on your cardiovascular system later in your workout or activity. 
  • Activate and engage the appropriate muscles 
    • Your warmup should include movements specific to the sport or exercises you’ll be performing. As Meredith explains, “If you’re not telling your body about what it’s about to do, your body won’t be prepared for the physical activity you’re participating in. This increases the likelihood of sustaining and injury, and decreases your ability to perform at the highest level.”
  • Prep mentally for the sport or activity you’re participating in
    • For performance-based activities, your warmup is a great time to focus, breathe, and visualize the things you need to do as an athlete to perform at your very best. 

 

Let’s get to it! 

Now that we know what makes for a successful warmup, let’s talk about he we get there! 

General Warm-up – Start with some light aerobic activity to get your body and heart rate working a little harder. Take a lap or 2 around the track, hop on the stationary bike or rowing machine. If you’ve worked up a light sweat and are breathing a little heavier than before, you’ve done your job.

Dynamic Stretching – Now that your body is starting to kick into gear, it’s important to keep it moving while you work on your flexibility and get the rest of your muscles engaged and active. Dynamic Stretches are active movements where you take your body through a functional range of motion. They differ from static stretching because you do not hold the stretching position for any extended period of time. Studies continue to show that dynamic stretching before performance-based activities yields better results when compared to static stretching.1

Let’s lay out some great dynamic stretches you can implement into your routine, regardless of your activity! 

  • Forward Lunge with Rotation
    • Take a step in front of you and lunge so your knees bend and your hips lower towards the ground. Once you’re at the bottom of your movement, drive your arms and rotate your upper body towards the leg that’s in front. Return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side. 
  • Deep Squat
    • Starting with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and sit your bottom back. Keep the majority of your weight in your heels as you bend at your knees and hips with control. Do not let your knees move beyond your toes. Return to starting position, and repeat. 
  • Thread the Needle
    • Start in a pushup position. Rotate your upper body and raise one arm towards the sky. Then rotate your torso in the other direction, driving the same arm underneath your body. Return to the starting position then repeat on the other arm.
  • Lateral Band Walks
    • Place a resistance band around your ankles. Start with knees bent, feet hip-width apart, and toes facing forward. Begin side stepping, making sure to keep your hips level and your knees over the ankles. Change directions and repeat, leading with the other leg. 
  • Side Lunge 
    • Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a big step to the side, keep your torso upright, and lower your hips until knee of your leading leg is bent at around 90 degrees, keeping your trailing leg straight. Push back up and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
  • Leg Swings
    • Holding onto a stable surface, keep your legs straight and swing one of them in front of you and behind you, replicating the motion of a pendulum. Gradually increase the height at which you’re kicking your leg up. Repeat on the other leg. Then, turn and face the stable surface you’re holding onto, and repeat the process on each leg, except this time keep your leg in front of you and swing it from side to side.
  • Knee to Chest
    • Take a step and drive one of your knees to your chest. With both arms, wrap around the knee and pull it as close to your chest as you can, maintaining a straight upper body.  Return your leg back to the ground, then repeat on the other side.
  • Mountain Climbers
    • Get into a pushup position. Drive one knee towards your chest while keeping the other leg straight. As you return your leg back to the starting position, drive the other knee up to your chest simultaneously. Keep a good pace like you’re running and continue alternating driving one leg up and pushing the other back to a straightened position.
  • Opposite Leg Kicks
    • Start in a standing position. Keeping your legs straight, kick one leg up towards the opposite shoulder. Reach with your arm and try to touch your foot with your opposite hand. Return to the starting position, then repeat the motion on the other leg/arm.
  • Spiderman Steps with Rotation
    • Starting in a pushup position, drive your left leg up and position your foot just outside your left hand. From this position, rotate your torso and reach your left arm towards the sky. Return back to the starting position, and repeat on the other side. 

Check out the video to see all these dynamic stretches in action! 

 

Sport-specific warmup – Now that your body is loosened up and ready for activity, it’s time to implement some sport-specific warmups and drills. Most organized sports already have this baked into their pregame routine. For example, after running and stretching, baseball and softball players will begin throwing, take grounders or fly balls, and run through batting practice. Basketball players will start performing layup lines, shooting drills, side shuffling to practice their defensive stance, etc. The list goes on and on… 

However, what if the activity you’re participating in doesn’t have a team or coach, such as running around the neighborhood or going to the gym? Solid question. You can still make sure you’re including sport-specific warmups into your routine. If you’re about to hit the bench press or squat rack, make sure to perform a couple body-weight pushups or squats to prepare your body to take on a more strenuous workload. For runners, implement some high-knees or skipping to get your hips and calves activated before heading out on your run. As Meredith highlights, “Any bystander should be able to tell exactly what activities your preparing for by how you’re warming up.” 

“If you don’t warmup properly, your activity becomes your warmup. This increases the chances of you breaking down and fatiguing earlier, which compromises safety and performance,” Meredith explains. Don’t underestimate the importance of a quality warmup. It will help keep you safe from injury and allows you to get the most out of your physical activities! 

 

If you have any questions or concerns about your health or warmup routine, our team of movement specialists is here to help. Schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen today, and let’s get your health in motion! 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we discuss, “What Should My Post-Workout Recovery Look Like?” 

 

References: 

  1. Troumbley, Patrick, “Static Versus Dynamic Stretching Effect on Agility Performance” (2010). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 695. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/695