Effective Training – Warm Ups

Structuring a warm up

Components

• Aerobic start: gradually increasing range of movement, or speed of movement for a period of 5 minutes is a great way to begin a session. Low intensityintroduction to the session that raises the heart rate and body temperature is an ideal way to stimulate the positive effects of warm up .
• Stretch, Add in a variety of dynamic stretches to stimulate the synovial fluid. Some more information on the types of stretches to incorporate is given below.
• While warm up times may vary, having a solid foundation can ensure that the specific needs of the sport (limits in competition warm up time) can be trained.

“The warm-up is an integral part of the training session. Strength and conditioning professionals should plan warm-ups incorporating short-, medium-, and long-term considerations that will contribute to the overall development of the athlete.” Ian Jeffries

*Athlete Key Point
How the structures of the session and warm-up is used will influence each session, as well as the potential improvements that can be gained.To get the most out of each session, the warm-up should be specific to the activity to be performed. eg: if the session is based around squatting, then the squat movement, or variations of the movement should be incorporated within the warm up. Gradually increasing speed or range of movement can be part of an aerobic warm up that incorporates stretching while giving the individual appropriate stimulus similar to the training session ahead.

When you get a technical exercise on your program such as snatch, use all warm ups (up to around 70%) to build specific skills for the session. eg: do complexes, a mix of hangs, pulls and full lifts depending on what you want to do well when you get to your working sets.

See the warm up resource page for more detailed information.

R-MAP protocol:

Raise: Increase participant body temperature at the beginning of the session. Bringing up the heart rate, breathing rate to increase oxygen supply, blood flow to raise nutrient levels in the muscle, and lubricating the joints with synovial fluid.

Mobilise: Actively increasing the range of movement through dynamic or static stretching to facilitate the demands of the session.

Activate : Increasing the proprioceptive control of the body, activating target areas of instability, as well as in using full body exercises where appropriate. Eg: glute bridges, band walks, single leg work or shoulder stability exercises

Potentiate: Increase the range of movement of the exercise, or the speed/intensity at which it is performed. This will prepare the body to perform the session at the working intensity.

*Athlete Takeaway

It should only take 5-10 minutes to be ready to lift. If you’re “mobilising” for more than 10 minutes at the start of a session, then there is more that needs done to warm up effectively. If this is the case, you don’t have a mobility issue, you’ve a flexibility issue.

Think of the difference between the two as – flexibility is the range of movement you can do when cold eg: depth of squat, position of the bar on the shoulders etc. Mobility is what you can do when you warm up, and have all that lovely blood flow, synovial fluid etc. pumping around you. If the mobilising is taking too long (>10min) then you need to improve the pre-warm up levels, ie: dedicate some additional time each week to improving flexibility.

Additional notes on Flexibility

When should an individual stretch?

There are some myths around stretching. For example, while there is a reduction in explosive power potential from static stretching, this only lasts around 10 minutes. Therefore, once the warm up is finished, and long before heavier compound lifts are attempted, the effect of a reduction in explosive power is likely to be completely eliminated.
The ability to get in to more effective positions, such as a deeper squat, or maintain the correct postural positions may also be adversely affected by inflexibility. This is really the difference between flexibility and mobility. Flexibility can be viewed as the clients natural range of movement in each joint before warming up. Mobilisation, or mobility can be measured after there has been increased blood flow, synovial fluid etc. as a result of warm up. If you can mobilise to cover up areas of limited flexibility, it may be sufficient for a session, however a structured program of corrective exercises should still be utilised to reduce the likelihood of injury long term, as well as prepare to for further training challenges ahead.

Static stretching is also beneficial after training and competition. It promotes greater circulation and as such reduces the repair and recovery time of muscle tissue.

When mobilisation is being used to allow more free movement into positions you cannot undertake when cold, then a program of corrective exercises will be needed.

Use of techniques such as PNF stretching and developmental static stretching from the which are covered in the mobility for weightlifting section. Improvement can be brought in outside of gym sessions to create a fundamental level of functional ability or competency, allowing you to more readily perform complex movements and skills.

Taking long term care into consideration as a will put you a step ahead of the competition, and give you a long term sustainable base for continually improving, progressing and see positive experiences with your sessions.