Warming Up Before Exercise—A Different Approach

By Bruce Cohn
Concord Journal, February 2003
 
It is impossible to overstate the importance of warming up before beginning any type of vigorous activity. This period of time, which can range from five minutes to a half hour, prepares your body’s systems for the stress that you are about to put on them. This is true whether you are going on a leisurely bike ride, lifting weights or playing a sport.

The traditional model for warm-up is 5-10 minutes of cardiovascular activity (jogging in place, riding a stationary bike, doing jumping jacks etc.) followed by slow, controlled stretching. Some people will then rehearse the actual movements they are about to perform, e.g. swinging a racquet or club, lifting a lighter weight or throwing a ball.

The purpose of this type of warm-up is to increase the blood flow to the muscles thereby increasing their internal heat and making them less susceptible to injury. Other benefits include increased cardiovascular output and mental focus. But there are some problems with this model; especially for young athletes.

Let’s start with the most obvious. If you are moving around (jogging, jumping, riding etc.) to increase internal body temperature why cool it off by lying on your back and stretching? There are more dynamic ways of stretching your muscles while moving. These include walking leg swings, knee hugs and butt kicks and various types of crawls. They serve a dual purpose of maintaining heat in the muscles while stretching them to avoid injury.

Another problem is with the types of aerobic activities that are used to begin many warm-ups. They usually involve slow steady movements that have little to do with the ways in which your body will be required to move during your upcoming activity. You want to perform movements that stimulate your central nervous system and excite your muscles. Short, quick foot movement patterns and jumps are much more effective. I have come to the conclusion that the only reason to have my athletes jog as a means of warming up is to give me time to think of what to do next. And that is not an acceptable reason.

I prefer to use a continuous, dynamic warm-up that leaves participants sweating and ready for more demanding activity. This includes dot drills (a form of quick jumps in a variety of patterns), agility ladders to improve foot speed and body control during directional changes (I also use them for the upper body), dynamic stretching and standing exercises with a medicine ball to strengthen core muscles.

This may seem a little daunting at first. But my athletes and clients find that they adapt quickly and perform better in the weight room, on the practice field and during games without getting injured. And isn’t that the best reason for warming up?

Bruce Cohn is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Middlesex School in Concord. He runs FIT-TO-GO Total Sports Conditioning and is a nationally certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce can be reached at 781-316-0061 or brucegym@rcn.com.