Warm-up

The importance of warming up before participating in sport cannot be over estimated. A good warm-up will not only enable you to perform at your best level from the start, instead of gradually and gingerly getting into the rhytm of the game, but it has been shown to reduce likelihood of injuries during practice as well as in game situations. Of course there are certain specific requirements for each sport, yet the fundamental basics are universal to every sport.  A good warm-up will increase the blood flow into the muscles, thus heating them up. This will allow the muscles to regain their athletic elasticity, that allows greater range of motion as well as increased speed and strength of contraction.

Warm-up routine

Start with a gentle run (not jog) for a few minutes, simply allow yourself to start moving. This should be done at between 25% and 50% of your effort.

Then move on to static contraction exercises. Do a static squat for 30 seconds, then slowly bob up and down ten times. You will feel your legs start to heat up nicely. A few push-ups are very good at bringing your arms up to speed. Between 10 and 20 repetitions is a good amount. Next you can do a plank (the up position of the push-up) – held between 30 and 60 seonds. This will boost the heat in your abdominals and back muscles, as well as the shoulders and legs.

Next a more explosive set of squat-thrusts or ’Burpees’ exercise. Between 10 and 20 repetitions will do the trick nicely.

Finish off with a run at 50% effort, interspersed with a few sprints of 75% of effort.

You can also use the repertoire set up in stretching section as dynamic stretching to ’limber-up’ before sport.

Avoid doing traditional sit-ups and long-hold static stretches as a part of your warm-up routine.

For sport specific warm-up routines, please get in touch with us at the clinic, and we will be happy tailor one for your specific needs.

Please call us on 01932  -  429584 or email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.