6 Warm Up Steps to Improve Performance
We all know that stretching muscles before and after we engage in any strenuous activity is absolutely vital to avoid injury. Until recently it was generally accepted that static stretching, or holding a stretch for a period of time, was the best way to stretch muscles and ligaments before and after physical activity.
A relatively new approach has caught on recently called Dynamic Warm Up. The main focus of a Dynamic Warm Up is to increase blood flow to working muscles, boost body temperature, activate muscle groups, stimulate the nervous system and enhance joint mobility. All of which are very important to increased performance and injury avoidance. Why are these results so important?
Elevating core body temperatures during your warm up can lead to an increase in range of motion and allow your body to increase force production. Muscles that are warm will contract harder and relax more rapidly, which will lead to increased speed and strength. To maximize the benefits of a warm up it is important to use similar movements in the Dynamic Warm Up that you will be using during the actual training. This will allow the muscular and neuromuscular systems to be ready for the demands that will challenge the athlete during the training session.
Using dynamic stretching allows a greater range of motion at a particular joint than can be attained using static stretching. You should not cut static stretching out of your whole routine though; static stretching should still be used as a cool down method to increase flexibility and reduce soreness after your training session.
At Velocity Sports Performance, we use several different techniques to execute our dynamic warm-up. When starting a warm-up it is important to start at a basic level and gradually increase the difficulty, which will allow the neuromuscular system to reach peak responsiveness. Here is a typical set of steps we use at Velocity Sports Performance:
Step 1- Our athletes start with a thermogenic movement such as jump roping for 2-5 minutes which elevates core body temperature.
Step 2- As the athlete starts to perspire we begin our general mobility exercises which are used to take joints through a full range of motion.
Step 3- We then progress to muscle activation exercises which are used to isolate specific muscles.
Step 4- We begin transit mobility movements which take joints through a specific range of motion while moving a given distance.
Step 5- We use dynamic mobility exercises which take joints through a rapid range of motion without covering a distance.
Step 6- Employs technical build ups which are short bursts that increase speeds during which performance coaches will reinforce proper technique.
Following the above 6 steps are very important to increased performance and injury avoidance. For more information about Velocity Sports Performance/Dallas Stars Care Summer Specials, click below and contact your local Velocity Sports Performance location:
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