Warm-Ups

Published On May 14, 2016 6061 Views All, Strength & Conditioning
Contents of Article
1. Summary:
2. An introduction to Warm-ups
3. Warm-Up Procedures
4. Stretching
5. Planning an effective Warm-Up
6. A Performance-Based Approach
7. Conclusion
8. References
Summary:
Considering a well-planned warm-up has the potential to not only prepare athletes physically
and mentally, but also possess the ability to reduce the likelihood of injury and improve
performance, highlights its significant importance in athletic development. This article
discusses the current warm-up practices conducted by elite and professional athletes, and also
provides a new modified model of the RAMP protocol developed by Dr. Ian Jeffreys.
An introduction to Warm-ups
The practice of warming-up has been universally accepted for a very long time. While the
general principles surrounding the need to warm-up remain valid, in recent years there is
growing evidence which questions the usefulness of historic warm-up methods, and
introduces potential areas for future development.
In past years, particularly within recreational and amateur sport environments, warm-ups were
typically employed to serve only two purposes: 1) prepare the athlete mentally, and 2) to
prepare the athlete physically for exercise or competition. However, in recent years whilst the
same principles apply, warm-ups are now often viewed to serve four primary purposes:
1. Mental readiness
2. Physical readiness
3. Injury prevention
4. Performance enhancement

In professional and elite sport environments, using warm-ups to serve these four primary
purposes appears to now be very common. As a consequence, warm-ups have evolved to also
serve as a method of enhancing performance and reducing or preventing the occurrence of
injury. In most of these professional and elite environments, the days of a simple 2-minute jog
around the field, followed by some poorly coached and light-hearted static stretching are
rapidly vanishing due to modern knowledge and the accessibility of information. As it is
understood that warm-ups can both reduce injury (1, 2) and improve performance (3, 4, 5), it
is extremely important that exercise professionals understand not only the importance, but
also the potential of a well-designed warm-up if they are to maximise the athletic potential of
their athletes.
A well-designed warm-up can increase blood flow, muscle temperature, core temperature (6),
and also disrupt temporary connective tissue bonds (7). These effects can have the following
positive effects on performance:

Faster muscle contraction and relaxation of both agonist and antagonist muscles (8).

Improvements in rate of force development (9).

Improvements in reaction time (9).

Improvements in muscle strength and power (10, 7).

Lowered viscous resistance in muscles (7)

Improved oxygen delivery due to the Bohr effect where higher temperatures facilitate
oxygen release from haemoglobin and myoglobin (6)

Increased blood flow to active muscles (6)

Enhanced metabolic reactions (7)

Warm-Up Procedures
Warm-ups most commonly last for approximately 10-30 minutes, meaning all desired content
must be strategically factored in this short period of time. Though each warm-up is short, over
a long timeframe such as a 12-week training cycle, the accumulation of a 10-30 minute warmup each session equates to a huge increase in total training time. For example:

A 15-minute warm-up performed 4 x per week for 12-weeks = 12 hours of training

time.

Over a 12-week training cycle, the exercise professional can utilise an additional 12-hours of
high-quality training time. This further demonstrates the importance and potential of a
strategic and effective warm-up.
In an attempt to advance current performance preparation practices, two primary warm-up
models have been developed by Dr. Ian Jeffreys (4) and Mark Verstegen (11). The framework

RAMP protocol developed by Dr. Jeffreys allows for activities to be easily classified and
constructed in the following warm-up sequence:
1. Raise
2. Activate and Mobilise
3. Potentiate (or Performance in this articles modified variation of the RAMP protocol)
It should be the aim of the exercise professional to have the athletes fully prepared both
mentally and physically following the end of the third phase (i.e. potentiation phase) of the
RAMP protocol and ready for competition or activity. Each of the three phases of this warmup model play an important role in the athletes preparation.
Phase 1 Raise
The aim of the raise section is too:

Body temperature

Heart rate

Respiration rate

Blood flow

Joint viscosity

Although this is often a common practice in the form of a jog around the field, this is often
viewed as large waste of valuable training time. Whilst the primary aims of this section should
match those listed above, it can, and perhaps should be performed using exercises or
simplified sports-specific movements which will be abundant during the session. For
example, if the athletes are preparing for a technical rugby session, then this section of the
warm-up may include low-intensity, multi-directional movements or dynamic range of motion
exercises which will be abundant during the session. Some examples of raise exercises may
include:

Sprint technique drills (A-skips, B-skips, Bicycles, Heel cycling, Waterfalls)

Planned change of direction drills

Squatting, lunging, or crawling.

Phase 2 Activate and Mobilise

The aim of this phase of the warm-up is two-fold:

Activate key muscle groups

Mobilise key joints and ranges of motion used in the sport or activity

During this phase of the warm-up, typical activation and mobilisation movements include:

Mini-band routines

Balance work

Supermans and inch-worms

Squats and lunges

Sumo shuffles

Spinal mobility exercises (flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation)

These exercises may be used for the majority, if not all of the athletes competing in the same
training session or activity. However, after the generic group movement exercises have been
completed, stricter attention should be paid towards individual preparation requirements. For
instance, this may involve exercises prescribed in the athletes prehabilitation programme
such as: specific joint mobilisation exercises, glute-ham exercises, mini-band routines, rotator
cuff exercises, balance work and so on. Incorporating these exercises into the warm-up may
result in better time utilisation, and therefore perhaps lead to a reduced injury risk and
improved performance.
When designing the activation and mobilisation phase, it is essential the strength and
conditioning coach carefully considers the fundamental movements and demands imposed by
that particular sport or activity. For example, what fundamental movements will occur during
a rugby match, or during an Olympic Weightlifting session in the gym? This will allow the
coach to be very specific with the movements/ exercises selected for the warm-up, and
therefore have the best possible chance to effectively prepare the athletes for training or
competition and preventing them from injury. It is encouraged that coaches develop numerous
exercises that activate and mobilise the same key muscles, joints, and ranges of motion which
can be used for training variability to prevent monotony and emphasise performance
improvements. In addition, some exercises may irritate or be painful for some athletes, so
having an assortment of backup exercises for the same joints and muscle groups is vital.
Phase 3 Potentiation or Performance (modified version)
The aim of this phase is to prime the athletes for their session or competition.
This phase of the warm-up is fixated on exercises which will directly lead
improvements in following activities. Developed using the principle of
potentiation, this phase of the warm-up will now begin to unidentifiably
workout/ sport itself, meaning it will begin to incorporate sports-specific
rising intensities. This phase serves two primary objectives:

Intensity to a comparable level the athletes are about to compete in.

to performance
post-activation
transit into the
activities using

Improve subsequent performance utilising the effects of post-activation potentiation.

Therefore, the content of the potentiation/performance phase will see high-intensity drills
which are highly-specific to the sport. For example, the potentiation phase of a sprint session
may include sprint-specific drills such 5-10m accelerations, rolling 30-40m sprints,
plyometrics and so on. In team-based sports such as football (soccer), this may include the use
of plyometrics, reactive agility drills in a chaotic environment, and sprints using various
intensities and distances.
An example of potentiation/performance exercises for a technical rugby session may include:

Plyometric exercises (unilateral and bilateral jumps and bounds)

Short-moderate distance accelerations and sprints and (0-20m)

Involvement of tackling pads

Reactive agility drills (e.g. evasion games in chaotic environments)

After the completion of these three phases and gradually increasing the intensity of the
exercises as the warm-up progresses, the athletes should be sufficiently prepared physically
for the forthcoming session or competition. Though there are no guidelines in this model in
regards to the duration of each phase, this is something that should be tailored by the strength
and conditioning coach based on the serval factors such as: time availability, the athletes
physical requirements, and content of the main session to name just a few. Further
information on time management for the warm-up is provided in later sections of this article.
Stretching
Notice how static stretching was not mentioned or included throughout the performance
preparation procedure. This has perhaps been the largest debate with regards to warming-up
over the past several decades. Although it has always been a cornerstone component of
warming-up as a method to decrease injury risk and improve performance, there is little
evidence, if any, to indicate that pre- or post-exercise static stretching reduces injury (12, 13,
14, 15, 16). Additionally, there is growing research to suggest that pre-exercise static
stretching also compromises subsequent performance by reducing force production (17, 18),
power output (19), running speed (20), reaction time (21), and strength endurance (22).
Dynamic stretching however has been consistently shown to improve subsequent performance
(20, 23). Additionally, because dynamic stretching requires the muscle to activate through a
range of movement, it is believed that this contributes to the neural activation requirements of
warm-ups. As a result, dynamic stretching may be the most appropriate form of mobilisation
during warm-ups for most activities and sports which are dynamic in nature.
For a more detailed discussion on stretching and its effects on performance, click on this link
Stretching for Performance coming soon!.
Planning an effective Warm-Up

To plan an effective warm-up, the strength and conditioning coach must first understand the
mental, physiological, and biomechanical demands of the training session or sport before they
attempt to prepare the athlete for these precise demands. In most circumstances, these
demands are identified during the need analysis.
For example, if a strength and conditioning coach is planning a warm-up for some 1-reptition
maximum (1RM) testing, then they might want to consider what the mental, physiological,
and biomechanical demands of that session are. For mental preparation, the coach may
encourage the athletes to arrive well-rested and to bring personal self-motivating music to
listen to whilst testing as this has been repeatedly shown to improve performance (24). To
prepare them physiologically, the coach may adopt a warm-up routine with mimics similar
physiological demands to 1RM testing, such as high-force/strength, long-rest exercises. In
terms of biomechanical preparation, stretches, dynamic movements, and exercises similar to
those being performed during testing would be appropriate (e.g. back squatting).
Alternatively, if a strength and conditioning coach is designing a pitch-based warm-up for a
short and sharp technical session for football (soccer), then the warm-up should be designed
specifically for that session and therefore may look very different to the previous 1RM testing
example. The mental preparation may likely be very different, as the players mental readiness
may be stimulated by competition against other players as an example. Physiologically, if
the technical session demands high-work volumes with short recovery periods, and thus a
high cardiovascular demand, then the warm-up should aim to produce similar or even
replicate the intensities the athletes will be exposed too. From a biomechanical standpoint, the
adopted movements should have biomechanical similarities to the movements which will be
prevalent during the technical session. This may include things such as: lunges, directional
changes, jumping, and twisting movements.
Remember that the warm-up can be structured effectively and strategically using the RAMP
protocol, and that the content/ exercises should replicate those of the session the athletes are
preparing for.
A Performance-Based Approach
As mentioned previously, as the training time for each warm-up can accumulate to a large
amount of training hours over a long period of time, finding ways to optimise a performance
gain from the use of a warm-up may be extremely beneficial. One way to structure a warm-up
in order to optimise its effectiveness, is by adapting the RAMP protocol and adjusting the
Potentiation component to have a larger Performance improvement emphasis. The strength
and conditioning coach may therefore direct more attention towards improving athletic
performance during the warm-ups, rather than simply preparing them for their session. This
method simply attempts to maximise training efficiency and effectiveness.
The strength and conditioning coach firstly identifies their current training objective and then
tailors the latter part of the warm-up to achieve this goal. For example, if the coachs objective
is to educate fundamental plyometric movements and finally progress to high-quality and
high-intensity plyometrics, then they may structure the Peformance section of the modified
RAMP protocol towards achieving this goal. Alternatively, if the coachs objective was to
develop speed or agility, then the latter part of the warm-up would simply involve speed or
agility drills designed to optimise either one, or both of these qualities. More specifically, if
the coach wished to develop a particular aspect of agility (e.g. change of direction speed or

reactive agility), then the Performance section of the warm-up should be specifically tailored
to improve these qualities. As a result, a 20-minute technical rugby session warm-up designed
to improve agility, with an emphasis on reactive agility, may look like the following:
Raise (5-minutes)

Low-intensity randomised passing drill in a box (20m x 20m box)

Or, acceleration mechanics (e.g. wall high knees drill)

Activate and Mobilise (5-minutes)

Sport-specific activation and mobilisation movements such as: glute-band circuits,

supermans, lunges, squats, sumo shuffles, spinal mobilisation exercises.

Performance (10-minutes)

30:70 ratio* (Change of Direction Speed:Reactive Agility)

Change of Direction Speed Structured/ pre-planned movements (e.g. cone drills)

Reactive Agility An evasion game (e.g. British Bulldog and variations)

*The time spent one either of these qualities should be dictated by the athletes competencies
at performing them. For instance, an athlete who needs to work on their change of direction
mechanics should spend more training time on this component (e.g. an 80:20 change of
direction speed:reactive agility ratio).
Though the performance component may only comprise 10-minutes of the warm-up,
constructing a warm-up in this way optimises the athletes total training hours over a long
training cycle e.g. 10mins x 4 days a week for 12 weeks equals an extra 8-hours of
performance-based training.
The performance component (e.g. agility, plyometrics, or speed) can, and perhaps should be
changed regularly. For instance, weeks 1-4 of a training cycle may focus on speed
development, whilst weeks 5-9 may focus upon agility development. Alternatively, the coach
may wish to change these performance components on a daily basis. Whereby training day 1
(e.g. Monday) may focus upon speed development, and training day 2 (e.g. Tuesday) may
focus upon plyometrics and so on. The coach may also wish to be more specific with their
approach and tailor each performance component of the warm-up to each athletes individual
needs.
This performance-based modification of the RAMP protocol should in theory maximise
training efficiency, and thus optimise the overall training effect meaning a greater
improvement in athletic performance can be achieved. However, this is subject to the design
and facilitation of the warm-up. Though there is little scientific justification for this particular
training protocol at present, it does provide a well-planned and strategic example of a new
performance-based approach to warm-ups.

Conclusion
Planning the warm-up should be given as much attention as the main training content itself,
and the content of the warm-up should be relevant and harmonious to the specific training
session objectives. For example, a training session that is primarily focussed upon maximising
an athletes explosive jump capacity (which will include the use of plyometrics) should
incorporate the use of priming exercises such as lower limb movements (e.g. squats and
lunges), hopping, jumping, and landing. All of which should be progressively planned and
translate unidentifiably into the main content (exercises) of the session. Because welldesigned warm-ups have been continuously proven to reduce injuries and enhance
performance, exercise professionals should pay great attention to the objectives and content of
every warm-up delivered. Furthermore, warm-ups should not only be tailored to each training
session or competition, but also to each athletes highly-specific strengths and weaknesses.