How to Warm-Up
With the latest article being about why to perform a warm-up prior to activity, the next clear question is what is the best type of warm-up. “Best” is a tough term to use because it is relative to the individual and to the activity or workout they are preparing for. Its all about getting that specific person ready for the work they are about to partake in. There are many different types of warm-ups ranging from stretching, to running, to dynamic movements, and more. When designing a warm-up, start with the end in mind. The end is the workout, game, match, or competition that day. With that end in mind, get the body prepared to perform its best that day.
A long-time debate has been this static stretching vs dynamic and what best helps performance. There has been conflicting research for years on this debate but what it comes down to it what is the goal. Are you working to improve static or sitting range of motion and flexibility, static stretching can be helpful, but if the goal is to improve following performance, dynamic warm-ups are important. Static stretching alone has been shown to be a detriment to following performance as compared to dynamic stretching (Barbosa, et al., 2019). Static stretching has also been shown to worsen following sprint performance (Kyranoudis, et al., 2018). What is being looked at here is that it gives a negative effect on the neurological system thus negatively affecting how the muscles respond to the immediately following activity.
On the other side, there is the dynamic warm-up. What does a dynamic warm-up include? It is sequential movement that aims to increase blood flow to muscles and improve range of motion. The main difference is that it involves movement. Just like the name implies, one of the biggest requirements of a warm-up that it “warms you up”. That it increases the body temperature which my previous article “Don’t Start Cold” talks about. The big benefit is that the increase in body temperature increases blood flow and nerve response time. Without the increase in temperature, the benefits of a warm-up are not the same. That is why it is critical to perform a dynamic warm-up. But within a dynamic warm-up, making it specific is critical. The research done by Kyranoudis, et al. in 2018 demonstrated in their research with amateur soccer players is that a specific warm-up was even more beneficial than just dynamic movements prior to sport specific sprinting. This demonstrates that its critical that a warm-up is specific to the following performance.
In the end, the type of warm-up that you perform is very important. It is all about starting with the goals for activity in the mind and then working backwards to find dynamic movements that will get the muscles needed in the activity prepared. A specific dynamic warm-up is the goal. That is what has been shown to have the best benefits for the immediately following activity. Static stretching is not a bad thing, let’s not confuse that, it just has different goals and benefits. When designing your warm-up for an activity, keep it simple and have your goals in mind and be specific to what you will be doing. That will limit the complications and get you ready for your activity.
-Tyler Grisdale, MS, CSCS, RSCC, CES, TPI
References
Barbosa, et al., 2019, ‘Chronic Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching on Hamstrings Eccentric Strength and Functional Performance: A Randomized Controlled Trial’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol 34, Issue 7, pp. 2031-2039.
Kyrandouis, et al., 2018, ‘Acute effect of specific warm-up exercises on sprint performance after static and dynamic stretching in amateur soccer players, Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 18(2), Art 122, pp. 825-830.