What is a warm-up? It’s kinda implied in the name. You get warmed up. But is that all? Could I just turn on all the heaters in the car and go straight out for a game? Wear a heavy jacket and jump under a max effort squat? What about sprints on the beach after lying in the sun for an afternoon?
I certainly wouldn’t advise any of these.
A better concept to use is Movement Prep. Basically you’re preparing yourself for the movements that lay ahead, whether it is a GAA/Rugby/Soccer game, a sprint session on the track or a weights session in the gym. All different sports/activities should have slightly different warm-ups.
So many times I’ve seen teams do 2 laps of the pitch, gather in a circle for 10 second stretches then go straight into a match. I’ve also seen people do 10 minutes on an exercise bike before jumping under a heavy bench press. I can’t really see how either type of warm-up would prepare someone for what lay ahead.
Many organisations have implemented new warm-ups into their coaching programmes such as the FIFA 11 or the GAA 15. Both of these are based on the RAMP method.
What is the RAMP method?
Raise – Raise your body temperature and heart rate. This can be done through a variety of means such as jogging, cycling, skipping, aerobics, etc,. Ideally if you are preparing for a particular sporting event you should try to raise body temperature with similar muscles/areas of the body. Examples of this would include low intensity Tip Rugby before a normal contact session. Simple skill drills in hurling to prepare for more intensive games. Shadow boxing and shoulder movements before an upper body weights session. Try to keep it close to the activity that lies ahead but always beware of monotony. The beginning is one of the easiest areas to introduce new/fun ideas into training.
Activate – Activate the major muscles that you will be using. Fill them with blood and get them ready to do the most work.
I’ve heard it said that activating the muscles is like turning on the ignition before starting the engine.
Many of our muscles switch off due to sedentary lifestyles. Our hips, core, shoulder and back muscles are constantly losing strength from lack of use and this puts pressure on many of the surrounding areas. Many people now experience hamstring or low back pain as they are taking over the work that should be done by the glutes. I find the following exercises to be very effective in activating the glutes before other exercises.
Our shoulders have become very rounded from sitting at laptops and looking at mobile phones. Many of the smaller muscles in the upper back now lack development, which can lead to back and shoulder pain. Activating these will take pressure off the surrounding muscles and allow them to develop themselves.
I generally use resistance bands for activation but there are a number of exercises that require no equipment, which can also be used. My favourite upper back activation exercises are:
Mobilise – Often known as stretching. For years the traditional hamstring, quad, groin and calf stretch were held for 10 seconds each at the beginning and end of training. A few years ago someone decided we should include a glute stretch and this was added also.
I now feel it is much better to concentrate on joints when mobilizing instead of muscles. Many different surrounding muscles affect the ankle, knee, hip and shoulder joints. Dynamic movements that help a joint through a range of motion will also loosen the surrounding muscles. These dynamic movements can be related to the sport ahead while also helping to keep body temperature elevated.
See below for examples of dynamic movements.
Potentiate – This means to prepare the body for many of the specific actions that lie ahead. These are usually explosive and powerful. Jumps and short sprints apply to most sports so can be included at this phase. Other more specific movements can also be included such as dives for goalkeepers, scrummaging/tackling for rugby, striking/controlling fast balls in hurling or near maximal lifts for squat/bench/snatch etc,.
Many of the activation and mobilization movements can be combined as the same exercises. These often serve to raise body temperature as well. This creates greater time efficiency and allows for extra skill or energy systems development in your training session.
Here are two examples of circuits I use with athletes both on the pitch and in the gym.
Sport specific exercises can easily be added in between exercises.
They can be completed in any order and not all have to be used.
Feel free to use this with your own athletes and add in any extra movements that you feel would provide added benefits.
FHS-Performance 
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