| Never underestimate the value a good warm has for you. For years, an effective warm-up has helped many athletes reduce their chances of injuries and helped them to perform better. However, over the years I have noticed how many people either don’t do a warm up, or give a very half-hearted effort during their warm-up (especially the older and less competitive one becomes). A good warm up routine has also changed numerous time over the years which leaves a lot of people with a question that begs to be answered: What constitutes for an effective pre-activity warm-up? Whether you are a pickleball enthusiast, a recreational runner, or a provincial swimmer, at the very minimum, warming up should be General and Specific: General: The body as a whole needs to be prepared for whatever task you are about to give it. Your central nervous systems, musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, etc. all need to be ready to perform at a specific level. Therefore, starting with a general warm up that gets the blood flowing and heart pumping is essential. This can be 5-10min of easy to moderate activity that achieves this. Specific: Sport Specific: Football players do not warm-up like ballerinas! Basketball players do not practice passing with their feet, and soccer players will not do so with their hands (unless you are a goalkeeper). Each activity requires a unique routine to allow for adequate preparation of the strain that is to be placed on the body. Position Specific: Not all of the players have the same specific warm-up, if you require more upper body activity as a pitcher vs a combination of upper and lower body as an Outfielder, then your warm-up should match this. Consider your specific role in the team and then prepare for it! Dynamic: static stretches do not equal a good warm up! Stretches are useful to lengthen tight muscles after an activity, they are insufficient when it comes to activating muscles prior to activity. Controlled, intentional movements through a joint’s range of motion with sufficient resistance is the aim of a dynamic warm-up. |
If you need help with developing an effective warm-up routine for your specific activity then pop me an email on travis@tmkin.ca to book a consultation so that we can get you better prepared to perform at your level and reduce the chances of injuring yourself.
TRAVIS MICHELSON KINESIOLOGY 
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