Athletic Training

| May 26, 2021

Movement based warm-ups

It’s important to start your training session with some type of warm-up. You may want to get to the weights right away, but remind yourself that when you warm up the joints and muscles, they will perform significantly better, and any and every sport is about longevity.

By Steven Fitzpatrick

Read time: 4 min.

It’s important to start your training session with some type of warm-up. You may want to get to the weights right away, but remind yourself that when you warm up the joints and muscles, they will perform significantly better, and any and every sport is about longevity. Ask yourself if taking 5 minutes to warm up is less important time wise than taking weeks to months off because you injure, or tear a muscle or joint. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, however, injury prevention and limitation is essential.

I would like to break down a few methods that are quick and extremely effective and time-proven methods that will save you in the long run.

Stretching, especially that being done with resistance such as a band, should be done thereafter a movement based pattern, this tells the body and the peripheral systems that we are ready to move and take any form of action. I will provide simple explanations of how to do each exercise or stretch. Proceed with caution and the responsibility that stretches must be performed safely and effectively. If you feel pain STOP

Bird dog - Active Movement for Core

Start in a four point stance on your hands and knees, move your diagonally opposite foot and hand in a fully extended position, remain static and exhale at the end of each elongation.

Dead Bug - Active Movement for Core

On your back, hands straight in front of you like a mummy, legs up as well but bent at the knees, you will move one hand straight over your head as far as you can put it, while the opposite extremity diagonally will also extend as far as it can, remain briefly static at the end the position, it is crucial that you exhale at the end of the movement and that your mid torso remains on the ground, this includes the areas closest to the shoulder blades and pelvis.

Simple Planks

Straight forward, on your elbows and toes, I would suggest taking a video from the side, you may feel that you are straight but it is easy to allow your body to divert into a position that may be favored due to compensation.

Elevated Side Planks

- Not that it has to be elevated, but it will help to keep the body more static transversely while going through heavy bouts of training. Find a small platform no more than a foot off of the ground and place both feet close to the end, while elevating yourself with the elbow that lay on the ground, make the proper adjustments to take stress off of your shoulders, use the other hand if necessary, even if it just be your fingers.

Toe Touches - Hamstring Stretch

Stand tall legs straight, slight bend in the knees, reach for your toes, make sure not to round your back entirely, remember that with this stretch it isn’t about actually touching your toes, you have to feel your hamstrings stretching!

Frog Stretch - Hip Stretch Adductors (inside)

In a four point stance, move on to you elbows, from that point you are trying to spread the floor apart with your knees while you extend your hip backward, hence looking like a frog.

Pigeon Stretch - Glute and Hip Flexor Stretch, Piriformis (outside muscles)

Stay on the side of caution with this stretch as it may be a less desired option for those with knee pain, this is an asymmetrical stretch or “uni-lateral”, in a four point stance, you will place one leg directly backward, while the front leg will bend at the knee and go underneath your torso, you should feel the stretch in your deep glute.

Malasana - Psoas (groin area)

While standing in a wide stance position with your toes outward, you will squat down as low as you can while remaining in an upright torso position, once you have reached desired depth, use your elbows to drive your knees apart, do not expect immediately to get low, this takes time. It is amazing for heavy squatting and ensuring depth in the squat.

Wall figure 4 stretch (IT band, TFL, glute)

Lay on your back, two feet against the wall, knees bent, cross one leg over the other in a ninety degree angle, while lightly pressing down on the bent knee, protect knees.

Wall stretch (Chest, pectoral muscles, bicep)

With a hand on a wall or surface you can put the rest of your body past (a doorway works good) raise the hand slightly above ninety on the wall, and lean the torso past the wall.

Couch stretch (Quad, Rectus femoris, Iliopsoas)

In a lunge position shift your bodyweight forward, while reaching the opposite arm from the bending knee overhead as the spine goes into extension.

Cat / Cow (spinae erector) overall spinal health

In a four point stance, try to keep the shoulder blades and hips in the same position, while putting the mid thoracic spine through flexion and extension

Child's pose (low back, QL, shoulder flexion)

In a four point stance, keep the knees together and drive the hip back into extension while at the same time, putting both arms into shoulder flexion, or straight ahead as far as possible

Banded stretch for lats, rhomboids, spinae erectors

Use a band, set it up above on something that is at least 3 feet above you, put your hand through, do NOT let go, this can injure you. You will bend the knees slightly, extend the hip and transversely rotate or turn your torso underneath the arm that is extended in front of you, this stretch is wonderful!

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