Warm-Up Strategies for Sport and Exercise: Mechanisms and Applications

Abstract

It is widely accepted that warming-up prior to exercise is vital for the attainment of optimum performance. Both passive and active warm-up can evoke temperature, metabolic, neural and psychology-related effects, including increased anaerobic metabolism, elevated oxygen uptake kinetics and post-activation potentiation. Passive warm-up can increase body temperature without depleting energy substrate stores, as occurs during the physical activity associated with active warm-up. While the use of passive warm-up alone is not commonplace, the idea of utilizing passive warming techniques to maintain elevated core and muscle temperature throughout the transition phase (the period between completion of the warm-up and the start of the event) is gaining in popularity. Active warm-up induces greater metabolic changes, leading to increased preparedness for a subsequent exercise task. Until recently, only modest scientific evidence was available supporting the effectiveness of pre-competition warm-ups, with early studies often containing relatively few participants and focusing mostly on physiological rather than performance-related changes. External issues faced by athletes pre-competition, including access to equipment and the length of the transition/marshalling phase, have also frequently been overlooked. Consequently, warm-up strategies have continued to develop largely on a trial-and-error basis, utilizing coach and athlete experiences rather than scientific evidence. However, over the past decade or so, new research has emerged, providing greater insight into how and why warm-up influences subsequent performance. This review identifies potential physiological mechanisms underpinning warm-ups and how they can affect subsequent exercise performance, and provides recommendations for warm-up strategy design for specific individual and team sports.

Unilateral Stiffness Interventions Augment Vertical Stiffness and Change of Direction Speed

“…CODS practice was chosen as the control intervention as this would be more representative of a 'typical' warm-up strategy which would attempt to replicate the types of subsequent activity to be undertaken (24). Circuits of the CODS test were performed alternating between clockwise and counter-clockwise directions, each separated by 60 seconds.…”

Comparing the Effect of Static and PNF Stretching on Hip Joint Flexibility of Un-training Female Students

“…One example of PNF training is contraction-rest which some sources report to be superior to static stretching (Meliggas, Papadopoulos, Gissis, Zakas, Brabas, 2015). Another study, however, reported that 4 weeks of static stretching yielded better results compared to PNF (McGowan, Pyne, Thompson, Rattray, 2015). Some researchers have noted that vibration stretching methods are more efficacious for improving muscle flexibility (McGowan et al, 2015;Wagner et al, 2010).…”

“…Another study, however, reported that 4 weeks of static stretching yielded better results compared to PNF (McGowan, Pyne, Thompson, Rattray, 2015). Some researchers have noted that vibration stretching methods are more efficacious for improving muscle flexibility (McGowan et al, 2015;Wagner et al, 2010). Funk, Swank, Mikla, Fagan, Farr (2003) compared the PNF stretching and static exercises on the hamstring flexibility.…”

Effects of Short or Long Warm-up on Intermediate Running Performance

“…In most sports, a warm-up is performed with the aim to prepare the body for high-level performance and to prevent injuries when performing at that high level (5,12,18,21,24). In endurance sports, it is normal to have a preparatory exercise period for at least a half hour to an hour with the goal to enhance subsequent competition (15).…”