I am not looking to open the can of worms as to what style of training is “BEST” as we all know that conversation could go on all day, Lower hanging fruit that will help everyone a whole lot more is laying out the process of how to avoid injury and prime your body for action with an effective dynamic warm-up.
Coming from my background in martial arts and training everything under the sun I have seen a whole lot of warm-up systems applied with some ancient, some new and cutting edge but most actually missing the actual point.
Every training fitness and martial arts training system has its fundamentals and key base movements, So I’m not advocating dropping everything that was ever practiced, but with how far science has come it always puzzled me why most people stick to the old school warm up script when it isn’t nearly as efficient as many other options at your disposal.
How many time have you either seen it or participated in this pattern?? Get changed run around a few minutes and then drop down into a long slow stretch?? I have witnessed it time and time again.
For training that depends on the ability to react fast and maintain power this is probably your worst bet.
The next step up the ladder is what we can call a “Style based” warm-up
Let’s take Muay Thai for example. Said member enters the gym gets changed, greets everyone and then action starts… Many times by grabbing skipping rope banging out a few rounds mixed in with body weight exercises and callisthenics to round out the warm-up before getting down with technique portion of the class
Don’t get me wrong it works to a degree otherwise people wouldn’t be doing it at all, but its is FAR from the way you would look to optimally warm-up before any training session.
Yes I know its been done for hundreds of years but that doesn’t make it great 🙂
You’ll see the same process in other arts like wrestling and BJJ where running around doing crunches and pushups + a few specific exercises (shrimps, bridges etc.) make up the general warm-up
The problem is at best this approach makes for hit and miss results
I’ve seen trainees come in start skipping and roll their ankles or hurt a knee… while most people chalk it up to an accident, in reality just looking at the numbers you can see its easily avoidable by giving your body a proper primer to get the blood flowing and a solid dynamic warm-up before hitting anything wcompletely cold body state
The Answer | Dynamic Warm-ups
What I’m proposing and implement in all training programs is a dynamic warm-up that covers all the bases
- Makes for a great primer for the athletic action to come and leaving you
- Raises body temperature to get the blood flowing
- Keeps your body moving while stretching reducing the chance of injury
My first experience with the idea came from my training with Steve Bodanis at SST in Hamilton who was studying under world class trainer Martin Rooney.
Take a look at a few example of a dynamic pre training warm-ups that covers all the bases and will get you really ready to work no matter what sport or martial art you are applying it to
