How To Warm Up Correctly Before Playing Different Sports
July 10, 2024
When you see professional athletes gearing up to race or getting ready to take the field, you’ll notice that they’re always in motion. That’s because they are warming up in preparation for going all out.
And there’s a good reason why you’ll never see a pro go straight from the bench into a full sprint. “You need to allow your muscles to gradually accept the demands of your activity,” says Jennifer Burnham, a certified athletic trainer at Henry Ford Health. “Otherwise you risk causing an injury.”
Why You Should Warm Up
As the name implies, a warmup is a series of movements designed to warm up your muscles. “You want to increase blood flow to your muscles and loosen up and lubricate your joints,” says Burnham. “And you need to do it gradually, so that your body has time to adapt to the increasing intensity.”
Warming up involves more than just stretching. According to Burnham, studies have actually shown that holding a static stretch when muscles are cold can decrease performance. “Instead, before activity you want to do a dynamic warmup that incorporates movement as well as some gentle stretching."
Your warmup only needs to take 5 to 10 minutes. When deciding what to do, think about the movements you’ll be doing in your activity and which muscles and joints are most involved. Then choose movements that slowly get them warmed up and primed for more intense action.
How To Warm Up For Different Activities
No matter your sport, the warmup before your workout should include some exercises to activate and engage your core (the abdominal and back muscles). “Waking up those muscles helps decrease injury potential,” says Burnham. She suggests incorporating bridges and mini squats (no deeper than 45 degrees) into your warmup routine. To do a bridge, lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles and squeeze your butt as you lift your hips up to form a straight line from knees to shoulders.
The rest of your warmup can be more specific to muscles and movements of your planned activity.
Running
Before a run, or even a jog, you want to warm up all the muscles and joints from the waist down.
- Rotate your hips (lift your knee up and do some circles in both directions to move the joint) and ankles (circle one foot at a time both clockwise and counter-clockwise).
- Get powerful muscles like your glutes and quads ready with high knees and butt kicks.
- Walk on your toes and then on your heels to warm up shin and calf muscles.
- When you’re ready to run, start off slowly and gradually increase your speed.
Racquet sports
You still need to warm up your lower body using the same moves as the running warmup. But you’ll want to add in others specific to the upper body movements of tennis, pickleball or other racket sports.
- Warm up shoulders with big arm circles both forwards and backwards
- Circle your hands in both directions to get wrists ready for action
- Lunge forward and rotate your upper torso to increase your spine mobility
Basketball, soccer and football
You want to make sure your lower body has time to adapt to the demands of sports that require bursts of sprinting and quick shifts of direction. Your warmup should gradually increase in speed and intensity as you move your body in all directions:
- Side shuffles while swinging your arms (shuffle in both directions)
- Grapevines in both directions
- Skip forward, lifting knees high, then skip backward
Swimming
Prepping your body for a swimming workout means warming up your arms, shoulders and upper back.
- Circle arms backwards and forwards
- Use a light resistance band to do shoulder rows
- Use a light resistance band or light dumbbell and lift straight arms up to shoulder height in front and to your sides
- Start with an easy tempo freestyle swim before going into more dynamic strokes like butterfly
Jennifer Burnham is an athletic trainer who sees patients at the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine in Detroit.
To find a sports medicine provider at Henry Ford Health, visit henryford.com/athletes or call 313-651-1969.
How To Stay Hydrated: 7 Tips For An Active Summer
By
Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F
Henry Ford Health
June 4, 2024
Not only is water an essential nutrient, it makes up your entire being. We’re 40 to 70 percent water, depending on fitness level and age. And while staying hydrated is always important, it may become more challenging as the weather heats up. Hard-working muscles generate more heat when they’re surrounded by hot air, making it harder for your body to maintain a normal temperature.
Even a 1 to 2 percent loss of body weight from water can compromise your performance and impact your body’s ability to cool itself. The heart pumps harder, circulation slows and muscles fatigue more quickly. If the loss creeps up to 3 or 4 percent, you’ll be at increased risk of developing heat-related illness and injury, including cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Even when you’re not active, your body loses more than a quart of water every day through urine, perspiration, sweat and breath, according to the National Institutes of Health. And most days, it’s more than 2.5 quarts.
The goal, of course, is to replace what’s lost. And with a little planning and preparation, you can during any outdoor activity, no matter what the thermometer says. Here’s how:
- Drink before you’re thirsty. Need to quench your thirst? Chances are you’re already dehydrated. Your best defense against dehydration is drinking water on a consistent basis so you never reach the point of thirst.
- Take frequent water breaks. While you might not want to disrupt your workout for a water break, taking time out for some much-needed liquid nourishment will pay off in the long run. Drink 8 to 10 ounces of water (about one full glass) before starting any activity. Once the games begin, drink another 7 to 10 ounces every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Track your intake. Many people don’t know how much water they should drink daily—or even how much water they’re typically downing. If you’re sipping on a 16-ounce bottle, drink eight of them each day—and even more if you’re exercising heavily.
- Consider an electrolyte drink. Working out for more than an hour? Consider sipping a sports drink—or nibbling on some pretzels or a banana to restore lost electrolytes (minerals in the blood that regulate bodily systems). Your body loses important electrolytes like sodium, potassium and chloride when you sweat. A good sports drink can help you replenish them. Coconut water is a great choice, but there are a slew of healthy, low-sugar options on the market.
- Munch on water-rich produce. Water-packed snacks, including melon, berries, bell peppers and grapes, are all good options. A bonus: All of these foods boast a decent hit of electrolytes, too!
- Step on the scale. Weigh yourself before and after a workout. If the scale shows a loss, replenish it with water (gulp 20 to 24 ounces of water for every pound lost). If you’ve lost 3 percent or more of your body weight, chances are you’re severely dehydrated.
- Watch your urine stream. It may seem gross, but checking your pee is probably the best way to determine whether you’re dehydrated. If it looks like watered down, colored lemonade, you’re probably in the clear. But if it’s a deep yellow or light orange, you’re probably not drinking enough fluids.
Keep in mind that heat exhaustion happens quickly—especially during summer activities. It can easily turn into heat stroke, a dangerous condition that can lead to organ damage, seizures, coma and even death. If you feel dehydrated, dizzy or overheated, get out of the sun, sip some water (slowly) and apply cooling compresses to your head, neck and chest. If your symptoms don’t improve quickly, get to a doctor or call 9-1-1.
Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F, is the supervisor of athletic training and sports performance at Henry Ford Health. Learn more about Nick.
To find a sports medicine provider at Henry Ford Health, visit henryford.com/athletes or call 313-651-1969.