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Warm Up Exercises
Muscle stiffness is thought to be directly related to muscle injury
and therefore the warm up should be aimed at reducing muscle stiffness.
The following are examples of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises,
which could form part of the warm up programme in a training session.
In all the exercises breathe easily whilst performing them.
The Exercises
Joint Rotations
From a standing position with your arms hanging loosely at you
sides, flex, extend, and rotate each of the following joints:
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Fingers |
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Wrist |
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Elbows |
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Shoulders |
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Neck |
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Trunk and shoulder blades |
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Hips |
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Knees |
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Ankles |
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Feet and toes |
Neck Mobility
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Flexion/Extension - Tuck your chin into your chest,
and then lift your chin upward as far as possible. 6 to 10 repetitions
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Lateral Flexion - lower your left ear toward your
left shoulder and then your right ear to your right shoulder.
6 to 10 repetitions |
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Rotation - Turn your chin laterally toward your
left shoulder and then rotate it toward your right shoulder.
6 to 10 repetitions |
Shoulder Circles
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Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width
apart, knees slightly bent |
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Raise your right shoulder towards your right ear,
take it backwards, down and then up again to the ear in a smooth
action |
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Repeat with the other shoulder |
Arm Swings
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Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width
apart, knees slightly bent |
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Keep the back straight
at all times |
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Overhead/Down and back - Swing both
arms continuously to an overhead position and then forward,
down, and backwards. 6 to 10 repetitions |
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Side/Front Crossover
- Swing both arms out to your sides and then cross them in front
of your chest. 6 to 10 repetitions |
Side Bends
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Stand tall with good posture, feet slightly wider
than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands resting
on hips |
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Lift your trunk up and
away from your hips and bend smoothly first to one side, then
the other, avoiding the tendency to lean either forwards or
backwards |
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Repeat the whole sequence sixteen
times with a slow rhythm, breathing out as you bend to the side,
and in as you return to the centre |
Hip circles and twists
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Circles - With your
hands on your hips and feet spread wider than your shoulders,
make circles with your hips in a clockwise direction for 10
to 12 repetitions. Then repeat in a counter clockwise direction
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Twists - Extend your
arms out to your sides, and twist your torso and hips to the
left, shifting your weight on to the left foot. Then twist your
torso to the right while shifting your weight to the right foot.
10 to 12 reps on each side |
Half Squat
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Stand tall with good posture holding your hands
out in front of you for balance |
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Now bend
at the knees until your thighs are parallel with the floor |
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Keep your back long throughout
the movement, and look straight ahead |
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Make sure that your
knees always point in the same direction as your toes |
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Repeat the exercise
sixteen times with a smooth, controlled rhythm |
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Breath in as you descend,
and out as you rise |
Leg Swings
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Flexion/Extension
- Stand sideways onto the wall |
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Weight on
your left leg and your right hand on the wall for balance |
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Swing your right leg
forward and backward |
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10 to 12 repetitions on each leg
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Cross-Body flexion/Abduction -
Leaning slightly forward with both hands on a wall and your
weight on your left leg, swing your right leg to the left in
front of your body, pointing your toes upwards as your foot
reaches its furthest point of motion |
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Then swing the right leg back to
the right as far as comfortable, again pointing your toes up
as your foot reaches its final point of movement |
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10 to 12 repetitions on each leg
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Lunges
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Standing tall both feet
together (starting position) |
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Keeping
the back straight lunge forward with the right leg approx 1
to 1½ metre |
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The right thigh should
be parallel with the ground and the right lower leg vertical
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Spring back to the starting position
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Repeat with the left
leg |
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12 to 16 repetitions on each leg
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Ankle Bounce
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Double leg bounce
- Leaning forward with your hands on the wall and your weight
on your toes, raise and lower both heels rapidly (bounce) |
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Each time,
lift your heels one to two inches from the ground while maintaining
ground contact with the ball of your feet |
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12 to 16 repetitions
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Single leg bounce - leaning
forward with your hands on a wall and all your weight on your
left foot, raise the right knee forward while pushing the left
heel towards the ground |
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Then lower the right
foot to the floor while raising the left heel one or two inches
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Repeat in a rapid, bouncy fashion
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12 to 16 repetitions on each leg
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