An adequate warm-up program is an important part of any
stretching and flexibility regime. The right balance of warm-up and
stretching an integral part of any soccer-specific strength and fitness
training program. Injury prevention is a crucial consideration and and
important reason for an individualized warm up, stretching, and
flexibility program. Prior to initiating a workout program, a routine
soccer practice or a match, the soccer athlete must be warmed up and
have stretched for a period of between 15 and 30 minutes, not only to
reduce the risk of injury, but to improve training results and match
performance.
The proper warm-up routine has several
important elements. The elements of a properly structured warm-up and
stretching regimen must be integrated into a holistic strategy designed
to properly engage all of the various muscles of the body in such a way
as to be ready for peak performance prior to the workout, practice or
competition. Every muscle and muscle group must be working together and
fully warmed up in order to reduce the chance of injury, regardless of
whether it is due to stress, strain or trauma.
Why is warming up so vital to the overall success of a training program?
Proper
warm-up before training is important for a number of reasons and is
responsible for a myriad of benefits. The properly designed warm-up
routine prepares the athlete, physically and mentally, for peak
performance and for strenuous, physical and mental exertion. While there
are many reasons for this, the most important may be the fact that
warm-up increases the body's metabolism and core temperature. As a
consequence of an overall increase in temperature, there is accordingly
an increase in the temperature of the various muscles involved in
training and competition. Increased muscle temperature, and the
associated increase in blood flow, allows for muscles that are ready for
strenuous activity, being oxygenated, fully fueled, and supple.
Additionally, the warm-up will also have a positive, overall
cardiovascular effect, increasing both heart and lung function and
allowing for more complete delivery of oxygen and energy-providing
nutrients to the musculature during periods of peak demand. Once again,
this has a ripple effect and the connective tissue, so at risk during
periods of strenuous activity, to be warmed up and prepared for activity
prior to the workout or competition. The latter is vitally important,
as many sports-related injuries are connective tissue based, as in ACL
injuries!
How to Develop a Warm-up Program for a Soccer-Related Strength and Fitness Training Program
There
are several factors and considerations that come into play when
designing a soccer-related strength and fitness training program. Along
with diet and nutrition, warm-up, stretching, and flexibility are
crucial to the overall success of the program. For that reason, we will
spend quite a bit of time on the proper warm-up design and integration
in this article.
It goes without saying, or should anyway, that it
is very important to begin with the simplest and gentlest movements and
tasks first. The idea is to move from one motion and movement to the
next, an overall build taking place, and once again a ripple effect
leading to a fully engorged and oxygenated musculature prior to
strenuous activity. The process of easy to difficult, slow to faster
motions and activities, each building and compounding upon the other,
fully engaging the athlete's body and optimizing performance regardless
of the task involved.
The body, if properly engaged and warmed up,
will be at its mental and physical peak prior to strenuous activity and
the demands of soccer-related performance, whether for strength and
fitness training, practice or match play. With the body at peak
readiness, optimally engaged mentally and physically, the likelihood of
soccer-specific, sports-related injuries will have been minimized and
the soccer athlete can continue into the training or the competitive
area fully prepared. The next step, now that we understand why...is how!
The Four Components of an Effective Soccer-Specific Strength and Fitness Training Warm-up
The
first stage is a general, overall warm-up program. The second stage is
static stretching and differs from the third stage, that of
soccer-specific stretching and warm-up. The fourth stage is dynamic
stretching, stretching used to engage and involve the entire
musculature, synergistically. The four components are equally crucial to
the overall success of the program, one building upon the other, all
equally vital. The components come together, in very much the same way
as muscles do, synergistically, all four working in unison to prepare
the body, physically and mentally; and, also preparing the
soccer-athlete for whatever is to come. Once again, this process is
designed to ensure the soccer-athlete has minimal exposure and
consequently risk of sports-related injuries.
Stage One: Overall and General Strength and Fitness Training Warm-up
The
overall, general warm-up consists of mild, minimally demanding physical
activity. I recommend jogging, no faster that a brisk walk, generally
for 400 meters or one-quarter of a mile. We then jump on the stationary
bike, increasing the intensity and duration from a low tension setting
and a duration 2 minutes, to a high of medium range tension for up to 20
minutes; and, in winter we start off with the stationary bike. The
level of difficulty and the length of time on the bike is usually
determined during testing and is determined by the soccer-athlete's
overall level of fitness. A good indicator that the athlete is starting
to warm-up is a moderate sweat and perhaps an elevated heart rate and
respiration. The heart rate and respiration are usually tracked by chart
at the onset of the program and then weekly; this will help in
establishing overall training results, and also will aid in watching for
signs of overtraining.
The primary goal of stage one is to
increase the pulse and respiration, an indication that blood and oxygen
are being moved at a faster rate through the body. As stated, increased
heart rate and respiration will thus increase blood flow to the muscles
and provide for oxygenation and energy supply to the muscles during
strenuous physical training. The increased blood flow and nutrients to
the muscles also helps elevate the overall body and muscle temperature;
and, this in turn will provide for a better static stretching stage.
Stage Two: Stepping it Up and Static Stretching
Stage
two is the static stretching phase and is really the basis for overall
flexibility. Given the importance of the static stretch, and of
flexibility in general, it is always interesting how few soccer-athletes
engage in it...or any other stretching routine for that matter. Static
stretching is slow, easy, and constant stretching of the various muscles
groups and is usually quite safe; and, it is a very efficient and
effective means of achieving overall flexibility. The biggest issue with
stretching is in the form and the carry out, how the stretches are
actually carried out. The proper way is in a long, ballistic-free
motion, one of constant and applied pressure to a specific muscle or
group of muscles. If done properly, the static stretch is very safe and
quite beneficial. During the second stage of the warm-up and stretching
program, the static stretch must include the various major muscle
groups, working from largest to smallest muscles groups and then back
again. The entire regimen will generally last from five to fifteen
minutes, at first; and, taking somewhat less time as training
progresses.
In order to properly stretch the muscles during the
static phase of stretching, the athlete's body must be in a position in
which the muscle or muscle group is under constant, applied tension. To
begin with, the muscle or muscle group to be statically stretched is
relaxed. Additionally, the opposing muscles are also relaxed. The
opposing muscles consist of those muscles "in front of" and "behind" the
target muscle or muscle group. Then, carefully and with deliberation,
the athlete slowly and carefully places the body under pressure, with
emphasis on the area to be stretched, increasing overall tension to the
muscle, or muscle group. At the point of greatest tension, the stretch
is held in place, allowing the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to
stretch and, when possible, to lengthen. This stage of the
soccer-related, strength and fitness training program is extremely
effective in advancing flexibility. Stage two assists in lengthening
muscles and tendons, and in a synergistic fashion impacts ligaments too.
The static stretching allows for a greater degree of movement and range
of motion. This stage is crucial in sports-related injury prevention,
as it, once again allows for a strengthening, as well as the
aforementioned lengthening of muscles and tendons.
Stage one and
stage two form the foundation for what will follow. The first through
fourth stages form an overall and effective soccer-specific warm-up and
stretching program. The overall warm-up and stretching program thus
laying the basis for the training to follow. It is crucial that the
first two stages be completed completely and in the proper fashion
before increasing the intensity and moving into stages three and four.
The correct implementation of stages one and two will provide for safe
and effective exercise in stages three and four.
Stage Three: Soccer-Specific Stretch and Warm-up
Generally,
if the focus of the warm-up and stretching was on practice and match
play, we would now move to paired stretches and various warm-ups
designed to be competition-specific. However, because this is primarily
focused on strength and fitness training for soccer-athletes, we usually
up the level of the stretching to include another round of static
stretching, followed by a number of isotonic-related stretches. The
primary focus in stage three must be inside out, largest to smallest and
back in. That is, for the upper body a series of stretches including
the back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, wrists, and
hands. The neck is very important and great care must be taken when
stretching the neck for obvious, and not so obvious reasons. The neck
has a number of very small muscles and muscles groups but, as Woody
Hayes once pointed out to me, "as the neck goes, so goes the body."
While Coach Hayes is obviously a legendary football coach, but his
lesson was not lost on his student (yours truly). The neck should always
get special attention and, as a soccer player, the neck plays so many
roles, its importance cannot be overstated. After the upper body and the
neck, the lower body is next. Included in the lower body are stretches
for the gluteus maximus and minimus, the hips, quadraceps, hamstrings,
calves, ankles, and feet. Finally, the abdominals must be focused on,
and they get special attention because, like the neck, they are a
determining factor in the overall performance of the body.
Obviously,
the stretching program can and often does take up an entire workout
session, particularly at first and until the routine is set. There are
myriad stretches available and any number of them will suffice. However,
if you would like to have a personalized program, one effective and
designed just for you, you must engage the services of an experienced,
and knowledgeable (they are not always the same), strength and fitness
coach, one experienced in dealing with soccer-athletes, in particular.
By
the time the athlete has completed stage three, he or she should be
perspiring and their heart rate and respiration should be significantly
elevated. The idea is to integrate the warm-up and stretching into the
overall conditioning program is such a way that it has a number of
cascading affects and effects on the body of the athlete, all with one
thing in mind, optimizing overall development and match performance
gains. In other words, it is my desire to see them be able to put it on
the pitch!
Stages Four: Soccer-Related Strength and Fitness Training, Warm-up and Dynamic Stretching
Ultimately,
the proper warm-up must culminate in a series of exercises known as
dynamic stretching exercises or simply as dynamic stretches.
Significantly, dynamic stretches often result in injury. The main reason
for the high incidence of injuries due to dynamic stretching has to do
with athletes who are not trained properly by coaches who are
experienced in working with soccer athletes, or athletes in general, or
the athletes themselves simply do not adhere to training guidelines. For
the reasons stated above, dynamic stretching should only be engaged in
when training with a competent strength and fitness instructor; and, not
just someone who likes to work out and thought it might be a great
business to get into! Dynamic stretching has to do with what I refer to
as neuro-muscular coordination and is about muscle conditioning, rather
than simply flexibility, as the name would seem to imply. The dynamic
stretch regimen is usually designed and best suited for top-level
amateur and professional soccer-athletes, those individuals who are
well-trained, and are highly-conditioned, competitive athletes. A
dynamic stretch routine is usually implemented as a final, ultimate step
in a flexibility program adhered to for quite some time and it is
obvious to trainer and trainee that the "next-level" is appropriate.
Dynamic
stretching usually involves controlled movement, a bouncing or pendulum
motion, forcing the muscle beyond its normal range of motion. Gradually
and over time the degree of bounce and the range of the swing is
heightened and increased to achieve an exaggerated range of motion and
enhanced flexibility. The best example of this done in an incorrect
fashion may be when young athletes attempt to stretch their hamstrings,
one foot crossed in front of the other, bouncing up and down to stretch
the biceps femoris. Done in this fashion, the young athlete may
cause a micro-tearing of the hamstring and risk serious injury. But
they see others do it and they model the behavior. A recipe for
disaster...or at the very least a blown hamstring! During stage four, it
is crucial that the athlete integrate dynamic stretches that are
soccer-specific. Stage four the culmination of the soccer-specific,
warm-up, stretching and flexibility program and will result in the
soccer-athlete achieving peak mental and physical preparation prior to
training and/or match play. At this point in the training session, the
trainee is prepared for the what will come next, the rigors of an
intense soccer-specific, strength and fitness training program.
Finally,
the most neglected aspect of any training regimen, the warm-up and
stretching, must come first. Without adequate preparation, both physical
and mental, the soccer-athlete cannot hope to achieve peak performance
and optimal training gains. The four stage training program is a workout
in and of itself and will generally take between twenty-five and
forty-five minutes to work through. As the trainee becomes used to the
routine, its system and its rigors, the amount of time it takes to get
through it is lessened. Interestingly, as time lessens, intensity
increases...but so does the fitness level of the athlete. So, when
integrating and off-season, soccer-specific strength and fitness
training program into your training routine, it is imperative you
recognize the importance of diet and nutrition, combined with a proper
warm-up and flexibility regimen. With the above two components in place,
we are ready to move on to the next ingredient, the actual
soccer-specific strength and fitness training program.
