Breaking news - Study shows warmups are important

It's one of those days when two posts have to go out, and you will all find it hard to believe, but finally, it has been proven that warmups are important. Check out the article here.

Pictured Above: A warmup plan used in the study.

Okay, so maybe this isn't so shocking, but what the article does provide that might be useful is an actual warmup plan. The article describes the warmup program as a combination of:

• The PREP system - Table 1 below shows the exercises if you can't read the pdf
  
• The +11 program (pictured above)
• And some running drills
  

These ideas maybe useful for developing your own team warmup, but note that the results have caveats in that the studied group was female footballers aged 13-17 and it is unclear that these results apply to other sexes, age groups, or sports. Still, based on what I learned at last years UCPC injury prevention talk by Jamie Nuwer and June Srisethnil, these ideas seem to have merit.

PJ

TABLE 1
Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance Program
Repetitions/
Exercise Distance Time
1. Warm-up
Jog line to line 50 yd 1
Shuttle run 50 yd 1
Backward running 50 yd 1
2. Stretching
Calf stretch NA 2 × 30 s
Quadriceps stretch NA 2 × 30 s
Hamstring stretch NA 2 × 30 s
Inner thigh stretch NA 2 × 30 s
Hip flexor stretch NA 2 × 30 s
3. Strengthening
Walking lunges 20 yd 2 passes
Russian hamstring NA 30 s
Single-toe raises NA 30, bilaterally
4. Plyometrics
Lateral hops 2- to 6-in cone 30 s
Forward hops 2- to 6-in cone 30 s
Single-legged hops 2- to 6-in cone 30 s
Vertical jumps NA 30 s
Scissors jumps NA 30 s
5. Agilities
Shuttle run 40 yd 1
Diagonal run 40 yd 1
Bounding run 45-50 yd 1

NA, not applicable.