Why Do We Warm-Up Before Exercise?

A proper warm-up will set the tempo of your workout and prepare the body for athletic activity by:

• Increasing your heart rate and core body temperature
• Improving blood circulation to the active muscles
• Raising the activation level of your nervous system to communication faster with the active muscles
• Improving muscle metabolism and the use of energy stores
• Reducing stiffness in the joints and muscles to move more efficiently
• Improving muscle performance from increased speeds of contraction and relaxation
• Increasing mental focus on the training to follow

 

The Ranger Warm-Up Routine

The Ranger warm up is an active and dynamic routine that must be done in sequence for maximum benefit. Every warm-up should be specific to the activity that follows. For example, the warm-up to perform a lower body lift is different than the warm-up to throw a bullpen. However, all warm-up routines share the following components:

1. General Warm-Up (2-5 min)– Involving jogging, biking, or jump rope to raise the core temperature and break a sweat
2. Coordination Drills (3-5 min)– Including skipping, shuffling, backward running, and low intensity-low impact footwork drills
3. Self-Massage/Self-Myofacial Release (2-5 min)– Creating increased circulation and breaking up adhesion from around our muscles
4. Dynamic Mobility (4-7 min)– Emphasizing lunging, twisting, and reaching exercises to create mobility and loosen the hip, torso, and shoulder joints
5. Flexibility (4-8 min)- Basic stretching routines to assist with muscle lengthening and postural balance

 How Long Does a Good Warm-Up Take? 15-30 Minutes

The Ranger off-season warm-up is designed to include extra flexibility work and ensure that you take the time for self-massage (i.e. foam rolling). During the season we may only have a 10-minute team warm-up on the field, but you would have already foam rolled earlier in the training room, received treatments, hit early in the cage, etc. Although the program serves as a warm-up, it is designed to be a complete body wellness program to remain healthy and recover quicker from intense training.

 Cool Down After Your Workout

This is often an overlooked part of the workout because of the rush to end most workouts. Cool down should with 2 to 3 min of easy running and stretching. Emphasize static flexibility (hold stretches for 10-30 sec) after workouts. Cooling down effectively will help you start the recovery process more quickly and reduce soreness and residual fatigue.

“The guy who gets ahead, is the guy who does more than necessary – and keeps on doing it.”