Prepare for Activity and Reduce Your Risk of Injury with a Functional Warm-Up!
Follow along as Orthopedic ONE’s Kirsten von Zychlin, DPT, AT, SCS, guides you through a proper functional warm-up. Warming-up prior to exercise prepares the body for movement on a cellular level. Functional and Dynamic Warm-Ups have been found to be more successful at getting the body ready for activity and reducing the risk of injury compared with static stretching.
Components of a Functional Warm Up
- General movement to increase core temperature
- Dynamic/Fluid movement to prepare muscles for movement
- Sport-Specific activity to engage appropriate hand-eye coordination and prepare the nervous system to move optimally for your sport
Considerations
- Leave enough time for at least 10-15 minutes to warm-up prior to activity
- The end of your warm-up and the start of activity should be less than 10 minutes
- Start slow and increase in quickness as you go
Start with a Full Body Movement
- Example: Planks
- Planks are utilized primarily as a core exercise, but the entire body is activating during this exercise.
Add in Front to Back Dynamic Activity
- Example: Lunges
Incorporate Side to Side Dynamic Activity
- Example: Side Lunges
Increase Speed and Intensity
- Examples: High Knees, Butt Kickers, Side Shuffles, and Jumping Jacks
Click here to learn more about our Sports Medicine specialty and for a list of our Sports Medicine physicians. If you have questions or want to learn more ways to stay healthy, active and strong, consider connecting with one of our Certified Athletic Trainers through our Sports Medicine Hotline.