Training and Fitness Articles

 

PRE-MATCH WARM UP

PGMOL Sports Scientist Matt Weston talks us through the perfect warm-up

While fitness training during the season is key to an official’s performance, a good and proper warm up is equally important, as PGMOL Sports Scientist Matt Weston explains.

Along with an increase in muscle and core temperature, a warm up serves to improve performance in many different ways: 

• An increase in the amount of oxygen (which is used for energy production and regeneration) delivered to the working muscles as a warm up increases heart rate which in turn increases the amount of blood pumped to the working muscles.

• An increase in the amount of oxygen that is extracted from the blood at working muscles.

• All muscle contractions are initiated via nerve messages and these messages travel faster at higher temperatures.

• Muscle contractions are more forceful and rapid following a warm up.

• The stiffness of the synovial fluid around a joint has been demonstrated to decrease following a rise in body and muscle temperature following a warm up thus enabling joints to move more freely during matches.

Warm up (20 – 25 minute period)

Two laps of the pitch progressively building heart rate upto 80%hrmax Course from goal line to 18yd box with segments of:

• bum kicks

• high knees (driving of the balls of the feet)

• grapevine (lead 2x with left leg & 2x with right)

• lateral running (lead 2x with left leg & 2x with right)

• side shuffles (2x forwards & 2x backwards)

• backwards jogging

• heels upto hands

• skipping (high knee, knee across, knee out)

• hamstringwalk

• hurdle walk (in & out)

• 3 - 4x for each exercise, jog back to goal line in between – emphasis on quality, low – medium intensity movements over 18yd course

• 2 - 3 sprints at 80% max speed from goal line to 6yd box

• 2 - 3 sprints at 80% max speed from goal line to penalty spot

• 2 - 3 sprints at 100% max speed from goal line to 6yd box

• 2 - 3 sprints at 100% max speed from goal line to penalty spot

• jog back to goal line very slowly in between for recovery

 

NB - It is important to stress that the warm up prior to exercise should be sufficient enough to raise temperatures and increase blood flow without depleting energy stores and causing fatigue.  Exercise should then commence as soon as possible after the end of the warm up in order to gain the full rewards of the warm up.  It is also important to emphasise the need for a thorough and comprehensive warm up when exercising in a cold environment.  

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