Warm-up exercises for athletics
Get warmed up for your athletics training session with these exercises.
It’s important to warm up at the start of any sports workout, but more so for athletics. Track and field athletes often jog a few laps around the track, do some static stretching or gentle bounces before they start their workout. Not the best way to prepare for high-intensity exercise.
We recommend athletics warm-up exercises that comprise three components.
- Mobility: Myofascial self-massage and mobilisation
- Activation of sport-specific muscle groups
- Movement preparation for more complex movement patterns
Runners, sprinters, long jumpers, high jumpers etc. use these athletics warm-up exercises to prepare for high-intensity training. The dynamic warm-up exercises for track and field athletes promote blood circulation. This means that the muscles are better supplied with oxygen. The result: Your muscle fibres work more efficiently and your reflexes improve. You also prevent injuries.
Before every workout
You should do warm-up exercises before every athletics training session. If you don’t have a lot of time, skip individual exercises. Nevertheless, combine exercises from the mobility, activation and movement areas.
Correct execution leads to success
The following applies to warm-up exercises for athletics: Quality over quantity. If you start to lose form during an exercise or are extremely exhausted, take a break.
Note
These workouts are only a recommendation. Are you looking for a personalised warm-up routine? Get in touch with a professional athletic trainer directly.
01 Mobility: Myofascial self-massage and mobilisation
Because we are activating our muscles, we roll a little faster than you might be used to. Feel free to roll slower if it feels more comfortable for you. If you hit a sensitive spot, pause for a moment and pay attention to that spot until you feel a release of tension.
02 Activation of sport-specific muscle groups
Isolated activation exercises are designed to target specific muscles to increase intramuscular coordination and improve strength. You can achieve this with the following exercises.
03 Movement preparation for more complex movement patterns
To finish off, prepare your musculoskeletal system for intense sprints or jumps with slightly more complex movement patterns. This improves neuromuscular control and fosters intermuscular coordination (cooperation between different muscle groups). Finally, activate fast-twitch muscle fibres with explosive resistance sprints.
