The little I know about the warm-up

The little I know about the warm-up

My earliest memories as an athlete are not of the stadiums or the races, the victories or the losses but the simple grass track where I trained. From those first days it was clear that there was a brotherhood which connects the training group. There was a sense of unity against the pain and affliction regularly distributed by the coach in copious and often excessive amounts. The warm-up was our antebellum. A moment to contemplate, to reflect and to ponder what lay in wait mere minutes in the future. But this time was ours, to laugh and joke and ‘warm-up’ in preparation for training.

Although this was my experience with the warm-up, I am convinced that this was not a unique set of events. Warm-ups have been part of sport for as long as people have realised that some form of preparation may provide an optimal starting block; a point at which the body is ready to undertake physical activity. The generic warm-up was often expressed as a period of time to do what was needed to prepare for whatever it was that needed to be prepare for. Though in many cases I can understand, if not sympathize with an athlete’s lack of enthusiasm for this event. In popular sports, football, rugby and distance running, the athlete competes in most cases at a submaximal level. This allows for more gradual build up and longer maintenance of capacity with less emphasis on an optimal moment.

This is not the case with sprinters. Earlier I spoke of maximal potential. This is an individual’s ability to perform at their optimal capacity over a period of time. Where sprinting differs from other sports is that the period for maximal potential is very small where minute deficiencies have huge effects, hundredths of a second in some cases. Preparation is a vital component in achieving this maximal potential. Every athlete has a unique make up and ultimately this needs to be tailored to suit their individual needs. What is certain is that a generic warm-up is not good enough in this day and age. Our current knowledge on muscle function and physiology is closely linked with our desire to perform at ever higher levels. The problem which we unfortunately create is which of these ideas of the current batch of forward thinkers is correct, as controversy is never far behind. The long and short of it is that it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. New ideas based on sound research are like a mirage; they come and disappear, leaving confusion and misperception, often for years after something better has been though into existence.

The following pages attempt to unravel the questions of the warm-up. Up to date research is used to discuss this question and determine the appropriate practice to develop a physical preparation to maximise potential prior to activity.

'The warm-up is not merely the time before, it is where focus and preparation optimize an athlete prior to training or competition'

The little I know about speed

The little I know about speed

When I was 12 years old, I made a conscious decision to be a sprinter.  The allure came from the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and watching Linford Christie stride to victory followed by my personal favourite and perennial ‘bridesmaid’ Frankie Fredericks. I don’t believe it was the medals, the celebration or even the resulting and enduring fame that drew me to this event, but the simple and unequivocal purity of speed. It was clear that this was the truest test of man’s ability to compete not only against his opponents but also against every person who has competed in the event in the past and every person who will compete in the future. There is no place to hide, no team to rely on, no tricks or tactics or equipment to create an unfair advantage. Every man faces up to the rest with nothing more than himself and the will to be better than the past, the current and the future. The prize; the fastest human being ever to have lived! Now that’s a title.

Depending on your outlook, certain factors may be essential while other factors may be desirable in developing a sprinter. For me, the unwavering, never faltering drive to put every ounce of myself into becoming faster was a vital factor in achieving the small, possibly large amount of success I achieved as an athlete. Others may view what defines athletic potential differently. Certainly genetics play apart and in recent times this has become clearly obvious. The phrase ‘sprinters are born and not made’ has never been as true as it is today. The question however is, what is the perfect genetic code? I believe that we are slowly whittling down the variables required to create the world’s fastest men but experience tells us that there is always something remarkable just around the corner. This was never truer when a one, Usain Bolt smashed the mould created by all those men who have previously claimed the title of the ‘world’s greatest’. 

It seems reasonable to assume that these factors, like genetics and self-drive are important in developing fast individuals but there certainly appears to be a need for some external influence to direct the potential. My experience has taught me that although at the start of the race all men start from the same position, it is the level of potential that decides who will be successful and who won’t and believe me when I tell you the margins are small! Anyone can train to be fast but it takes a true understanding of what speed is to extract the potential to be better than before. In the rarest cases this external influence does not matter and success is as simple as stepping on the track but in most instances the correct input can maximise the potential for success.

I want to change track for a bit and focus on the average athlete. Everybody competes for different reasons. Some do if for monetary gain while others simply enjoy participating, but success is bred from improvement. Whether doing something for the first time or improving a time or selection to a school, club or national team, the potential to improve is based on the correct input and initiation of a goal driven plan. If the plan is flawed then the probable of reaching maximal potential is significantly reduced and although success is not measured in potential, falling short of maximal potential may affect how much you can achieve. This may be the difference between making a final at an event, the difference between second and first or being selected for a team.

Maximum potential is an abstract concept and ultimately cannot be achieved. Maximal potential is a much tangible concept as this defines the potential that each individual can achieve provided the circumstances are correct. New ideas are being developed and processed all the time with new and exciting prospects for those willing to embrace them. It is the maximal potential at a specific moment that most athletes aspire to achieve. This comes down to rigorous planning and the correct implementation of a clearly defined, scientifically proven and experience driven programme with the sole indication of creating this maximal potential. This moment may produce the world’s fastest man or winner of a county championship but to each the success is their own and could be their life’s greatest achievement.

‘Maximum potential is impossible, maximal potential is achievable’