RAMP up your warm up
Why do we need to warm up?
We need to prepare the body physically and mentally for work; be it for training or competition. The aim of the warm up is to place enough demand on the body without producing fatigue so that performance thereafter is at the optimal level and our risk of injury is kept as low as possible. Ultimately, we want the warm up to positively affect our performance.
After a good warm up, we receive the following benefits compared to not warming up:
Improved rate of muscular contraction
Improved strength and power
Improved range of motion
Increased blood flow to muscles
Increased metabolic output
Improved attention and alertness
Improved technical proficiency
How do we warm up?
An effective way to warm up is to follow the RAMP method. This can be used in both rugby and gym contexts.
Raise
Activate
Mobilise
Potentiate
Raise
This phase refers to elevating your heart rate, breathing rate, blood flow, and body temperature by performing activities of low intensity. All these things provide a better environment for your body to perform.
RUGBY CONTEXT
Handling drills involving light jogging
GYM CONTEXT
3-5 minutes on a static bike or treadmill
Activate and Mobilise
The aim in this phase is to activate key working muscles and mobilise the joints linked to them. These movements should directly relate to the task ahead, be it rugby training or a gym session. This is also the section where athletes should perform movements specific to their requirements, for example, injury prevention exercises such as glute activation.
RUGBY CONTEXT
Walking lunges with rotation over 10m
GYM CONTEXT
Overhead squats x10 reps
Potentiate
This phase involves boosting your nervous system and waking everything up so that it’s ready for all demands of performance thereafter. This is the point at which your drive and alertness are at their maximum. In this phase is the turning point from preparing for activity to actually performing the activity.
RUGBY CONTEXT
Speed and agility drills, short sharp lasting 5-10s
GYM CONTEXT
Countermovement jumps or med ball slams x5
If you put all these elements together ahead of your training session or game, you’ll see a marked improvement in your performance and your risk of injury will be significantly lower.
