When participating in any sport it is vital we warm up, stretch and cool down.

The purpose of a warm-up is to get your body moving, begin raising your body temperature, stretch your muscles, move your joints, and get the energy pathways working so that the proper fuel is getting to your muscles. Warming up allows more oxygen to be carried to the working muscles. This will prepare the body for the activity to follow. This will also improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

The warm up is a technique designed:

* To prepare the body for competition or conditioning exercise.

* To reduce the possibility of muscle injury or soreness

The warm up should include exercises that prepare the muscles to be used and activate the energy system required. The warm up should also be related specifically to the activity that follows. For instance, sit-ups or push-ups are not useful as a warm up for running 100 metres. Instead, jogging or run a through are the best preparation.

My warm up is to be specially designed for a 100m Sprint

There are three phases to a warm up

* Pulse Raiser

* Stretches

* Drills

A warm-up period will include the following basic sequence and components.

Activity

Purpose

Time (minimum)

Slow aerobic jog

Heat muscles

5 minutes

Stretching

Increase range of movement

0 minutes

Acceleration strides

Increase blood circulation and oxygen intake

2-3 minutes

Event specific drills

Coordination preparation for training/competition

0 minutes

Pulse Raiser

The aim of the pulse raiser is to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate by doing light physical activity. This increases the blood flow and helps with the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles. This also helps to increase the muscle temperature, allowing for a more effective static stretch.

Jogging

Jogging slowly for 3-5 minutes is the first exercise of my routine. This circulates the blood through all the muscles, providing greater flexibility for stretching. My jog starts out slowly, and then gradually increases in speed to its completion; however, when I am jogging I never reach 50% of my maximum effort by the end of the jog, as the sole objective of this phase of the warm-up is circulating the blood.

Stretches

Stretching is one of the most critical parts of the Warm Up and of my performance. A more flexible muscle is a stronger and healthier muscle. A stronger and healthier muscle responds better to exercise and activities and helps prevent athlete injury. Before sprinting I stretch for up to 15minutes.

I stretch before sprinting to;

* Increase flexibility and freedom of movement

* Reduce muscle tension

* Reduce the risk of muscle and tendon injuries

Triceps stretch

Take the arm over your head, keeping your elbow as close to your ears as possible. Reach towards the mid section of your back, using the opposite hand to increase the stretch and support for the elbow
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Hold this stretch for 8 - 10 seconds

Upper back stretch, performed in a standing position

Allow the palm of one hand to rest on the top of the opposite hand, slightly bend at the knee to reduce the pressure in the lower back. Reach as far forward as possible. (Avoid locking out the elbows) Feeling the stretch in the upper portion of the back

Hold this stretch for 8 - 15 seconds

Lumber

Lie on your back and bring your knees in close towards your chest. Grip below the knee joint to ...

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