Warming up and injury prevention.
As a physiotherapist, I see many musculoskeletal injuries. Most of these are sports related, and some possibly could have been prevented through warming up before exercise.
Warming up (light aerobic exercise and stretches) increases the amount of blood flow to the muscles that are about to work, increases the temperature of these muscles and its blood supply. It also aids the body in the transition from a resting to exercise state in terms of elevating heart rate and respiratory (breathing) rate gradually.
Many muscular strains and tears I see in the clinic, are the result of tight or unwarmed muscles, and a muscluar system that has not been adequately prepared for the exercise to come.
If anyone has any questions about about how, what, when or why to warm up, I’m happy to answer 
well, dont hold out on us!
Tell us the best pre-riding warm up stretches and whatever, cause if I can limit the soreness in my thighs after those first few days of riding in the new season ,I’d like to know how.
I’m sure Becky will reply here, but just so you know there will be a whole section of the website dedicated to stretching exercises for snowboarding (complete with instructions and photos). Becky prepared this just for Boardworld.
nice,
I tend to at the very least stretch my calves before putting on my boots.
I’ll even take off my boot sometimes to stretch if I forgot.
well, dont hold out on us!
Tell us the best pre-riding warm up stretches and whatever, cause if I can limit the soreness in my thighs after those first few days of riding in the new season ,I’d like to know how.
The soreness you are feeling in your quads may be the result of one of two reasons: 1. Your quads are not used to the high demands in the new season or 2. A build up of lactic acid.
Firstly, I suggest conditioning your quads in the pre-season. Ensure they are strong and able to cope with the new loads placed on them at the beginning of the season.
Secondly, make sure you warm down after each day. If the soreness your are feeling is due to lactic acid (a waste product produced from chemical reactions in your body during/after exercise), then warming down will aid the removal of this acid.
Thirdly, stretch stretch stretch..before and after riding. Check out the photos and instructions of stretches I have created for boardworld- coming soon.
The best and only way to warm up i think is to stretch stretch and stretch, for sure.
The rule basically applies to any sport.
Even go one step further and sit down with a yoga dvd or go to classes.. You wont be let down!
But dont forget your warm down is just important as your warm up!
I am really looking forward to starting yoga. It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have made the commitment to start this season.
Has anyone tried Bikram yoga?
Is the Bikram yoga you are referring to the ‘hot’ yoga?
I do pilates, but I do appreciate the benefits of all types of yoga for sports people/athletes. Yoga is good for strengthening, as you hold certain postures and positions. I undersrand that it also focuses on breathing and ‘inner calm’. Pilates and yoga are both good at targeting flexibility!
Well done Jez on your commitment to yoga.
Where is the best place to do yoga in the Manly area? I’m so keen to start.. I’ve herd the benefits are amazing. Maybe this is the reason why I’ve been injured.. because i haven’t been to Yoga..
Thanks Becky. Yes Bikram is the hot yoga.
L.B. if you are interested in Bikram yoga, there is a studio in Brookvale, a few minutes from Manly.
I am really looking forward to starting yoga. It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have made the commitment to start this season.
Has anyone tried Bikram yoga?
I have tried it and it really is the best type of yoga.. for me anyways. The room is so hot and your muscles and ligaments get really warmed up which makes it really easy to get into the poses and really feel the stretch. I would bring a really big water bottle because you will definitely need it. I would highly recommend it.
I’ve always wondered what the thinking is behind warming down, becky you mentioned removing lactic acid from your muscles. After an intense bit of exercise your legs say, could burn with it but if you stop it clears in a few seconds, whereas i’m guessing my warmdown should be for rather longer than that. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not at all arguing that its not neccesary, i’m just interested in what the main benifits and ideas behind it are.
Aidy you should check out the Warm Up / Cool Down article Becky wrote. You can find it in the Health and Fitness section in the left menu of the website.
deal
Hi guys, this question is mainly for Becky (but others can answer if they like) -
Just wondering what your thoughts are on a dynamic warmup (ie short jog followed by ballistic stretching in the same mode as what the exercise you are about to do is) versus the more ‘traditional’ style warmup you mentioned earlier with again a jog/similar but followed by a more static stretching regime?
The expert opinion on which is the better option seems to change back and forth every couple of years, but what is being taught at the moment (yes, i am only a know all student in my final year of human movement (sports science) getting prepared to be unleashed on the world and be a pioneer you know with all the hopes and dreams etc…) is that the dynamic warmup is the (supposed) best method for increasing/keeping peformance in areas such as jump height and running etc, with static stretching (according to some research) actually reducing performance for some reason - perhaps due to golgi-tendon organs and muscle spindles being desensitised and as such reducing the effect of the stretch-shorten cycle (one of the basis’ of plyometrics) and has a similar effect to static stretching in injury prevention (ie no more injuries with ballistic vs static stretching)...
I can see the obvious need for flexibility in snowboarding in an injury prevention sense, however do you think stretching methods with a more plastic (long term) effect such as PNF stretching and (as mentioned above) yoga etc would be more appropriate than the elastic (short term) benefit that static stretching before going out and boarding all day brings?
Sorry for the length, got a bit excited…not trying to debunk or argue anything you are saying becky, but more just putting ideas that are being placed into the young heads of today, and wondering your opinions/thoughts on any of them are, from your experience?
Thanks guys, hope all are well,
bangabain
Where is the best place to do yoga in the Manly area? I’m so keen to start.. I’ve herd the benefits are amazing. Maybe this is the reason why I’ve been injured.. because i haven’t been to Yoga..
you can also learn from books..There are different types of yoga….... Yoga is great everywhere..I love practicing OUTside in the fresh air..