|
Warm-up tips
Some exercises designed to help keep you injury-free
Warm-ups for activities that involve running (touch football, soccer, frisbee,
cycling, running):
- Forward jogging, back peddling and side shuffles: These exercises target the lower
body and hips. That's important because the hips are easy to injure after a winter of
inactivity. Try doing the exercises for 20 or 30 metres.
- Knee pulls: Another good exercise for your hips. As you take steps forward, pull your
knee up toward your shoulder, alternating with each step. Try doing this exercise for
30 seconds.
- Walking lunges: Good for the hips and legs. If you're playing baseball or golf, when
you do these lunges, try to open up your body. For example, when you step down
with your left leg in a lunge position, turn your upper body to the right, and vice
versa when you lunge with your right leg. Try this exercise for 20 or 30 metres.
- Straight-leg kickouts with toe touches: Good for stretching out hamstrings. While
going forward in a line, with your leg as straight as possible, try and kick up your leg
and touch your toes with your opposite hand. (Think 'goose-step' military marching.)
Try this for about 30 seconds.
- Butt kicks: Good for warming up your legs. As you're jogging, try to pull/kick your
heels up toward your tush. Try for about 20 to 30 metres.
Warm-ups for sports that use upper body muscles (golf, baseball, tennis):
- Side bends: This exercise targets the back and abdominal muscles. Standing with
your legs shoulder width apart, move your upper body side to side. Place the bat,
club or tennis racquet behind your shoulders as you do this. Try eight to 10 repetitions.
- Trunk rotations: A good exercise for warming up your back, hips and abdominal
muscles. Place hands on your hips, turn back and forth. You can also hold the bat or
club behind your shoulders during this one. Try eight to 10 repetitions.
- Shoulder swings: This exercise helps loosen shoulder muscles. Take a bat and start
off with some slow swings, increasing the speed. Grab a small golf club (perhaps a
wedge) and begin with some short shots and work up to longer ones. Try eight to 10
times for each shoulder.
- Shoulder stretch: Tennis players can use a shoulder stretch to limber up before a
game. Hold a racquet by the handle and place behind your back. Use your other
hand to pull the head of the racquet down, bringing your elbow to your ear.
Repeat using opposite arms. Hold the position for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat three
times for each side.*
- Arm circles: Good for warming up deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. Hold your arms
out to your sides at shoulder height with palms down and rotate them in small
forward circles. Perform 10 forward and 10 backward circles. Then do 10 forward
and 10 backward large arm circles, using the shoulders' full range of motion. You
should feel a slight stretch in the shoulders as you perform the exercise.*
- Wrist circles: Helps prevent sore wrists. Hold both arms out in front of your body at
shoulder length with the palms facing down. Rotate your wrists in clockwise circles,
using the full range of motion to feel a slight stretch in the forearm muscles. Perform
10 clockwise and 10 counterclockwise circles.*
- Wrist flexion and extension: This helps with forearm muscles and wrists. Hold both
arms out in front of your body at shoulder length with the palms facing up. Flex your
wrists by bending the hands toward the body; then extend them away from the
body. Use the complete range of motion in the wrist. Do 10 repetitions, alternating
one flexion and one extension.*
Sources: Pan Am Clinic, * Cleveland Clinic
Back to "Pain free"
 |
About Wave
Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books.
Read the Summer 2010 issue of Wave |
|
|
