The Warm-Up: More Than Just Preparation

Having worked across team and individual sports, and now in the tactical setting, one thing stands out consistently, the quality of the warm-up is highly variable, and it shouldn't be. It has been well established in both science and practice that an effective warm-up improves subsequent performance, and therefore it should be closely linked to the demands of the session ahead. While variation in content across domains is understandable, variation in quality is not. Below, I outline the science behind an effective warm-up, as well as several elements that can elevate it from a routine formality into a powerful tool for athlete development.

An effective warm-up produces meaningful changes to temperature, neural, and metabolic mechanisms (1). A widely used and evidence-based framework for structuring this process is the RAMP method (2):

• Raise: Heart rate and muscle temperature
• Activate: Key muscle groups required for the session
• Mobilize: Key joints and ranges of motion through dynamic, multidirectional movements
• Potentiate: Progressively increase intensity until athletes are fully prepared for the demands ahead

Each component serves a distinct purpose. Raising muscle temperature, for example, increases glycogen availability and rate of force development. An increase of just 1°C has been shown to improve exercise performance by 2–5% (1). Muscle temperature rises rapidly with the onset of moderate exercise before reaching a steady state after approximately 15–20 minutes, which provides a useful benchmark for warm-up duration.

Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) underpins the Potentiate phase. PAP refers to the acute improvement in muscular performance that follows maximal or submaximal neuromuscular activation. Classically, this involves high-intensity loaded exercises such as squats at 85% 1RM or above, which have been shown to enhance subsequent sprint and jump performance. While weight room access is rarely feasible in a warm-up context, alternatives such ballistic exercises like jumps have also been shown to improve neuromuscular outputs (3). The practical takeaway is straightforward: the warm-up should finish with high-intensity efforts that mirror the demands of the session to follow.

It is also worth noting that warm-up quality is not exclusive to power and speed. High-intensity warm-ups have been shown to improve VO₂ uptake kinetics and increase time to exhaustion in aerobic tests provided athletes are given sufficient recovery before transitioning into the working portion of the session (1).

Ultimately, all of these outcomes can be achieved with little or no equipment. The critical factor is ensuring the right intensity is directed at the right phase. A useful set of self-audit questions for any coach:

• Does intensity increase progressively throughout the warm-up?
• What is the warm-up revealing about athlete readiness that can inform the session?
• Are athletes maintaining their physiological preparation, or cooling down between the warm-up and the first effort?
• Is the transition time between warm-up and the first drill appropriately managed?

If these fundamentals are in place, the warm-up becomes a platform for much more than preparation.

Progressive overload is a cornerstone principle of exercise training. As physiological systems adapt to a given stress, the stimulus must increase to drive continued improvement in strength, fitness, and technical skill (4). This principle applies equally to the warm-up.

If the main session is being progressively loaded over time, the warm-up should follow suit. A warm-up calibrated for week one of a training block is not the same as one that adequately prepares an athlete for week eight. Coaches should treat the warm-up as an integrated component of the overall training plan, not an isolated ritual that remains static while everything else evolves.

This also means using the warm-up intentionally. If an athlete is improving, relative effort levels should remain consistent despite increasing outputs. The warm-up is not a place to coast, it is an opportunity to build quality with every session.

Beyond physical preparation, the warm-up is arguably the best opportunity a coach has to assess athlete readiness. This begins with simple conversations, asking athletes how they are feeling, noting their energy and demeanor. In smaller groups, this tends to happen organically. In larger team environments, coaches may need to make it a deliberate practice.

Equally important is visual assessment of movement quality. Coaches should select warm-up exercises that not only prepare athletes physically but also expose the movement patterns most relevant to the session (4). In track and field, experienced coaches can identify potential issues from something as subtle as a loose arm swing or the sound of a foot strike. This level of observation is only possible when exercises are chosen with diagnostic intent.

Other sports should apply the same logic. Team sport coaches might incorporate cutting or curvilinear movements alongside straight-line running. Swimming coaches might include arm-only or leg-only drills to isolate specific patterns. The principle is the same: isolate movements to observe them clearly, rather than trying to evaluate complex total-body actions all at once.

With larger groups, individual assessment becomes more challenging but remains achievable. Breaking athletes into smaller units for specific drills allows for closer observation. Alternatively, a coach may choose to focus on three to five athletes of particular concern during a given session, a targeted approach that ensures those who need attention receive it, without disrupting the flow of the group.

A well-designed warm-up balances specificity with variety. While exercises should primarily reflect the demands of the upcoming session, including a broader range of stimuli ensures athletes are exposed to movements that might otherwise be absent from the training plan entirely.

Accessory and complementary exercises often get relegated to the end of training sessions, where fatigue and time pressure conspire against quality. Placing them in the warm-up solves this problem. They are performed when athletes are fresh and engaged, and their benefits carry into the main session.

There are trends worth borrowing across disciplines. Team sport coaches, for example, have increasingly incorporated max-effort sprints over various distances into warm-ups. What is less often considered is the volume and rest that sprint coaches prescribe around these efforts. Quality matters far more than quantity. One or two genuinely maximal sprints per session, accumulated consistently over a season, will deliver significantly more value than several half-hearted repetitions performed out of habit.

Individual sport coaches face a different challenge. The precision required in technical sports (athletics, swimming, gymnastics) often leads to warm-ups that are highly repetitive and narrowly focused. While technical drills are essential, coaches should consider what is being lost through monotony. Introducing games and small-sided competitions into the warm-up adds unpredictability, demands decision-making under pressure, and, perhaps most importantly, tends to increase athlete engagement and enjoyment almost immediately.

Medicine ball volleyball before a shot-put session. Water polo before a swim session. These may sound unconventional, but the physiological and psychological benefits are real. Coaches willing to ask the question "What are my athletes not getting enough of?" will find no shortage of creative answers.

The warm-up is not a formality, it is the first training stimulus of every session. When structured with appropriate intensity, progressive overload, deliberate screening, and meaningful variety, it does far more than prepare athletes for what follows. It develops movement quality, informs coaching decisions, and builds better athletes over time.

The standard should be non-negotiable. The warm-up deserves the same intentionality and planning as any other component of the training program, because, in many ways, it sets the tone for everything that comes after it.

1. McGowan CJ, Pyne DB, Thompson KG, et al. Warm-up strategies for sport and exercise: mechanisms and applications. Sports Med. 2015;45(11):1523-1546.
2. Jeffreys IJ. Warm up revisited–the 'ramp' method of optimising performance preparation. Prof Strength Cond. 2007;6(44):12-18.
3. Gil MH, Neiva HP, Alves AR, et al. Does the inclusion of ballistic exercises during warm-up enhance short distance running performance? J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2020;60(4):501-509.
4. Dallinga JM, Benjaminse A, Lemmink KAPM. Which screening tools can predict injury to the lower extremities in team sports? Sports Med. 2012;42(9):791-815.