Rugby Warm Ups

It is pretty safe to assume that all teams utilize some sort of warm up for pre-training and pre-competition.  The question then lies in the effectiveness and efficiency of the said warm up.  The general goal of the warm up is to elevate the heart rate, increase core temperature, activate dormant muscles, and take the major joints of the body through an active range of motion (ROM) through a myriad of dynamic flexibility movements. The warm ups also prepare the body for the collisions and contact associated with rugby and can help to aid in injury prevention.  Having said that, not all warm ups are created equally!  The days of static stretching pre-training and competition are all but over.  Holding static positions and taking the body through a passive ROM does not prepare it for the physical demands of the sport.

Rugby is a sport that taxes multiple energy systems and it requires the athlete to run, sprint, change direction, jump, accelerate, decelerate as well as endure multiple high speed collisions.  The warm up should include aspects that will prepare the body for all of these situations.  I have listed the most common questions along with answers so that you can hopefully begin to start incorporating some of these aspects into your routines.

Why shouldn’t my team static stretch?

• Your team SHOULD static stretch!  It is the time that you take to do it that matters.  There is research to support that static stretching can actually reduce power output in athletes; this comment should be taken with a grain of salt though.  If I have an athlete that is chronically tight or has an imbalance, I will prescribe static stretching well before we move into our active warm up.  The power output that is actually affected is fairly negligible (we are not working with athletes such as sprinters or lifters where a 1-5% decrease in power will affect the outcome of their event) and we have to consider that an athlete that is balanced and “loose” pre-training or competition is one that is less likely to get injured.  Static stretching should be utilized at the end of a session as part of the cool down process.  We want to utilize the fact that the body is already heated up to enhance the passive ROM and the slow process to help bring the cardiovascular system back to a resting state.  The post-training and competition static stretching will also help reduce soreness, improve muscle relaxation and rid the body of waste products.
• Holding a position for a set time does not get the body or mind physically ready for sport or tap into any of the goals mention above. 

How long should this type of warm up take?

• Generally speaking, the longer the duration of the event, the shorter the time needed.  A sprinter may warm up for up to an hour for a :10 second race where a marathon runner may not need to do much at all as they warm up during the actual race (they may use more activation work than actual warm ups).
• Depending on the weather (hotter days a little less, colder days a little more), I would generally account for 8-15 minutes for a good warm up.
• Keep in mind that the athletes will moving be into their position/skill work and team runs right after the warm up as well which will further facilitates their readiness.

What are my main considerations when designing a warm up?

• Same as practice-Age, athletic ability, injury or injury concerns, skill levels, weather etc.
• Weather-On an extremely wet or cold day; we may start with a few dynamic stretches and activation movements in the locker room before hitting the pitch.  If it is extremely hot, we may cut the warm up down substantially given the fact that the external heat will facilitate a faster warm up and we have to consider keeping the athletes out of the direct heat as much as possible to combat dehydration and heat fatigue.
• Goals and objectives-Is it a game setting where we want to increase the intensity at a faster pace to make sure the athletes are switched on, or a practice setting where the athletes are beat up and need to ease into it a little more?

What is Activation?

• I use the term activation for a few things. First and foremost, we want to “switch the body on” by elevating the heart rate and taking the major muscle groups through an active ROM.
• Second, we want to turn on the muscles that support major joints and the torso.  Quite often when an athlete has a little knock or injury to a joint or is tight, the major muscles will spasm and take over the roll as the stabilizers for the joint(s) which inherently shuts down the smaller muscles.  Generally we target the ankle, knee, hip, torso, shoulders and neck (I know this is pretty much all the major joints, but I want to be very clear).  An example would be an overactive or tight hamstring which causes the glute to shut down a little or be inactive.  We want to target the glute (main stabilizer for the hip) so that the athlete is not reinforcing negative patterns which can lead to injury and compromised performance.
• Third-switching on the central nervous system (CNS).  The CNS is made up of your brain and spinal cord and acts as your body’s control system.  The idea is to stimulate the CNS through a few maximal effort bursts, some plyometric exercises and deceleration work to ensure that the muscular system is receiving the impulses needed to fire at the high speeds that occur in a game setting. 

What should be included in the warm up? (This order is just a guideline and would intermix all of these.  For the short bursts and acceleration movements, I generally ensure the athletes are well into the warm up and sweating.)

• For Rugby, I use the goal line to the 22m line with an 11 meter marker in the middle.  I have the team line up into 5 or 6 groups to ensure they have plenty of room.  For efficiency purposes, when the first group gets to the opposing line, they will step a meter or so to the right, then come back with something different (working so each line is always moving).
• To Start, I would always use some sort of pattern running.  Jogging, high knees, cross over running, backpedaling, light change of direction work etc.  The goal is just to get the body moving and to begin the progression to more intense movements. 
• Activation movements.  I start all sessions with a glute movement such as a hip lift or hip bridge.
• Quick foot drills to get the heart rate elevated quickly.  Line drills, cone drills or ladder drills will suffice.
• Dynamic flexibility movements.  A mixture of movements that target the main muscles and joints that will be taxed in rugby (torso, hip girdle, hamstrings, quads, glutes, shoulders etc).  Example: Walking lunges with a twist, inchworms, waking quad stretches, toe touches, squats, kicks etc.
• Acceleration and deceleration.  As the athletes begin to get warm, I will have them add in a burst at the 11meter line at the end of some of their dynamic flexibility exercises or incorporate a few ground or kneeling starts (lie on stomach or kneeling and burst out for 3-5 steps, then decelerate).
• Change of direction.  Some sort of agility type of movement (this also incorporates the acceleration and deceleration component).  I most often use a variety of a lateral run and stick movements.  The athlete will run on an angle or laterally, and then stop on their outside foot and balance for a second, then drive out and switch directions.  The athlete must be able to stop quickly, reload and repeat.
• Physical preparedness.  I may incorporate some tackling or wrestling drills for a short duration to make sure the shoulders and neck are somewhat prepared for the forces they may see on the pitch.  These are generally short duration and high tempo (:10 seconds maximum).

The above is just to be used as a guideline.  The structure and the time frames may all be modified to fit the needs of both the team and the individual athletes.  Use common sense as a guideline and try to incorporate some facet of each section above into your next session. If you would like to see an abbreviated example, please go to the link below (I apologize for the quality!):

                          www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ZUGsyeq9Y

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at joe@level10fitness.com

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum