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Are athletes able to self-select their optimal warm up?
S H Mandengue1, D Seck, D Bishop
1Unité de Physiologie des Exercices et du Sport, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Douala, Douala, Cameroun.
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
|May 13, 2005
Summary
Athletes can often self-select optimal warm-up intensity, improving performance significantly. However, some individuals may benefit from guided warm-up protocols to achieve peak physical output.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Human Performance
Background:
- Optimizing athletic performance requires effective warm-up strategies.
- Self-selected warm-ups are common, but their efficacy in achieving optimal physiological states is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if athletes can self-select an optimal warm-up intensity.
- To establish a methodological approach for studying warm-up effects on performance.
Main Methods:
- Nine male athletes performed self-selected warm-ups (FWU), with heart rate (HR) and rectal temperature (Tre) monitored.
- Warm-up intensity was estimated using HR during an incremental test to determine maximal power (Pmax).
- Performance was assessed after no warm-up (NWU), a reference warm-up (RWU), and modified intensities (RWU-10, RWU+10).
Main Results:
- No significant differences in HR or Tre increase between FWU and RWU.
- Performance improvements were highest with RWU (56%), followed by RWU-10 (33%), RWU+10 (11%), and NWU.
- Optimal warm-up intensity was identified as 54-72% Pmax, elevating HR to 80 ± 6% of HRmax.
Conclusions:
- Most athletes can self-determine their optimal warm-up intensity for enhanced performance.
- A specific intensity range (54-72% Pmax) appears most effective for warm-up.
- Some athletes may require external guidance to achieve optimal warm-up parameters.