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Dynamic Warm-Up for Motocross

And we back! As you could have guessed, today’s topic is “dynamic warm-up” and I will dive into the importance of a warm-up and an example of how to implement it into your practice or race day.

Why’s it matter?
An effective warm-up is ESSENTIAL to your practice or race day! If you dismiss a warm-up as unimportant or don’t do in-depth planning of the warm-up, you are potentially limiting the performance of your athlete and potentially subjecting them to higher risk of injury. Aside from the performance benefits, a warm-up provides mental preparation for the task ahead, whether that be a tough practice day in 95° heat or a race that decides the championship. As we know, motocross is an incredibly mental sport and the warm-up provides the opportunity for an athlete to get in the zone and concentrate on what matters: winning!

The science.
A properly planned warm-up will increase muscle and core temperature, enhance neural function, loosen up stiff joints, elevate oxygen consumption, and provide postactivation potentiation (increased ability of a muscle to produce force due to prior contraction). Warm-ups can improve reaction time, which can make for the difference between pulling a holeshot and pulling 10 tear-offs by the third lap... A warm-up also increases oxygen and nutrient flow to muscles, providing them with what they need to sustain 30+2.

Warm-up guidelines.
So how do you effectively plan a warm-up to elicit maximal benefits for your rider? As with most things, there’s not a specific answer or “rules” to follow. The general layout is to conduct a general warm-up of 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity, then dynamic stretching, then move on to a specific warm-up for tissue prep and skill practice. A warm-up should take somewhere between 10-20 minutes and should end no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the practice or race.

An example I would do myself before a hare scramble (geared up in my knee braces and pants with athletic shoes on)
General warm-up
5 minute low/moderate intensity run
Two rounds with no rest between rounds
5 each leg walking lunges with side-bend
Sumo squat stance flowing from left to right hip emphasis for 30 seconds
20 foot forward bear crawl
5 each leg knee hug to opposite leg toe touch
Specific warm-up
Two rounds, 30 seconds rest between rounds
5 clapping push-ups
4 vertical jumps with increasing intensity each jump (ie. jump 1 won’t get you off the ground too much, jump 4 will be a maximal jump)
5 each leg kickstand stance Romanian deadlift

There you have it! Now you know a little more about the science behind the importance of a proper warm-up and have a rough template to follow for a warm-up before your next ride or race. Give it a try and let me know what you think! I can guarantee you will feel better on the bike and won’t take so long to “loosen up” and find your flow. Now get out there and rip!


Reference
Haff, GG, and Triplett, NT (Eds.). (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics.

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