The following information is the first of a series of thorough training explanations. The warm-up is an essential and very important part of any athletes training activities. It serves many purposes, including readying the body for intense activity, acquisition of biomotor abilities, and injury prevention to name a few.

A Complete Warm-up

by Sean Brown, CSCS, CPT


General Warm-up, Theoretical Explanation

The goal of a warm-up is to bring the body into the state where it is ready for physical activity at the highest level of intensity. A warm-up should build in intensity, by starting relaxed in the form of a slow two lap jog and ending with a full speed sprint.

Ultimately the warm-up serves the need to ready the body for intense physical activity; to raise core temperature and excite motor neurons. The process in which the athlete arrives at this place serves as an opportunity to work on running mechanics and focus the athlete on his or her form.

Warm-up pole vault drills are the same way. The purpose is twofold, readying the body for the forthcoming activity and stress as well as reinforcing or instantiating proper pole vault mechanics.

The warm-up often sets the tone of the workout

It is when the athlete physically and mentally prepares the body and mind for the days workout. In other words it should not only be a physical exercise but a mental one as well. Many athletes, particularly pole vaulters, are lazy when it comes to warming up. For pole vaulters this may be due to the fact that the pole vault is such a dynamic and exciting event that a warm-up in contrast seems especially boring and unnecessary.

It therefore helps to understand the role a warm-up plays not only in that days event but in the big picture as well.

Before we get into specifics we should discuss the big picture. The pole vault above all else is a sprinting event. If you do not possess speed you will not jump high period. A pole vaulters potential can ultimately be determined by speed on the runway. With this in mind, it makes sense to work on improving our approach whenever possible.

Mindful Training and Intensity

Mindful training may or may not be a new term to you. The concept of mindful training can be described as thinking while you train. But not just thinking about anything, but rather the task at hand. The idea behind the concept is to bring focus to the training session increasing training intensity and ultimately yielding greater results from the training program.

This brings us to the notion of training intensity. Training without intensity will cause the athlete to become stagnant in their training. Because it is only in pushing the boundaries to we cause significant change to happen. But on the same token, if we misuse intensity we are sure to cause injury. Through time an athlete should know when and where to apply greater intensity.

The following warm-up will take you through some fairly basic exercises coupled with a description of proper intensity and mindfulness.

Please note that it takes years of training for an athlete to reach particular levels of body awareness.

Mindfulness and awareness can be used interchangeably. So in effect as I go through the exercises I will share with you what I am aware or mindful of.

Note that there are as many warm-ups out there as there are individual workout programs. Some are better than others. But what can really make the difference is how the warm-up is performed. The perfect warm-up on paper performed poorly will be less effective that a mediocre warm-up performed well.

The following warm-up is set up and performed with the pole vault in mind. If we look at the typical pole vault approach and describe its phases we can then look at a warm-up and see how it addresses those phases.

In a 9-stride approach the vaulter comes out of the back strong and powerful but not quick. The goal of the beginning phase is to set the vaulter up to achieve maximum controlled speed at the point of take off. The vaulter does this by maximizing runway speed with a power stride before using his quickness that is seen in the final acceleration of speed right before takeoff. With this in mind it makes sense for a pole vaulter to perform a warm-up that will not only ready the body physically for the days events, but to also cultivate or reinforce the necessary skills to execute the optimum approach in the pole vault over time.

Practical Application

Warm-up Jog

Low intensity movements must precede all intense physical activity.

An 800m jog around the track is the standard warm-up in track and field.

When I begin my warm-up jog, this movement is in tandem with my decision to train. What I mean by this is that I am committed physically and mentally to perform this workout to the best of my ability. And it starts with the warm-up jog.

The first 30m or so I’m jogging at the slowest speed possible above walking. I’m taking an inventory of my body and its current state. I’m paying attention to any soreness or tightness that I may have. I’m also paying attention to my feet and that I am up on my toes while I jog. This is going to put more stress on my calves, which will better ready them for the sprinting I will be doing later. I’m also paying attention to my posture and making sure that I am up tall.

The track can be broken down to two straightaways and two turns. Usually after the first lap of just a light jog I’ll add a little bit more intensity to it at the next turn and bring in a light skip. The skip will last the duration of the turn (100m) and I’ll go back into a jog on the straightaway. The skip should be performed at the lowest intensity possible. It should be at a slower pace then the jog.

At the next turn I’ll usually do a side skip. The first 50m are facing away from the track, and at the apex of the turn I’ll flip and face the inside the track, or vice versa. This side skip brings in the adductors and abductors into the workout. It also stressed the feet and calves laterally, making the warm-up more complete.

Depending on how I feel, I’ll do one to two more of those laps with skipping the turns.

Sufficient Stretching

Remember we warm up to stretch, not stretch to warm up.

By this time I have a good sweat going and am ready to stretch to a sufficient degree. What I mean by the term sufficient is that my goal is not to stretch to the point of pushing my body past it’s range of motion like in an assisted stretch, but rather to go through a normal range of motion.

This is done by doing static stretches like lunges, stretching the calves by leaning forward, stretching the quads, etc.

Also dynamic stretches like legs swings and hip swings.

More aggressive stretching should be saved for after a workout when the athlete can focus on increasing their range of motion.

Sprint Drills

“We must learn to walk before we can run, we must learn to sprint before we can vault.”

Standing Cycle Isolation Drill - To be done using a wall or fence to balance. Advanced version is stand-alone.

Goal: to teach proper sprint cycle. Isolation allows athlete to focus on one leg at a time.

Method: Athlete stands in upright with a lean forward to mimic the power position, eyes focused forward. Leg is brought to hip flex position, along with foot flexion as well.

As the athlete cycles through the drill he “paws” at the track, striking the track with maximum speed and focus while anticipating the reloading of the leg at the hip joint. The most efficient way to cycle the leg back up to reload phase is for the knee flexion to occur as the heel travels under the hips or glutes. The cycle will then reach its beginning or reload phase as the body naturally repositions itself due to proper biomechanics.

Breaking Up The Sprint Cycle

“A” Skips – This drill focuses on the knee drive phase of the sprint cycle. This drill is to be done with a forward lean or “power position”, in order to achieve ideal loading of the glutes at the hip joint. Done properly there are also plyometric benefits at the transition part of the drill.

Butt Kicks- This drill focuses on the hamstring muscle and its role is the sprint cycle.

The following describes two versions of butt kicks:

1. Involves no knee lift and the other does. No knee lift involves the heel slapping the glutes.

2. The other with knee lift involves tucking the heel under the glutes.

The later is more like the sprint cycle, in the it mimics more closely the recovery phase of the sprint, but doesn’t isolate the hamstrings as much as it brings other muscles systems into play.

High Skips- This drill focuses on knee drive and jumping ability. It’s basically A2’s with a jump added in. The athlete’s upper body is relaxed while driving the opposite arm to increase jump height.

High Knees- This drill focuses on hip flexion at a faster rate the the A2’s. A2’s have a pause at the flexed position, whereas high knees does not. High knees is less for from development and more for readying the body for intense sprint activity. Again, the hip joint is where power is generated, so loading it more naturally leads to faster running.

Straight Legged Bounds- In this drill the athlete leans back and uses hip extension as the primary source the create forward momentum. The calves play a role in reloading the hip on the eccentric phase.

Hybrid Drills

Fast Legs- this drill is more advanced. The athlete starts with a slow jog up on the toes, and cycles through every third step. Maintaining speed as much as possible. Can be used as a warm-up drill.

Fast Legs2 – Same as above but acceleration occurs. This is because the athlete is trying to achieve a state of “overspeed”. The athlete uses the momentum from the jog and anticipates the cycle through.

Straight Legged Bounds with a one leg pop-up - Similar to the rhythm of fast legs but done with straight legs.

Accelerations- Done in a specific way over about 60 or so meters. Generally broken up into three phases. Initial phase is the drive phase where the head is down, and the body is leaning forward aggressively, grabbing for the track and driving backwards. The second phase acts as a transition phase that sets up the end acceleration. The third phase is focused on maximum turnover. As this is usually the final drill in a warm-up, it anticipates the speed that is sought after when vaulting.

Isometrics- Isometric action occurs when force is produced by a muscle but no change in muscle length occurs.

Isometrics are very effective in helping the athlete create greater stabilization. Younger undeveloped athletes show lack of stabilization in their movements. This leads to inconsistencies in their approach. Older more developed athletes execute their movements with precision and efficiency; much of this is due to their high level of strength, but also stabilization.

The following exercises can help athletes improve their level of stabilization. Also, the following group of exercises is very good for active recovery workouts. They engage all the right muscles to a significant level of intensity without causing any breakdown or hypertrophy. This maintains neurological stimulation while aiding the recovery process by promoting circulation.

Front Plank

This is done in what is sometimes referred to as the push up position. Gravity is trying to pull the spine out of neutral alignment, in other words trying to bring the hips down to the ground. In order to avoid this the athlete must contract to the core muscles, mainly the abdominals.

Plank Lift Leg

This is a more advanced version of the front plank. By lifting a leg into the air it adds a greater level of instability as well as stresses the hip of the leg lifted.

Plank pull in knee

This is a more advanced version of the front plank. Pulling in the knee engages the core muscles to a greater intensity and also adds a level of instability.

Side Presses

In this position gravity is trying to pull the hips down to the ground and pulling the spine out of neutral alignment. In order to avoid this the athlete must engage the core muscles, mainly the obliques.

Knee Lift

This is performed standing up with one knee in the air. The upper leg parallel to the ground with hands on the hips or something stationary for balance. This adds strength to the hip flexors.

Back Extension

This is done lying face down on the ground. The athlete contracts their back muscles looking up and brining their upper body as well as their lower legs up off the ground.

Bow Pose

This is a more advanced version of the back extension. This brings in the shoulders as well as the quadriceps by adding a stretch to these muscles.

Bridge

The athlete lays on their back and presses the hands and arms down over their shoulders as well as the feet down into the ground.

Half Sit Up

The athlete does a full sit up and lowers halfway to a hold.

Boat Pose

The athlete lifts both the upper and lower body. Legs are straight and head is looking forward.