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For our next installment, we hear from Exercise Physiologist, Kate Baird, on the important muscles to warm up before Ski Jumping.
“Warming up is a must for all physical activity, but especially for sports training and competition. During each session, the athlete is looking to tap into their potential to do better and the warmup is an effective way to set yourself up for success, physically and mentally. Warming up raises your core body temperature, activates the muscles you’ll want to be using, and improves control of those muscles. Studies suggest warming up has the power to improve aerobic performance as well as performance of strength and power moves. Not to mention, warming up can help with mental focus and overall competitive preparedness. Getting in the zone helps! When it comes to Ski Jumping, there are a few main goals of the warmup. Firstly, you want to warm up the muscles that will contribute to a great jump (or long, hard push, as it’s been described). Secondly, you will want to warm up the stability of these muscles, as you’ll need to control your form throughout the jump as well as when you land. Lastly, you will want to be able to access your best mobility in order to hit the best position during the in-run.
So, what muscles are important to warm up? The large muscles of the legs will help hold the low crouch position as well as launch the body into the flight position, so we want to focus on the hamstring, quadriceps, and glute muscle groups. Additionally, control and stability of the legs will be supported via some of the smaller muscle groups, like the hip abductors, hip adductors, and shins. We must also include the muscles of the trunk that assist with stability, such as the abdominals and back muscles, as they will be essential throughout the entire jump.
To get yourself going, start with a general warm up to increase core temperature and blood flow. This may include jumping jacks, jogging in place, butt kickers, and skips. Follow with any mobility drills like leg swings, arm swings, and trunk rotation. Next, start to activate the specific muscles we talked about above. Squats and lunges are great to warm up the lower body muscles and core, and lunges can specifically help with your stability. To get into your strength and explosive capabilities, you may include burpees, the vertical jump, and perhaps even an isometric squat before a vertical jump. Research also suggests that adding 5 drop jumps with 90 degrees of knee flexion in your squat landing prior to competition can help improve power. The end of your warm up should look pretty close to the activity you are about to do, as this will ensure you have warmed up the right muscle groups before you take flight.”
