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Beck L, Bekker S, Verhagen E, Bolling C, Spörri J. Before hitting the slopes: athlete and staff perspectives on warm-up and activation in high-performance snowsports. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med 2024; 10:e001643. [PMID: 38268527 PMCID: PMC10806637 DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
To explore warm-up and activation (W&A) practices in high-performance snowsports to describe their importance, application and potential improvements based on the perspectives of elite-level athletes and staff members. Qualitative study consisting of semistructured interviews with 13 international elite-level athletes, on-snow coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, sports physiotherapists and sports psychologists from different snowsports and subdisciplines: alpine skiing, freestyle skiing (park and pipe, aerials, moguls) and snowboarding (park and pipe, snowboard cross). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed based on the principles of grounded theory. The main themes raised by the participants were (1) the importance of readiness for sports participation as the motive for W&A, (2) how readiness is reached with a structured W&A routine and (3) the different athlete-specific, task-specific and environmental-specific factors for optimal W&A. Athletes and staff members considered W&A an essential measure to get physically and mentally ready for sports participation. Being ready was described as a key factor for performance and injury prevention. For these athletes, adherence to W&A was the result of a process of experiencing the beneficial effects of W&A and learning from sustaining one or more injuries. Broad implementation of basic physical and mental W&A at the youth level was considered an important measure to increase the overall adoption of W&A as an inherent part of training and competition. At the elite level, W&A is performed to reach athletes' mental and physical readiness for performance enhancement and injury prevention. W&A is acknowledged as a complex and dynamic programme and is typically adapted to sport-specific demands, injury risks, environmental circumstances and individual needs and preferences. Overall, this study provides valuable contextual insights into the complexity of W&A and the factors that need to be considered to make sport-specific recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Beck
- Sports Medical Research Group, Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Centre for Prevention and Sports Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sheree Bekker
- Centre for Health and Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, and the UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Evert Verhagen
- Amsterdam Collaboration on Health and Safety in Sports, IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline Bolling
- Amsterdam Collaboration on Health and Safety in Sports, IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jörg Spörri
- Sports Medical Research Group, Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Centre for Prevention and Sports Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Afonso J, Brito J, Abade E, Rendeiro-Pinho G, Baptista I, Figueiredo P, Nakamura FY. Revisiting the 'Whys' and 'Hows' of the Warm-Up: Are We Asking the Right Questions? Sports Med 2024; 54:23-30. [PMID: 37658965 PMCID: PMC10798919 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01908-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The warm-up is considered beneficial for increasing body temperature, stimulating the neuromuscular system and overall preparing the athletes for the demands of training sessions and competitions. Even when warm-up-derived benefits are slight and transient, they may still benefit preparedness for subsequent efforts. However, sports training and competition performance are highly affected by contextual factors (e.g., how is the opponent acting?), and it is not always clear what should be the preferred warm-up modalities, structure and load for each athlete and context. Further, we propose that the warm-up can also be used as a pedagogical and training moment. The warm-up may serve several different (albeit complementary) goals (e.g., rising body temperature, neuromuscular activation, attentional focus) and be performed under a plethora of different structures, modalities, and loads. The current commentary highlights the warm-up period as an opportunity to teach or improve certain skills or physical capacities, and not only as a preparation for the subsequent efforts. Moreover, the (justified) call for individualized warm-ups would benefit from educating athletes about exploring different warm-up tasks and loads, providing a broad foundation for future individualization of the warm-up and for more active, engaged, and well-informed participation of the athletes in deciding their own warm-up practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Afonso
- Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - João Brito
- Portugal Football School, Portuguese Football Federation, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Abade
- Portugal Football School, Portuguese Football Federation, Oeiras, Portugal
- Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Ivan Baptista
- Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Pedro Figueiredo
- Physical Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Fábio Yuzo Nakamura
- Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
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Gatterer H, Dünnwald T, Turner R, Csapo R, Schobersberger W, Burtscher M, Faulhaber M, Kennedy MD. Practicing Sport in Cold Environments: Practical Recommendations to Improve Sport Performance and Reduce Negative Health Outcomes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9700. [PMID: 34574624 PMCID: PMC8471173 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18189700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Although not a barrier to perform sport, cold weather environments (low ambient temperature, high wind speeds, and increased precipitation, i.e., rain/water/snow) may influence sport performance. Despite the obvious requirement for practical recommendations and guidelines to better facilitate training and competition in such cold environments, the current scientific evidence-base is lacking. Nonetheless, this review summarizes the current available knowledge specifically related to the physiological impact of cold exposure, in an attempt to provide practitioners and coaches alike with practical recommendations to minimize any potential negative performance effects, mitigate health issues, and best optimize athlete preparation across various sporting disciplines. Herein, the review is split into sections which explore some of the key physiological effects of cold exposure on performance (i.e., endurance exercise capacity and explosive athletic power), potential health issues (short-term and long-term), and what is currently known with regard to best preparation or mitigation strategies considered to negate the potential negative effects of cold on performance. Specific focus is given to "winter" sports that are usually completed in cold environments and practical recommendations for physical preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Gatterer
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy;
| | - Tobias Dünnwald
- Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine and Health Tourism (ISAG), UMIT, Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, 6060 Hall i.T., Tirol, Austria and Tirol-Kliniken GmbH, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.D.); (W.S.)
| | - Rachel Turner
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy;
| | - Robert Csapo
- Centre for Sport Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Wolfgang Schobersberger
- Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine and Health Tourism (ISAG), UMIT, Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, 6060 Hall i.T., Tirol, Austria and Tirol-Kliniken GmbH, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.D.); (W.S.)
- Austrian Society for Alpine and High-Altitude Medicine, 6414 Mieming, Austria; (M.B.); (M.F.)
| | - Martin Burtscher
- Austrian Society for Alpine and High-Altitude Medicine, 6414 Mieming, Austria; (M.B.); (M.F.)
- Department of Sport Science, University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Martin Faulhaber
- Austrian Society for Alpine and High-Altitude Medicine, 6414 Mieming, Austria; (M.B.); (M.F.)
- Department of Sport Science, University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Michael D. Kennedy
- Athlete Health Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada;
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