As humans, it’s in our nature to want to do better, find that edge, and succeed. This could not be more true than in sports, where winning and losing are often separated by tenths of a secondexit scoring attempt in the later stages of a gameor a split-second decision.
Therefore, there is always a need for effective and legal strategies to boost performance. Priming is a tool attracting more and more interest of athletes, coaches and scientists.
The good news is that it’s not just for elite athletes.
Not just a warm up
Priming, also called “morning exercise,” “preactivation,” or “pre-competition training,” has attracted renewed interest among scientists in recent years. Many sports teams are already on the ball, with more than half of trainers use priming to help your athletes gain a performance advantage.
A relatively short, non-strenuous workout is usually done the day before or the morning of a competition, sometime between one and 48 hours before. This stimulation to the muscles results in “delayed potentiation”. That is, the muscles can function better after several hours of rest than without the preparatory exercise.
In contrast, a warm-up takes place much closer to the competition. What is interesting is that the benefits of priming are much longer lasting than those typical of warm trigger strategies. This is puzzling because we know that increases in muscle temperature, metabolism and potentiation of the nervous system with warm-ups they return to basic levels in minutes.
Warm-ups are still important, but warm-up sessions could provide an added edge. Sports scientists have reported improvements in the ability to run, jump, throw, and lift weights as much as 4%. This may not sound like much, but it is crucial when the difference between winning and losing can be measured in fractions of a percentage point. The physiological mechanisms causing the priming effect are not yet well understood, but neuromuscular and hormonal changes have been identified. He suggested.
And it may not be just the muscles that benefit. Researchers have long known that prep exercise can improve weightlifting performance in anxious athletes. More recent research reinforces the idea that preparedness activities can help psychological state and stress levels of athletes.
Find time to play, train and prepare
Very few of us are full-time elite athletes. Finding time to train and compete, even at the community or sub-elite level, is difficult, let alone making extra time for additional preparation sessions. But preparation exercises can be done with minimal equipment in minimal time.
Basic exercises like squats and bench presses with relatively heavy weights (around 85% of your maximum capacity) for just a few reps they are enough to boost performance later that day.
Don’t you have a rack of weights lying around? It’s okay. Explosive bodyweight activities like a few speed races either jumping they still have the potential to increase athletic performance. stronger people seem to respond better to primingprobably because they recover more quickly The exercise
Ideally, choose an activity that uses the same muscle groups that you will use during your sport, and do the warm-up exercise. six to 33 hours before your event, as this seems to offer the most benefit and convenience. And remember, more is not better. You may be able to incorporate your prep session into your existing training regimen.
Pexels/Ivan Samkov, CC BY
I do not practice sports, what do I gain?
Priming doesn’t just apply to sport; it can help in the gym and with learning new skills.
A 2014 study showed that bench press and squat performance was greater in the afternoon if they were used as preparatory exercises that same morning.
And ten to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise can improve reaction time, memory and attention. Moderately intense cycling has been shown to help musicians learn the piano. However, these changes seem more immediate and short-lived than those related to athletic performance, taking effect and lasting minutes rather than hours.
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What we don’t know yet
There are still questions to be addressed when it comes to priming.
Can priming be useful in sports like rugby, football and basketball? These sports require multiple high intensity efforts coupled with dynamic decision making to score and beat an opponent.
More research is also needed to determine what is going on in the body and what exercises should be done and when for the most effective preparation. As researchers, we are exploring the effect of different preparation routines on muscular strength and power, as well as repeated sprint performance and reaction time in strength athletes and soccer players.
In particular, weightlifting protocols that provide strong stimulation but minimize fatigue show promise. We hope that the findings are useful to coaches and athletes who want to improve sports performance.
