HIGH PERFORMANCE
Like an Indy car
by Tom Thekan/The Scugog Standard

Tradition has it that every Memorial Day weekend we get to witness the ‘granddaddy’ of all car races - The Indy 500.

It’s interesting to watch the pre-race preparations and rituals that the crews and drivers go through in an attempt to get that last little bit of speed and performance out of their machines.

The on-site procedure involves days of test laps, time trials, adjustments of this and that, tightening of one nut and loosening of another. All followed by more testing and tweaking before the actual race. Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - just shows up on Memorial Day and races. So what does your warm-up procedure look like?

Without a doubt, the biggest mistake that I see trainees make is in their pre-workout warm-up - or more accurately - their lack of an adequate warm-up before a workout.

Just as nobody jumps into an Indy car and starts racing straight away, don’t expect much in the way of performance from your body without an adequate and thorough warm-up.

Here are some tips that will help you to optimize your workout performance:
1. Breakfast. If you didn’t have breakfast, skip your workout and come back when you’re serious about training.
2. Fuel. Eat something about an hour before your session or sip on your protein shake/chocolate milk during your session. Never train on an empty tank.
3. Heart rate. Don’t expect your heart rate to go from a resting 60 bpm to 100+ bpm instantaneously unless you want to make a quick trip to the ER.
Spend five to 10 minutes getting the heart pumping with jogging, rope skipping, the eliptical or on the bike.
Few things work better than the old-fashioned jumping jacks and Ali shuffle. Throw in a dozen burpees and the old heart will be pumping.
If your heart rate hasn’t hit 100 bpm, don’t even look at a barbell or dumbbell.
4. Core temperature. This is kinda like engine temperature on a race car. Your muscle fibres are most efficient (strongest) when your core temperature is slightly elevated.
5. Blood flow. With an increase in heart rate and core temperature, your body is going to increase the rate of blood flow throughout the body, which takes fuel and oxygen to the muscles and aids in the removal of the waste products of muscle contractions.
6. Increase the rate and force of muscle contractions. Just as we can’t expect the heart rate to go from resting to full bore in an instant, the neuromuscular system also needs a prepping stage.
The entire system from the brain through the neural pathways to the motor neurons needs to be activated and ‘fired up’ if the muscle fibres are to produce maximum force.
7. Increase the suppleness and range of motion. Whereas the muscles have a good supply of blood, the joints are notorious for having a poor supply and therefore need some extra attention.

Joint mobility tends to be a very individualized thing. If tight hips are your problem, spend extra time on them. If it’s your chest and shoulders are tight, do the same. The best place for mobility exercises is youtube.com. There are hundreds.

Anyone that approaches each and every training session and prepares for it like the Indy crews do for a race, can expect to see improved performance. Learn from the best.

Tom Thekan is a strength and conditioning coach for the UOIT Ridgebacks varsity rowing and men’s soccer teams.

Never begin any exercise program without consulting your doctor.