Warm-up enhances performance
Warming up with a few body-weight gluteal exercises can increase the 'explosive' power of your lower body during performance, according to the researchers. Image: mediaphotos/iStockphoto A La Trobe University study has found that performing low load gluteal muscle exercises before a work-out enhances strength and power in the lower body during exercise.Lead author Justin Crow from La Trobe’s School of Physiotherapy and researchers tested the effect of warm-up exercises on 22 elite AFL players to enhance performance. ‘We found that body-weight gluteal exercises increase explosiveness in your lower half,’ says Mr Crow.‘Low load exercises of this nature are likely to be more acceptable to the athlete and coach than are protocols incorporating heavier loads because of a lower risk of athlete fatigue and minimal equipment requirements.’‘A warm-up protocol involving low load exercises targeting the gluteal muscles is effective at acutely enhancing explosive power output in the lower limbs’ he says.The researchers compared...