Warm ups consisting of jogging, static stretching and some light drill work is not only outdated, but can be a huge waste of time. Don't allow warm ups to become gossip sessions where the athletes lose focus and don't adequately prepare themselves for the physical and psychological demand of the workout.

Warm ups need to be the part of the practice where the attitude is set for the work that is to be done. It is the time to "wire" the athlete physically and mentally, preparing the body for the demands of the session, while teaching the body how to better handle the stresses of the game. Warm ups should focus on improving proprioception, improving core and joint control, developing the aspects of awareness necessary for success in the sport, and most importantly, prepping the movement, speed, force, timing, and mechanics of the game. This Dynamic Power Workout could, at some point, become a warm up for a strength, power or speed day in the weight room.

We incorporate various forms of light resistance to our dynamic training program in order to provide added stimulus (load) without changing the functional, or primary goal, movement (vertical jump, running motion, etc). Some of these means are listed below:

• Bands or Cords
• Weighted Vests
• Running Harness or Sled Pulling
• Medicine Balls

The use of alternative means to add light resistance to the movement without compromising mechanics is essential to the development of the power component of speed (force production) in a functional setting. Our developmental progression starts with a focus on the synchronization (mechanics) of the movement, and then adds speed (confidence) without compromising the specific movement pattern.  Once we are at this point, we will slowly start to add these alternate forms of resistance to begin to develop power and speed-strength in a functional pattern.

We feel that if the level of resistance does not force the athlete to alter specific patterns, and does not inhibit speed by more than 15% we can still get functional, dynamic strength without compromising our emphasis on movement.

Free Stretch- this would be a good time to reinforce the stick mobility drills learned in the M.I.S.1 (Body Control) Workout - Stick Over and Back, Stick Figure 8, Overhead Squat. Not only will this warm up the shoulders and core for the medball throws, but it will reinforce the continued focus on shoulder mobility.

Free Stretch- this would be a good time to introduce some of the band traction shoulder stretches that we will be using as part of the upper body warm up in the next phase of the Movement Intelligence Program.

Post Workout Stretch- We have several versions of a post workout stretch routine that are static in nature (15-20 second steady hold) for the hamstrings, glutes, groins, quads, calves, pectorals, lats, etc. Here are a few to choose from:

This is a workout that can be done 1-2x per week for several weeks. The focus needs to be on getting in and out of the movement quickly and efficiently (dynamically). It also makes for a good warm up before a strength, power or speed day. Obliviously you would not perform all the set and reps (volume) you would if it were a stand alone workout. But performing a few reps of your most "bang for the buck" exercises as a warm up might be a great pre-workout, preparatory activity.

When the athlete can perform each of these exercises flawlessly, with no pain, and within a desired range of motion, feel free to progress them to resisted exercises. Start by adding light weight (dumbbells and medballs) to the exercises in this program and then progress to more challenging exercise as seen in Phase 3 of the Movement Intelligence Series.