What Makes a Good Pre-Pool Warm-Up?

A good pre-pool warm-up should have a purpose. It is not simply a collection of exercises completed before getting in the water. There should be some progression in what the swimmer is doing and why they are doing it.

Warm-up frameworks across sport use this idea in different ways. The original RAMP model groups the warm-up into Raise, Activate and Mobilise, then Potentiate. Within swimming, the recognised RMAP sequence is Raise, Mobilise, Activate and Prime. The terminology and organisation differ, but both move from general preparation towards the activity that follows.

The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck follows the swimming sequence and adds an optional Explode stage:

Raise. Mobilise. Activate. Prime. Explode.

The stages provide structure, but they are not completely separate types of exercise. Some movements could reasonably sit across more than one stage. What matters is the main purpose of the movement and where it fits within the progression.

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Raise

Raise gets the swimmer moving and gradually increases general activity and body temperature.

For a young swimmer, this does not need to be complicated or lengthy. It is the starting point before moving into more targeted preparation.

Mobilise

Mobilise focuses more on moving key joints through useful ranges, which for swimmers can include areas such as the shoulders, upper back, hips and ankles.

This is not simply about trying to become more flexible. The swimmer is moving through ranges that may be useful for the activity ahead while continuing to stay active.

A mobilisation exercise will still involve muscular effort. The main emphasis at this stage is movement and range.

Activate

Activate shifts more of the emphasis towards controlled muscle action.

Movements may target the shoulders, trunk, hips or other areas involved in the session ahead, with the swimmer having to create and control positions rather than simply move through them.

This is where the distinction between Mobilise and Activate can sometimes become less obvious. A movement may involve both range and muscular control, so trying to force every exercise neatly into one category is not particularly useful.

A better question is: what is the main reason for using this movement at this point in the warm-up?

Prime

Prime moves the swimmer closer to the speed, coordination and intent of what they are preparing to do in the water.

Movements can become quicker, sharper or more dynamic than earlier in the warm-up without turning the warm-up into a workout.

In wider sport, this part of a RAMP warm-up is commonly described as Potentiate. Prime is the terminology used within the swimming sequence, but the purpose is similar: progressing towards readiness for the activity ahead.

For young swimmers, this still needs to be appropriate to their experience and what they are preparing for. More intensity is not automatically better.

Explode

Explode is an optional stage within The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck for movements involving greater speed and explosive intent.

It will not be appropriate or necessary in every warm-up. Whether it is included depends on the swimmer, their experience and the training or racing that follows.

That is why it sits at the end of the sequence rather than being something every swimmer has to complete.

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Putting the stages together

The value of the sequence is the progression rather than the labels themselves.

The swimmer starts by getting moving, then works through useful ranges, introduces more controlled muscle action and moves closer to the speed and intent of the activity ahead. Explosive movements can be added where appropriate.

The exact exercises can change. The number of movements can change. Different coaches may also place some exercises slightly differently within the sequence.

The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck gives coaches and young swimmers one visual way of organising that progression without turning it into one prescribed warm-up.

Prepare. Move. Perform.

Spencer Turner

Creator, The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck

Related: The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck | Behind the Deck | Case Study | Explore The Decks

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