The 11+ Warm Ups May Reduce Risk Of Injury

The prevalence of sports injuries that occur among participants of all ages shows that we should can do a better job of prevention.  All physical activities go with some risk, but the benefits of a warm up are undeniable.  The subject holds a spot near and dear to my heart, as my wife seems think I’m injury-prone.  (I’ve had a few injuries…)  So, when a story about how better warm ups may reduce injuries by as much as half, it really caught my attention.

The study apparently was conducted by the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, and they found that when a routine called the “11+” soccer warm up routine was used prior to practice and games, the risk of severe leg injuries to female athletes was substantially lower.  A copy of the routine is shown here, or can be found at FILA’s website.

Using the 11+ Warm Up

I will probably try to incorporate some of these exercises into my warm up routine.  I think I’ve mentioned before that I limit most of my workouts to 30-minutes, due to, well, life.  That leaves me with about 5 minutes for a warm up, which isn’t much.  The 11+ routine looks to be an expanded series of dynamic stretches, which many experts now believe are superior to the traditional static stretch as a warm up before intense exercise.

I may also be able to put this information to use with my kids.  Even though I’ve never played soccer, I’ve coached my kid’s soccer teams in the past.  Sports injuries among kids are as much, if not more, of a concern for me.  So, if I end up coaching a kids sports again, I’ll apply this information for warm up before practice and games.

Apparently, experts think pretty highly of this research.  An editorial was released with the study’s results, where an injury expert for the Rugby Football Union suggested that participants in all sports adopt a program like the 11+, due to the reduced risk of injury.  So, what’s your warmup routine?  Will this information modify your routine at all?

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