A warm up is an important part of preparation for boxers prior to sparring and fight night. Warm ups are thought to increase mental alertness, increase muscle temperature to increase uptake of oxygen and, as research demonstrates, improve performance. Many boxing S&C coaches will utilise the RAMP method to achieve the above. This blog post serves to underline the key principles of this method and provide examples of is application in the gym.
R- Raise- Raising heart rate and temperature of the body. As previously explained, raising the temperature of the body will mean and increase in the dissociation of oxygen from the cells that carry it, a process known in the body as the Bohr shift. Raising the heart rate will increase the amount of blood shifted around the body to produce this desired effect.
A-Activate- Activating key muscle groups required for the sport. We are simply priming the muscles here for neuromuscular activation.
M-Mobilise- Mobilising key areas like the shoulders, hips, glutes, core and areas of the spine such as the lumbar and thoracic segments. This will be important for force production and reduction of injury.
P-Potentiate- Powerful movements to fire up the nervous system, readying the athlete to produce fast and powerful movements, like a punch.
Please see below and example of the warm up I would prescribe, using the RAMP protocol, prior to fighting. There are a few examples as each stage to provide a means of variation.
R- Jogging, Skipping, footwork drills.
A – Banded clamshells, Banded Lateral walks, Glute Bridge, Side plank.
M- World greatest stretch, Eagle stretch, reverse lunge w/rotation, Squats, Plank pikes.
P- Counter movement jump, Pogo Jumps.
In the case of any issues when trying the implement this method when warming up, please feel free to message us online or grab our coach Charlie when you see him.
The warm up is truly a vital part of performance and should be completed with attention to detail, to ensure it is not performed in a way which will fatigue the athlete prior to performance. Once implemented correctly it will most certainly give you the edge going into battle.
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