RAMP is a warm-up protocol designed to help you prepare your body for a workout. Following this protocol before any type of exercise is beneficial for overall performance enhancement as well as decreased risk of injury due to increased mobility and more efficient recruitment of muscle fibers! It stands for Raise, Activate, Mobilize and Potentiate, with each step providing specific benefits to get your body ready for physical activity.
The first step of RAMP is to raise the core temperature of your body through light aerobic exercise such as walking/jogging or low intensity movements based on the movement pattern you are going to be doing in your workout. The purpose of this is to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery to your muscles to improve contractile speed and power by raising neural activation and conduction. Additionally, it helps the body increase the amount of energy stored in the muscles so that they can perform at a higher intensity during your workout.
The next two steps of the RAMP protocol are activation and mobilization. This two steps go together. They involve using dynamic stretches or exercises that specifically target the muscles you’ll be using during your workout. These movements help wake up and lubricate the joints as well as activate the muscles, which primes them for peak performance during the workout. This can include foam rolling or dynamic stretches such as leg swings or hip openers banded walks and pull parts.
Finally, potentiation is all about preparing your body for explosive power exercises that require quick bursts of energy such as sprinting, jumping or lifting heavy weights. This can involve plyometric drills such as box jumps or squat jumps as well as workout specific activity increasing in intensity up to the workout such as a warmup sets of deadlifts at a lighter weigh until you reach you work set weights.
By following these four steps with proper form and technique you can ensure your body is ready to take on whatever workout routine you have planned! It’s important not to go overboard with this type of warm-up since 10-20 minutes should be enough time for adequate preparation before beginning your workout! After all you have a life outside of the gym! So make sure you dedicate some time before each training session to follow the RAMP warmup protocol – your future self will thank you!
