What To Do For A Warm Up To Better Perform
The best warm-up for better performance is an active, progressive routine that raises your body temperature and primes the movements you're about to do — not foam rolling. Foam rolling is a genuinely useful tool for mobility and recovery, but as the coaches explain in this episode, it isn't the thing that's going to enhance your performance before training.
Key Takeaways
- Foam rolling has real benefits for mobility and recovery, but it's not a performance-enhancing warm-up.
- The featured study found that an intense warm-up did not potentiate performance before or after a single bout of foam rolling.
- An effective warm-up actively prepares you to perform — raising intensity and rehearsing movement patterns — rather than relying on rolling alone.
- The episode also weighs indoor vs. outdoor training and includes the "Perpetual Motion" Meet Yourself Saturday workout.
Episode 156 of The Garage Gym Athlete Podcast is up!
What To Do For A Warm Up To Better Perform
This week Jerred and Joe are talking about foam rolling. They give many reasons why you should use the foam roller and how it can help you. Spoiler-it is not to enhance performance! This week's topic is on indoor vs. outdoor training. The guys talk about what they like about each one and which one they like better. This week's Meet Yourself Saturday workout is called Perpetual Motion. Make sure to get some good tips for this one!
What the research says
The study featured this week is titled "An Intense Warm-Up Does Not Potentiate Performance Before or After a Single Bout of Foam Rolling." In other words, the researchers found that adding foam rolling around an intense warm-up did not boost subsequent performance. That lines up with the coaches' main point: foam rolling earns its place for mobility, soft-tissue work, and recovery — not as a performance primer. If your goal is to perform better in the session ahead, your warm-up time is better spent on active preparation that gradually raises intensity and rehearses the patterns you're about to train, with foam rolling used as a recovery and mobility tool rather than a substitute for warming up.
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IN THIS 56-MINUTE EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
- Foam Rolling
- Warm Ups
- Performance
- Perpetual Motion
- Indoor vs. Outdoor Training
- Tips For MYS
- Updates and Announcements
- And A LOT MORE!!
Diving Deeper…
If you want to go a little bit deeper on this episode, here are some links for you:
Study of the Week
Garage Gym Athlete Workout of the Week
Be sure to listen to this week’s episode:
Frequently Asked Questions
Does foam rolling improve performance?
According to the study featured here, foam rolling did not potentiate performance even when paired with an intense warm-up. It's valuable for mobility and recovery, but it shouldn't replace an actual warm-up.
What makes a good warm-up for performance?
An effective warm-up actively raises your body temperature and progressively builds intensity while rehearsing the movements you're about to perform, so your body is prepared to produce force and move well.
Should I still foam roll?
Yes — the coaches give plenty of reasons to use the foam roller. Just use it for its strengths: mobility and recovery, rather than expecting it to boost your workout performance.
Related reading from Garage Gym Athlete
- Are Priming Sessions Just For The Advanced Athlete?
- Get Stronger & More Explosive with Glute Practice
- Fact or Fiction: Supplements to Reduce Soreness
Want warm-ups and programming built to help you perform? Train with us as a Garage Gym Athlete.
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Thanks for listening to the podcast, and if you have any questions be sure to add it to the comments below!
To becoming better!
Jerred
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