Warm ups
- Paul Williamson
- Oct 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
A well-designed warm-up is essential for pole vaulters, not only for injury prevention but also for optimising neuromuscular performance. Key components include:
Thermo-upregulation: Elevating core temperature through dynamic exercises enhances muscle-tendon compliance, improving elasticity and reducing the likelihood of strain injuries. Research shows that increased muscle temperature facilitates faster contraction and relaxation rates, which is critical for the explosive power.
General Mobility: Dynamic mobility drills increase the range of motion at key joints. Given the technical demands of pole vaulting—particularly at the hips, shoulders, and spine—enhanced mobility ensures fluid execution through all phases.
Coordination: Warm-up activities that emphasise coordination help improve motor control. Neuromuscular rehearsal during warm-up aids this synchronization and allows precise integration into the activity.
Pre-activation: Pre-activating key muscle groups such as the hamstrings, glutes, core, and shoulder stabilizers readies the athlete for high-intensity exertion. Studies suggest that targeted activation enhances neuromuscular efficiency during subsequent performance.
Neural Priming: A dynamic warm-up stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), enhancing neural drive to muscles. This results in more efficient muscle recruitment during explosive actions, as supported by research on neural facilitation.
Post-activation Potentiation (PAP): Brief, high-intensity movements included in the warm-up can induce PAP, temporarily increasing muscle force output. Studies show this can lead to improved performance in short-term explosive activities.
Focused Task Mastery: Specific drills and mental rehearsal sharpen technical execution and enhance cognitive focus, key elements in mastering the complex movement patterns.
Incorporating these elements into a warm-up primes the athlete's neuromuscular system for peak performance. Here are some examples of our specific warm ups
Example of our Vault Day Warm up
Videos: Here is how we link some of our Vault day warm up.
Experiment and find what works for your athlete.