13-Step Duke Lacrosse Dynamic Warm-Up

All lacrosse players warm up before competition and training sessions. Or at least I should say, all players go through the motions of a warm-up. The best lacrosse teams, like the 2-time NCAA champions of Duke Lacrosse, activate their muscles through a rigorous dynamic warm-up that truly gets the blood flowing. How do they do it? And why? Carl Christensen, strength coach for Duke University Lacrosse and a BridgeAthletic Performance Advisory Board member overseeing BridgeLacrosse, frequently sees young players dismiss this critical part of their preparation. He says, “Watching high school camps, many kids don’t even warm up. Or sometimes, only half the team warms up, while attackmen go shoot on the goalkeeper—and then they start playing.”

VO2 max (also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, peak oxygen uptake) is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption as measured during incremental exercise, usually on a treadmill or cycle ergometer. Maximal oxygen consumption represents the aerobic physical fitness of an individual and is important in determining his or her endurance capacity in prolonged athletic activity. Given this definition, it should be easy to measure your VO2 max and see how your cardiovascular fitness stacks up, right? The answer, however, is not so obvious.

Recruiting trips are a great way to get a glimpse of a student-athlete’s life in college. You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about collegiate training, facilities, and classes, as well as the team you could be a part of for four years. So what should you expect on your recruiting trip? Athletes who have experienced the entire recruiting process wrote this article to help younger athletes navigate their trips with fluency and ease. Here’s a list of a few things to keep in mind on your recruiting trips:

In the culture of swimming, it’s often expected to “train through the pain” in order to get to the top¹. If you consider yourself a competitive swimmer, you likely have experienced shoulder pain at some point in your career, with it being the most common musculoskeletal complaint in swimming with an incidence ranging from 52% to 73% in elite swimmers². A competitive swimmer usually exceeds 4000 strokes for one shoulder in a single workout³! Needless to say, the shoulder can make or break a swimmer’s season and athletes should focus on prevention to avoid a season-ending injury.

Swimmer’s shoulder usually involves impingement or pinching of the rotator cuff muscles by the acromion bone as they pass through a narrow opening called the subacromial space (see figure below).

Much of injury prevention for elite athletes lies in the quality of his or her conditioning and the adequate balance between training and recovery. However, there are a few common areas of the body that are exceptionally prone to injury for all athletes. Chief among these are the shoulders, lower back, and knees. These areas can be hypermobile, as in the case of the shoulder, prone to bearing excessive load, as in the case of the lower back, or both. With a greater understanding of what constitutes a high-risk joint or muscle group, and which exercises can support these areas, all athletes will be better prepared for training and peak performance.

Did you know that dehydration occurs as easily in the winter months as it does in the summer? Shorter days and colder weather may have you fooled. Although you perspire more in summer workouts, the dry, cold air of winter can make you lose excess water each time you exhale, in the form of water vapor. This effect is even more pronounced at higher altitudes, whether you’re skiing or simply sitting. Let’s address your hydration habits in the winter.

 This is the fourth and final post in our USA Water Polo ODP series.

Playing goalie on any team requires performance skills that differ from the rest of the players, whether this takes place in the pool or on land.  Water Polo is no exception, and it is vital that goalies in the sport understand how this will affect their individual approach to strength and conditioning. The best athletes have an intimate understanding of their position and its demands on the body. Let's dive into the strength exercises tailored to goalies for maximum performance in the cage.  

This post is part three of our four part USA Water Polo ODP series. 

We will focus on shoulder strength, stability and core work. As athletes seek ways to develop speed and power in the pool, these three areas of training can improve your efficiency in upper body movement patterns. Countless movements in water polo require coordination of the upper and lower body, and a prime example of this is shooting. Let's take a look at how to harness the full potential of your shoulders and core.

This post is part two of our four part USA Water Polo ODP dry-land series.  

After dynamic warm up, the next block of the pre-workout, called Movement Prep, addresses specific areas of the body that frequently engage in movement patterns during training. This focused approach further aids in injury prevention for high risk joints and muscle groups. The best athletes learn which specific areas of the body demand additional attention in warm-up prior to training and competition. Let'discuss a few exercises that address these critical areas.