University of New England (UNE) sport scientists have been studying and refining the underrated art of the pre-event warmup for nearly two decades.
Their findings may assist surfers looking for a competitive edge.
"Surfing is unique in that athletes are in and on the water, often subject to the cold, and it requires power, so building warmth in muscles is an essential first step to performance," says Professor Christian Cook, a member of UNE's Human Performance, Physiology and Behaviour group.
“Sometimes there is an assumption that warm-up is simple, but for elite success, where the difference between a personal best and underperforming is small and subtle, this is far from the case.”
Prof. Cook started investigating the links between warmups and performance in skeleton bobsleighing in 2006. He subsequently advised the British bobsleighing team that took gold in the 2010 Olympics.
Since 2015, Prof. Cook has been working with Dr Ben Serpell, also with UNE's Human Performance, Physiology and Behaviour group, to advance the science of the warmup through other sports.
The researchers have recently been applying warmup science to the performance of surfers. Using a wave pool to control for variables, Prof. Cook and Dr Serpell were able to demonstrate that warm-ups structured in certain ways and combined with passive thermal retaining garments were associated with significantly better on-wave performance.
This can also apply to surfing in very warm temperatures, where traditionally, cooling has been thought desirable. In collaboration with Dr Martyn Beaven of the University of Waikato, Prof. Cook demonstrated that in warm conditions, using performance clothing to maintain leg warmth while cooling the torso could produce performance gains.
Warmups aren't just for pros, Dr Ben Serpell says. He advises that recreational surfers should also be able to catch more waves, ride them for longer, and extend their manoeuvres "by attending to aspects of the warmup".
With more than 720,000 active participants, recreational surfing is one of the most popular sports in Australia. About 190,000 new club members were registered between 2019 and 2021.
"As the number of free surfers continue to grow, improving warmups will be important to maximising the physical and mental benefits that people who surf seek," Dr Serpell says. "A good warmup routine has also long been associated with reductions in injury risk."
UNE's Human Performance, Physiology and Behaviour group, co-led by UNE Professor Philip Fourie and Dr. Serpell, is also exploring the links between physical and mental performance at elite levels.
The group works at the intersection of biomedical and performance science. It has recently made a comprehensive study of on-body sensors that can be used to better understand metabolic efficiency in athletes and physiological problems in the general population, and is exploring the development of scientifically proven performance clothing.
Journal articles:
Heat Attainment and Retention in Surfers with and Without a Land-Based Warm-Up and Accompanying Passive Heat Retention: Preprints.org
The effects of a land-based warm-up and accompanying passive heat retention on core body temperature, hormones, and subsequent performance in elite surfers: OSFPreprints
