9. Range of Motion (ROM)

RANGE OF MOTION (ROM)

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9f/14/09/9f1409594f7ceba77d0bfa7b4aba45a3.jpg

What Is It?

Range of motion(ROM) is the range of movement of one or more joints.

Range of Motion can be trained in various ways; here we name three of them:

• 🤸🏽‍♀️Through Active and Passive Static Joint Mobility

• 🤸🏽‍♀️Through “assisted” Dynamic Joint Mobility

• 🤸🏽‍♀️Through “resisted” Dynamic Joint Mobility

Whenever you perform exercises or actions of Passive, Active and Dynamic Static Joint Mobility, you will be working on the Range of Motion; ALWAYS AND WHEN the intensities at which you do it are maximum or sub-maximum.

For example:

It is not the same to work the amplitude by lifting the leg off the ground 30 centimeters than by lifting it one meter.

The difference between “assisted” and “resisted” Dynamic Joint Mobility is the following:

When actions or exercises are done to work the “resisted” Dynamic Joint Mobility, they are carried out overcoming an external force.

*For example: elastic bands, in the gym lifting weights with an ankle brace…

As you have already seen how to work the first two before, we will focus on how to train, when you have to train it and what you train it for.

How can you train it?

There are several things to consider when training your range of motion.

At the end of this point we propose a complementary exercise to your training.

💪🏻Intensity:Sensation of noticing resistance and that you can perform movements at real speed and not “fight” against the rubber or gym machine. You have to finish each series with the feeling of being able to perform 3-4 more repetitions until you have the feeling that you are not performing the movement with the same speed as with which you started.

🔁Reps: 6-8 (with resistance) + 6-8 “transfer” (that is, without resistance).

🏋🏼‍♀️Number of sets per exercise: 3-4.

⏱Rest time between sets: 45 seconds – 1 minute.

🚀Speed ​​of execution: Explosive in the movement in which the charge expires and 1 second in the other movement (controlling the charge in the “backward” movement).

🔍Important remarks: The range of motion you do has to be the maximum (that is, perform the full range of the exercise you are doing).

You can also work it as an activation before training or games. In this case:

💪🏻 Intensity: When doing it with rubbers, you have to choose a rubber that allows you to perform the number of repetitions with a sensation of activation and not of fatigue.

🔁 Reps: 6-8 (with resistance) + 6-8 “transfer” (that is, without resistance).

🏋🏼‍♀️Number of sets per exercise: 1-2.

⏱Rest time between sets: 45 seconds – 1 minute.

🚀Speed ​​of execution: Explosive in both phases of the movement.

When do you have to train it?

Being a Performance Factor that does not generate much fatigue, the closest you can do it to the competition is day -2.

It does not generate fatigue because the intensity at which you have to work it is medium-low and thus not have to “fight” against resistance, as we have indicated previously.

For example:

– If you compete on Saturday and train Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: you would train on Wednesday.

– If you compete on Sunday and train Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: you would train on Friday.

If you want to use it as an activation on match day:

You have to do it in the locker room, just before starting the warm-up (if the warm-up does not include doing it).

Why do you train this?

In football, many actions are performed with a very large range of motion; For this reason, you have to prepare your joints, tendons and muscles so that they respond in the most efficient and safe way in the actions that you carry out in competition and in training.

Therefore, you have to perform the exercises with the maximum amplitude or range and, by performing it with external loads, you prepare your muscles, tendons and joints to perform them with those external loads; which you will not have in the game. So your body will be “used” to doing them with these loads and you will have less chance of injuring yourself in matches, where you don’t do them with those external loads.