South Hardin lost to Grundy Center during a high-stakes high school football matchup in Iowa over the weekend. Its “hardo” warm-up for the game sparked a debate about the result.
Were the Tigers tired from their pregame preparation? The science here is murky and it depends on who you ask.
If done in moderation and with smart intensity, this specific warm-up can be excellent for high school football players to prime their bodies for the game. If treated like a mini workout, it can leave players flat.
South Hardin and Grundy Center are Iowa high school football powerhouses.
South Hardin entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the state of Iowa at undefeated 5-0. It beat its first five opponents by a combined score of 192-37.
Grundy Center entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the state, also undefeated at 5-0. It beat its first five opponents by a combined score of 216-42.
You get the idea. It was (and is) one of the biggest games of the year. Not only is it a 100-year-old+ rivalry matchup, both of these teams are expected to make a deep run into the playoffs. They might next play each other in the championship if their current trajectory continues.
In the meantime, the Spartans remain as the No. 1 seed. They beat the Tigers by 10 on Friday, 22-12.
Is it a good idea to workout before the game?
This is where the pregame warm-up comes under fire. South Hardin went full “hardo” during pregame.
Its routine featured 90-pound hang cleans, weighted medicine ball tosses, cone drills, ladder drills and bag drills. They went pretty hard on the field before they eventually put on their shoulder pads for kickoff.
There is a fine tightrope to walk with this kind of workout.
On one side of the discussion, it covers explosive movement, coordination, core, lower body and sport-specific drills. It also hits the neuromuscular system and incorporates multi-plane movement. That can be very beneficial in moderation. Moderation is the key word: light weights, low reps.
On the other side of the discussion, a pregame warm-up like this can be detrimental for four reasons:
- It can pre-fatigue your muscles.
- This warm-up routine focuses on the glutes, hamstrings, core and shoulders.
- To burn this kind of energy in those muscles can result in slower acceleration, weaker cuts and tired legs during the second half.
- It can stress your central nervous system.
- The central nervous system is responsible for fast reaction time, coordination and balance, and muscle efficiency.
- To overstimulate the nervous system can result in a mental fog and uncoordinated movement.
- It can drain your energy.
- Football is anaerobic and aerobic exercise, which requires glycogen and creatine phosphate.
- To deplete those energy sources before the game can cause result in exhaustion and cramps.
- It can burn out your psyche.
- A game of this magnitude is already intense.
- To go out and workout on the field before kickoff can result in a preemptive peak, to where you cannot sustain that same energy when it matters most.
The science shows both sides of this debate. A pregame warm-up of this nature can be a good thing. South Hardin’s loss to Grundy Center might prove otherwise. Then again, someone has to lose…