Protocol
The wide receiver warm-up
Six phases, always the same and always in this order. The time you have changes what happens within each phase, never the number of phases. A 16-minute warm-up and a 21-minute one follow the same steps and both finish at 100% speed.
What it prepares
Accelerating, braking and changing direction require the hamstrings, ankles, hips and knees to produce and then absorb substantial force.
The six phases below progressively increase range of motion, responsiveness and speed before the most demanding efforts. They prepare you for the workout, without guaranteeing that injury will not occur.
1 Raise body temperature
Raise muscle temperature and increase blood flow to your arms and legs.
The checkA light sweat while you can still breathe through your nose.
Jogging gradually raises temperature and circulation before wider movements and more demanding footwork. Two continuous minutes start this transition; the movements that follow extend it.
If you skip itYou go straight from rest to wide movements and quick footwork, with no general transition.
- Forward jog, 2 continuous minutes
- Backpedal, lateral shuffle and carioca
- 20-yard shuttle, with no break between movement patterns
Drills in this phase
In a small space
2 Mobility
Move each joint through the range the workout will require, under active control.
The checkYour muscles create the movement, not gravity or a hand pushing it farther.
Limited ankle dorsiflexion can alter your foot plant and make the knee compensate during a cut. Hip mobility also helps you make a 90-degree break without moving your whole trunk.
If you skip itRunning drills meet stiff joints: you demand a range of motion you have not yet opened.
- Knee-to-wall, heel on the ground
- World's Greatest Stretch, elbow down then open up
- Leg swings, forward then backward
- Hip CARs: the largest circle the hip can make on its own
Drills in this phase
3 Activation
Wake up the posterior chain and hip flexors while standing, without equipment or lying on the ground.
The checkLow volume, high intent. This phase should not tire you out.
Being warm is not enough to prepare for a fast contraction. Three 10-yard out-and-back drills bring that intent back without turning activation into a fatigue block.
If you skip itYou train with muscles that respond late, and other muscles compensate.
- High knees, one 10-yard out-and-back
- Butt kicks, one out-and-back
- Straight-leg run, clawing the ground
Drills in this phase
In a small space
4 Running drills
Restore running mechanics before adding speed.
The checkThe ground pushes you back; you do not push the ground away. Plant under your hips, never in front.
The B-skip rehearses leg extension and the active return of the foot beneath the hips under control. It prepares part of running mechanics without claiming, on its own, to prevent a hamstring injury.
If you skip itYou add speed without rehearsing foot placement and running rhythm at moderate intensity.
- A-skip: raise the knee, land beneath the hip
- B-skip: raise the knee, extend, then claw the foot back
- C-skip: move the knee sideways while the shoulders stay square
In a small space
5 Plyometrics
Wake up elastic response and ankle stiffness; prepare cutting footwork and landings.
The checkStrict limit on ground contacts. This is an introduction, not a separate workout.
A cut requires you to absorb and then redirect force. The skater bound isolates that lateral transfer; holding the landing lets you check alignment before adding speed.
If you skip itYour first cutting plant in the workout is also your first of the day, at full speed and without practice.
- Pogo hops, minimal ground contact
- Skater bounds, hold the landing for 1 second
Drills in this phase
6 Build up speed
Build toward 100% in steps, first in a straight line and then while cutting.
The checkRecover fully between runs: walk back, then wait another 45 to 60 seconds.
The hamstrings work especially hard as speed approaches maximum. A gradual build-up avoids jumping straight from a drill to a full sprint. Under 40 minutes or in a small space, it stops at 85% and removes the all-out sprint.
If you skip itThe first fast effort of the workout arrives without an intermediate step.
- Normal workout: two progressive 20-yard sprints, up to 95%
- Normal workout: a 45-degree cut at 80%, then 95%
- Under 40 minutes or in a small space: straight line and cuts capped at 85%, no all-out sprint
Drills in this phase
In a small space
How long
About a quarter of your workout, and never more than 25 minutes. Beyond that, the warm-up takes time away from the field work you came to do.
Below 16 minutes, it no longer covers everything. The app still shortens it for brief workouts, because a full protocol would leave almost no time in a 20-minute workout. It tells you so, and the trade-off is firm: cap your intensity at 85%.
What never changes
Everything else can adapt to time, weather and your level. These eight rules cannot.
- 1Reach 95% before going all outIn a straight line and on a cut, before any maximal effort. Under 40 minutes or in a small space, the protocol stops at 85% and removes all-out work.
- 2Six phases, always in orderShorten the content within a phase; never remove a phase. Five phases are not a shorter warm-up, but an incomplete one.
- 3Minimum of 16 minutesBelow this, the full protocol no longer fits. The app shortens it for workouts under 40 minutes and caps the whole workout at 85%: no all-out sprint or full-speed route.
- 4Keep the priority drillsThe opening jog, B-skip, 45-degree cut and progressive acceleration come before extras. Under 40 minutes or in a small space, their intensity drops and the all-out sprint is removed.
- 5Less than ten minutes before the first effortAfter a wait of fifteen to twenty minutes, body temperature has fallen: repeat a shorter version of the plyometrics and speed build-up.
- 6The warm-up should not tire you outIf you start the workout breathless or with heavy legs, the volume is too high. Reduce it one step; do not cut at random.
- 7Save long static stretches for afterwardHolding a stretch for more than 45 to 60 seconds per muscle before exercise can reduce strength and speed for 10 to 20 minutes. Do longer flexibility work while warm, after the workout.
- 8Use it as a coaching windowThis is when the athlete is fresh and receptive. Correct mechanics here, not forty minutes into the workout.
This protocol follows the RAMP approach, extended to include running drills and introductory plyometrics. The durations and volumes are a starting point for a trained athlete without pain. They do not replace a diagnosis, a rehabilitation protocol or professional advice when returning after injury.
References
The RAMP approach comes from Jeffreys, and McGowan and colleagues review what is known about the effects of warming up. These texts give the framework: the phases, durations and prescriptions on this page are Route Builder's own.
- Jeffreys, I. (2007). Warm-up revisited: the ramp method of optimizing performance preparation. Professional Strength and Conditioning, 6, 12-18.
- Jeffreys, I. (2019). The Warm-Up: Maximize Performance and Improve Long-Term Athletic Development. Human Kinetics.
- McGowan, C. J., Pyne, D. B., Thompson, K. G., and Rattray, B. (2015). Warm-up strategies for sport and exercise: mechanisms and applications. Sports Medicine, 45(11), 1523-1546.