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by Karen Calara, MSPT, CSCS
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ou walk around the Squash courts at a tournament, or any peak time at the club, and invariably you will notice players doing some sort of warm-up. Each has their own routine with the common goals of injury prevention and performance enhancement.
Key to any warm-up routine are flexibility exercises. Flexibility is defined as the range of motion available around a joint. Good flexibility and muscle length ensure proper joint lubrication and health, and optimal muscle contractile function (or strength, both concentrically and eccentrically) during activity.
Static stretching is the most common form of flexibility exercise and the most widely studied. It is one of the safest methods to encourage the elongation of a muscle. Until recently, sports medicine professionals emphasized static stretches before and after vigorous activity. However, recent studies have shown a temporary decrease in muscle performance immediately after static stretching, resulting in a decrease in strength and power. The time taken to stretch statically, also lowers your core temperature, which you just spent 5-10 minutes raising during your light aerobic warm-up, and relaxes the muscle and nervous system. All effects are counterproductive, to say the least, before you go in for your big match! Although static stretching is important, this activity is best suited for post-play warm-down in order to speed recovery, decrease soreness and optimize muscle length.
The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare the body for the dynamic actions of vigorous activity. The goals are to increase the core body temperature, increase blood flow, activate the central nervous system (improving coordination, accuracy, and reaction time), increase muscle efficiency and improve the suppleness of connective tissue. The warm-up wakes up the body and prepares it for the rigors of sport. Warm-up should consist of light aerobic exercise and dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretching is the use of specific body movements and speed of movement to promote range of motion at the joints and, ultimately, elongation of the musculature, especially in respect to the sport at hand. Dynamic stretching should not be confused with active stretches which use the agonist muscle to stretch the antagonist muscle, or ballistic stretching which involves bouncing motions at endrange. It incorporates a wide range of complex motions mimicking sporting and exercise movements. This has the distinct advantage of not only helping to prevent injury (like those nagging hamstring and groin pulls), but also improving flexibility for those tasks specifically and, therefore, improving performance.
Recommended Stretching
Sequence:
1. Warm-up with light aerobic activity: 3-8 minutes, enough to break a light sweat
2. Dynamic Stretches: 8-12 repetitions of increasing, controlled, range of motion as tolerated. Dynamic stretches should start slow and controlled with a gradual increase in range of motion and speed, once comfortable with the routine. Only do as many repetitions as possible without decreasing the range of motion. This will set the muscle memory at the maximum length.
3. Squash play or training
4. Static stretching as part of warm-down
Dynamic Stretches for Squash: (Best to follow sequence)
1.Upper Body Trunk Rotation: Start with feet shoulder width apart with abdominals pulled in. Knees are slightly bent and back is straight. Starting at waist height, swing arms across body. Increase to shoulder height and onto overhead as you perform more repetitions. (figure 1a and 1b)
 
Fig.1a and 1b: Upper Body Trunk Rotation
2. Sidebending Over and Back: Stand with feet a little further than shoulder width apart. Bend to one side while holding opposite arm overhead. Quickly reverse direction and stretch other side. (figure 2)
Fig. 2: Sidebending Over and Back
3. Bent Over Trunk Rotation: With your feet double shoulder/hip width apart, bend at the hips ensuring that your spine stays long and back doesn’t round out, bend your knees a little. Extend both arms out to your side at shoulder height. Rotate the trunk and arms to reach towards the opposite toe while bending that leg and gently lunging to side. Alternate sides. Reach as low as your flexibility comfortably allows (i.e. tension not pain)—it is not necessary to touch your toes if you can’t reach that low. (figure 3)
Fig. 3: Bent Over Trunk Rotation
4. Arm circles: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and abdominals pulled in. Knees should be soft and back upright. With arms out to side, start with small circles forward, gradually increasing the size of the circle to your comfort level. Repeat exercise going backwards. (figure 4a and 4b)
 
Fig. 4a and 4b: Arm Circles
5. Squat with Arms Overhead and Neck Rotation: Standing with feet shoulder width apart. Arms at side. Keeping abdominals pulled in, slowly lower hips as far as you can go without your heels coming off the floor. As you lower, raise arms straight overhead and slowly look to the L. Slowly stand up lowering arms to your side. Alternate looking left and right with each repetition as you raise and lower your arms and as you squat (Fig. 5a and 5b).
 
Fig. 5a and 5b: Squat with Arms Overhead and Neck Rotation
6. High Step with Trunk Rotation and Opposite Neck Rotation: High step with R knee while twisting trunk to R, reaching around body with arms, and looking to the L. Repeat with high step with L knee while twisting trunk to L reaching around body and looking to the R (Fig. 6)
Fig. 6: High Step with Trunk Rotation
and Opposite Neck Rotation
7. Walking Lunge with High Knee then Kick: Keeping abdominals pulled in and hips square, step long with R foot lunging forward. Slowly bring L knee forward to high knee position. Slowly straighten L leg, then slowly set L leg down to lunge position. Repeat walking down length of hallway. Once you are comfortable with this, try lunging backwards to return to start position (Fig. 7a and 7b)
 
Fig. 7a and 7b: Walking lunge with high knee then kick
8. High Hurdle Stepover: Hold on to a solid object and stand with R leg behind the other and out at a 45 degree angle. Lift the R knee high to the front, rotating inward.Then rotate the R leg outwards and back, so it ends up behind the standing leg. Check that you are minimizing trunk movement. Change legs and repeat.
9. 45 degree Lunge with Trunk Rotation: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and abdominals tight. Arms are straight in front at shoulder height. Step long out and in front with R foot to 2 o’clock position, rotating trunk to R. Rotate trunk back to L as you return to start position. Alternate sides (Fig. 9a and 9b)
 
Fig. 9a and 9b: Forty-five degree lunge with trunk rotation
10. 45 degree Crossover Lunge with Forehand/Backhand: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and abdominals tight. Stand in ready position as if on ‘T.’ Step long and in front with R foot crossing over L to the 10 o’clock position, gently swing either forehand or backhand, depending on handedness (Backhand for R handed players, forehand for lefties). Alternate sides (Fig. 10)
Fig. 10: Forty-five degree crossover lunge
with forehand/backhand
By maintaining elevated core temperature after warm-up, engaging the nervous system, and gradually increasing sport specific range of motion, dynamic stretching is integral for preparing the body for squash training and a tough match.
Karen Calara MSPT, CSCS, has over 15 years of experience in sports medicine and 10 years as a licensed physical therapist. She is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Karen is the owner of The Next Step: Physical Therapy and Sports Performance, in Seattle, WA. Karen specializes in sports biomechanics, gait analysis and custom orthotics, functional rehabilitation and sports specific training. She lectures on these topics around the Pacific Northwest and New England. An avid racquet-sport player, Karen is learning to play squash.
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Dec 2009
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