Paintball is one of the most active sports there is and whenever you plan on exercising, it is a good idea to warm up. Almost every athlete in any sport has some sort of warm up routine. A good routine gets your blood pumping and prepares your muscles for strenuous activity.

At AC Paintball in southern New Jersey, most of our passes are for 3-4 hours. Even with long breaks, a day at AC Paintball will give you a full body workout. It is always a good idea to complete some light movements to prepare your muscles for working hard. A good routine can get your mind and body ready to play paintball. When you warm up properly, you will have an easier time moving around. You will play to your full potential and be more successful.

Eating & Drinking

The night before a game, you will want to stock up on carbohydrates and add a small amount of protein. This will give you the energy to play long games of paintball. It’s better not to eat a lot, if anything, right before the game. Doing so may make you feel sluggish. If you do feel the need to eat something the before the game, try to do so at least three hours beforehand. Make sure it is light and doesn’t weigh you down. Some athletes like to drink protein shakes before a game.

Also, be sure to hydrate and drink lots of fluids. Water helps regulate your body temperature and lubricates your joints. All of AC Paintball’s fields are outdoors and in New Jersey summers are hot. If you aren’t properly hydrated, you won’t be able to perform to the best of your ability. Dehydration can also cause cramps or make you feel dizzy.

Start Light

When warming up, you should start out light. Start with simple dynamic exercises, and then gradually increase your range of movement. Start by jogging for a lap or two around one of the AC Paintball’s courses. If you don’t want to run a lap, you can just find a large open area and jog back and forth. After that, start stretching your muscles and joints out a bit more. You can do some high knees, kickbacks, arm swings, lunges, and calf raises. Do each for about a quarter of a lap.

Knee Highs – While stepping, bring up your knees up as high as you can.

Butt Kicks – Make running motion while bringing you heal up to your glutes.

Kickbacks – Get on your hands and knees with back flat. Extend one leg out behind you and hold for a few seconds.

Arm Swings – Swing your arms in circles and alternate directions.

Lunges – Step out far and lower your hips until both legs are at a 90-degree angle.

Calf Raises – Standing normally, go up on your toes, and hold for a few seconds. Then return to normal standing position.

Get Your Blood Pumping

Now it’s time for more vigorous activity. At this point, you can start sprinting. If you want to, you can alternate between sprinting and jogging. This way, you don’t wear yourself out before the game even begins. After that, you can do some more intense maneuvers such as squats, jumping jacks, side shuffles, grapevines, skips, and suicides.  Complete about 10 – 20 reps for each.

Squats – Start with legs about shoulder length apart and make a sitting motion.

Jumping Jacks – Jump while moving your legs in and out and arms up and down.

Side Shuffles – Make choppy, lateral steps while moving sideways.

Grapevines – Run sideways while moving your legs in a crisscross pattern.

Skips – Jump while lifting knees high, moving forward.

Suicides – Sprint back and forth increasing your distance each time. Each time you reach a specific distance, touch the ground.

Stretches

If you feel stiff or have been injured recently, you may want to add stretching to your warm up routine. Many argue that stretching hasn’t been proven to reduce injury or flexibility. Yet, static stretches can help in a variety of ways.  Stretching helps alleviate cramps, improve your muscle elasticity, and increase your range of motion. It can also make you feel more flexible with more control over your body. If you are nervous, it can also be therapeutic and help you calm down.  You can stretch both before and after your game at AC Paintball.