News reports tout the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) warm-up program that researchers tested on women soccer players. This routine, which takes about 20 minutes 3 times per week, greatly reduced ACL injuries in these women athletes. While an agility run with your dog takes less time than a soccer game, I suspect the routine makes sense canine agility handlers too. In fact, it seems quite similar to the Human Agility Training classes that Lori Hansen teaches. Her DVD is available from Clean Run and on Amazon. Lori focuses on running mechanics and other agility issues, but her dynamic warm-up is great too.
Back when I took Lori’s classes here in Denver (when I still thought Lilly and I might be able to compete), these workouts improved my running speed and form AND helped my cardio fitness too. I’ve since regained the few pounds I lost running around with Lori. (boo!)
Thanks! I’ve seen this news all over, in other circles, but I wasn’t sure that it’d made its way into the agility community. Anything we can do to prevent injury (in ourselves and our dogs) is most needed.
No kidding. Lori told us during class once that you can actually set yourself up for injury, if you stretch right before a run. Maybe it’s all those years in yoga training, but I think that stretching should be a regular thing, outside of agility. *That’s* what prevents problems, not stretching right before you go in the ring … at least not “old fashioned” stretching. A dynamic warm-up that includes some stretching, sure, but just a straight-cold stretch. YIKES!
Great information. My husband does agility with our dogs and I will send him here to read this.
Good info! Way back in the days when I was an athlete, we had it drilled into our heads to never stretch a cold muscle. We always jogged to warm up first, before stretching. But I am constantly amazed at how many people still think they should stretch first and warm-up second, and at how many people try to stretch their dogs before they have warmed up.