This finals season, a brief ‘priming’ workout could boost performance on the sports field and beyond

As humans, it is in our nature to want to do better, find that edge and succeed. This couldn’t be truer than in sport, where winning and losing are often separated by tenths of a second, a successful score attempt in the dying stages of a game, or a split-second decision.

So, there is always a need for effective and legal strategies to boost performance. “Priming” is a tool attracting more and more interest from athletes, coaches and scientists.

The good news is it is not just for elite athletes.

Not just a warm-up

Priming, also called “morning exercise”, “pre-activation” or “pre-competition training”, has attracted renewed interest among scientists in recent years. Many sporting teams are already on the ball, with more than half of coaches using priming to help their athletes gain a performance advantage.

Typically, a relatively brief and non-tiring bout of exercise is performed the day before or on the morning of a competition – somewhere between one and 48 hours beforehand. This stimulus to the muscles results in “delayed potentiation”. That is, the muscles can perform better after several hours of rest than they would have without the priming exercise.

In contrast, a warm-up takes place much closer to competition. What’s interesting is the benefits of priming are much longer-lasting than those typical of warm-up activation strategies. This is perplexing because we know that increases in muscle temperature, metabolism and the nervous system potentiation with warm-ups return to baseline levels within minutes.

Warm-ups remain important but priming sessions could provide an additional edge. Sports scientists have reported improvements in running, jumping, throwing and weightlifting ability by as much as 4%. This might not seem like a lot, but it’s crucial when the difference between winning and losing can be measured in fractions of a percentage point. The physiological mechanisms that cause the priming effect are not yet well understood, but neuromuscular and hormonal changes have been suggested.

And it may not be only muscles that benefit. Researchers have long known priming exercise can improve weightlifting performance in anxious athletes. More recent research reinforces the idea priming activities can help athletes’ psychological state and stress levels.

Read more: What's behind the spate of super-fast sprints at the Tokyo Olympics? Technology plays a role, but the real answer is training

Finding time to play, train and prime

Very few of us are elite, full-time athletes. Finding time to train and compete, even at a community or sub-elite level, is hard – let alone making extra time for additional priming sessions. But priming exercises can be done with minimal equipment in minimal time.

Basic exercises such as squats and bench presses with relatively heavy weights (around 85% of your maximum capacity) for just a few repetitions are enough to boost performance later that day.

Don’t have a rack of weights lying around? That’s OK. Explosive body-weight activities such as a few short sprints or jumping still have the potential to boost athletic performance. Stronger people seem to respond better to priming, likely because they recover more quickly from exercise.

Ideally, pick an activity that uses the same muscle groups you will use during your sport, and do the priming exercise six to 33 hours before your event, as this seems to offer the most benefit and practicality. And remember, more is not better. You may be able to incorporate your priming session into your existing training regime.