The TuneUp Program

A warm up routine should include the following elements.

• Increase blood flow
• Improve mobility
• Prepare for specific muscle activity

It's widely accepted now that static stretching prior to exercise is of no benefit and that stretching cold will damage muscle and connective tissue.

Your warm-up routine

By now you've learned enough to know which exercises benefit you the most. You should use this information to formulate your own warm up routine based on this simple template.

Increasing blood flow

The self massage routines will be appropriate here, at a minimum I'd recommend forearm kneading and add frictions and either of the active techniques if your wrists or elbows are a problem. You may also want to add some shoulder massage although the next exercise will assist in increasing blood flow to the shoulder as well as improving mobility. Add some shoulder massage if you feel that you need it.

Improving mobility

Even though you won't be moving your shoulders a lot they need to be relaxed and adding them to your warm up will help. The qigong shoulder exercises is perfect.

A modification of the following stretches so that instead of holding them you take them gently close to the end of range before coming back to a neutral position. Repeat them them 3 or 4 times each

• Sue's thoracic stretch
• Shoulder medial and lateral rotators.

The qigong exercises for the hands

Technique drills

Any of your favourite left hand technique exercises, this one is fine, but you can add others if you wish. They should be simple, well below your level of proficiency.