Safe Dance Factsheet: RAMP warm-up
By Stacey Kipouridis, Physiotherapist at Performance Medicine Melbourne
As a physiotherapist who commonly works with dancers and performers, I have a great understanding of the incredible artistry and athleticism that dance demands on the body. However, I have also witnessed some of the injuries and setbacks dancers can face when they don’t implement safe preparation practices. We are all aware that it is important to warm up your body prior to exercise and activity, however it can often be overlooked in a dance environment. You may find that some of your choreographers include a warm up at the beginning of their class, but sometimes you may not have this time scheduled into your day or class. It is important that you are aware of your body and ensure that you are warmed up prior to dancing, to ensure you minimise the risk of injury. Dancers often will sit and complete static stretching before classes, however recent research has emphasised the importance of following a more active and dynamic warm up prior to exercise to help reduce the risk of injury (Sople & Wilcox, 2025). An easy way to complete a quick and efficient warm up is following a RAMP warm up.
The RAMP warm up stands for – Raise, Activate, Mobilise and Potentiate – and has been specifically designed to enhance performance in the short, medium and long term (Jeffreys, 2017). This efficient warm up framework prepares the body both physically and neurologically for high level activity. It is crucial in dance to have levels of control, flexibility and power to ensure you get the most out of your body and reduce the risk of injuries.
Below we break down what a RAMP warm up is, and how dancers can implement it and why it is important to do so.
RAISE
The first component of the RAMP warm up focuses on raising your body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and joint viscosity (Jeffreys, 2017). This is usually achieved through some sort of aerobic activity, such as light jogging, skipping or walking on tip toes.
Why it matters for dancers
Warming up raises the temperature of your muscles and connective tissue, which then enhances their elasticity. This means if your muscles are warm, you are less likely to strain or tear something during your high kicks, jumps and leaps. By warming up your muscles, you increase the blood flow to them which delivers important nutrients and oxygen to the area to improve performance and delay fatigue.
ACTIVATE
Next, we want to focus on activating the main muscle groups that you utilise during dance, including the core, glutes and shoulders. These muscle groups are essential for maintaining posture, balance and control during complex choreography. By activating these muscles specifically, we are ensuring that they are ready for the dance class ahead. Below are some common exercises that activate the muscles required for dancing, but you can use any of your favourite exercises in this part of the warm up.
- Tippy bird
- Crab walks
- Bridges
- Plank and plank variations
- Scapula squeezes
- Calf Raises
The key thing to remember with the activation phase is that you want to complete controlled, purposeful movement. You don’t want to be fatiguing your muscles, you want them to switch on and be engaged for the upcoming task.
Why it matters for dancers
Activation exercises help ‘wake up’ muscles that you will need to be strong and working during your dance class or rehearsal. This is particularly important for dancers, as you may have long periods of inactivity when rehearsing, for example, and have spent the last 30 minutes sitting watching another group rehearse their dance. Then all of a sudden you’re told that you are all running the show from the top, and you need to be ready to go.
MOBILISE
The mobilise phase targets the large range of motion that is required for dancing. The aim is to enhance joint mobility and movement efficiency. Unlike static stretching, this mobilising phase focuses on controlled, dynamic stretches that mimic the demands of the body needed in dancing. Some ways you can mobilise the body include:
- Leg swings
- Deep lunges with rotation
- Thoracic spine openers
- Ankle and Wrist circles
Why it matters for dancers
Mobilisation exercises help prepare the joints in a dancer’s body for the complex movement patterns that they complete. Dancers often need a large range of motion in the hips, spine and shoulders. Different styles of dancing will require increased movement in different areas of the body. For example, a ballet dancer may need to spend more time focusing on mobilising their hips for their turnout and feet for articulation, compared to hip hop dancers who may need more thoracic and shoulder mobility.
POTENTIATE
The final phase is the potentiate phase, which is where you want to prepare your body for the specific session that you are about to perform (Jeffreys, 2017). You want to be completing movement patterns that gradually increase in intensity and complexity, that will help you prepare for your dance class or performance. Some dance specific examples for this could be:
- Turn prep
- Balancing
- Kicking
- Arabesques
- Jumping or leaping
Why it matters for dancers
This part of the warm up helps bridge the gap between warming up and the actual performance. Dancers are able to prep and prime the nervous system for the upcoming task by enhancing coordination, timing and muscle power.
I strongly encourage all dancers and choreographers to incorporate the RAMP warm up framework into their dance schedules. Warming up should never be an afterthought, but it doesn’t have to be a long tiresome task to complete. By warming up for a few minutes in a thoughtful and structured way, you can both enhance your performance and prevent injury (Silva, Neiva, Marques, Izquierdo & Marinho, 2018). The RAMP warm up provides you with the four quick components to incorporate into your warm up, and will help dancers move better, perform stronger and stay healthier.
References
Jeffreys, I. (2017). RAMP warm-ups: More than simply short-term preparation. Professional Strength & Conditioning, 44, 21–27. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316878902_RAMP_warm-ups_more_than_simply_short-term_preparation
Silva, L. M., Neiva, H. P., Marques, M. C., Izquierdo, M., & Marinho, D. A. (2018). Effects of warm-up, post-warm-up, and re-warm-Up strategies on explosive efforts in team sports: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(10), 2285-2299.
Sople, D., & Wilcox III, R. B. (2025). Dynamic warm-ups play pivotal role in athletic performance and injury prevention. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 7(2), 101023.