The DMA Method

A New System Of Pre-Training Preparation

I hate the phrase "warm-up."

It suggests something trivial. Something you rush through to get to the "real work." Something that holds little importance in the grand scheme of your training session.

That's not what we're talking about here. What you need isn't a warmup, it's high level preparation.

Look at track and field athletes. They'll spend up to an hour preparing before their highest intensity work of the day. Professional footballers dedicate 45+ minutes to preparation before stepping onto the training pitch. Elite rugby players follow similar protocols.

These aren't warm-ups. These are systematic preparation routines that determine whether an athlete performs optimally or not. How they consistantly squeeze the most value from the sessions as possible. And as an added bonus likely stay injury free for longer periods of time.

After 18 years working in professional rugby and football, plus my own journey as an international level powerlifter, I've developed what I call the DMA Method. It's born from watching what actually works at the highest levels of sport, combined with the harsh reality that as I've gotten older, I now spend more time preparing than I do training. It’s been a gradual progression due to high mileage, but the system below still allows me the ability to lift to a high standard every week.

When I don’t do it, I start running into problems.

The Problem With Generic Protocols

The fitness world is obsessed with one size fits all solutions. Take RAMP protocols, for example. RAMP stands for Raise, Activate, Mobilise, Potentiate, and it's actually a solid framework when applied correctly.

RAMP works well for healthy athletes who need general preparation. It raises tissue temperature, activates key muscle groups, mobilises through sport-specific ranges, and potentiates the nervous system for performance. But if you're a powerlifter dealing with pain, asymmetries, or movement restrictions, generic RAMP protocols fail you.

RAMP assumes your tissues are already functioning optimally and just need general preparation. It doesn't address the neurophysiological barriers that keep you stuck in pain cycles and movement compensations.

The reality is different. If you're reading this, chances are you've got at least one area that's sensitised, restricted, or compensating. You need an approach that addresses these specific barriers first, not just follows a generic sequence designed for healthy athletes.

I have seen lots of different methods used. The very best are focussed on the individual athlete and solving the daily problems that may have arisen. If you train enough you will know what I mean, it won’t always be the same thing that needs attention.

So I developed my own system for Powerlifter’s. The DMA method.

• Desensitise

• Mobilise

• Activate

What Makes DMA Different

While traditional protocols focus onblood flow, general tissue temperature, sport-specific movements, and injury prevention for healthy athletes, DMA targets the actual root causes of your movement problems:

1. Tissue sensitivity that creates protective muscular guarding

2. Joint restrictions that limit optimal positioning for the lifts

3. Motor control deficits that cause compensation patterns under load

This isn't just a different warmup, it's a systematic approach to dismantling the barriers that keep you from training pain free and moving optimally.

The Science Behind The Approach

Desensitise

For years, we were told that soft tissue work was about "breaking up adhesions" or "releasing tight fascia." The mental image created was mechanical, you're physically changing tissue structure with pressure and movement.

The research tells a different story. When you apply targeted pressure for 60-120 seconds, you're primarily creating neurophysiological changes. You're reducing tissue sensitivity, altering spinal cord excitability, and increasing stretch tolerance. The result is improved range of motion without any performance decreases.

Can you create mechanical changes in tissue? Yes, but it requires much higher loads and longer durations than most of us use in practice. Dense fascial structures are incredibly resilient. What we're really doing is working with the nervous system's control of movement and pain.

Pain and protective guarding limit your range of motion and alter how muscles are able to contract under load. When your brain perceives a threat, it changes recruitment patterns and creates compensations that have knock-on effects throughout the kinetic chain.

Mobilise

Understanding the mobilise phase requires distinguishing between two different types of restrictions. Stretch receptors within muscle tissue respond to changes in muscle length and tension, while mechanoreceptors within joint capsules respond to joint position and movement. These are fundamentally different systems requiring different approaches.

When you perform a typical hamstring stretch, you're primarily working with muscle stretch tolerance. But when your squat depth is limited by posterior hip capsule restriction, passive stretching of the hamstrings won't solve the problem. This is where contract relax techniques become valuable. By contracting the muscle first, then relaxing into a new range, you're working with both the muscle's stretch tolerance and the joint's mechanoreceptors. The initial contraction helps reset the joint's position sense while the relaxation phase allows access to ranges that joint restriction had previously blocked.

Activate

The activation phase completes the picture. You've reduced tissue sensitivity and gained new joint ranges, but these improvements are useless if you can't control them under load. The stabiliser muscles that were previously inhibited or underactive due to restrictions now need to increase their activity to support the core lifts in these new ranges. This is why the activation phase focuses on low load isometric holds and controlled movements. You're teaching your nervous system to recruit the right muscles at the right intensity to maintain optimal positioning when you add serious weight to the bar. Without this step, the new ranges you've gained will disappear the moment you load the movement.

This is exactly why DMA follows a specific sequence. You address tissue sensitivity first, then work on joint mobility, then build motor control in the new ranges. It's a progression that aligns with how your nervous system actually works.

Most preparation protocols try to activate and integrate movement patterns while ignoring underlying restrictions. It's like trying to teach someone to squat deeper while their posterior hip capsule is sending feedback at their brain to protect the joint. The nervous system will win every time.

DMA works because it respects this hierarchy. Desensitise the threat response, restore available range, then teach your body to control and utilise that range under progressively increasing loads.

The DMA Framework Breakdown

Phase 1: Desensitise (4-6 minutes)

The Problem: Your nervous system is protecting you from perceived threats through increased muscular tone and altered movement patterns.

The Solution: Targeted soft tissue work that reduces tissue sensitivity and threat perception.

This isn't mindless foam rolling. We're talking about:

• Targeted trigger point release: 60-180 seconds per identified restriction

• Regional sweeps along specific muscle lines and fascial planes

• Controlled breathing work to downregulate sympathetic nervous system activity

The key here is specificity and duration. You need sufficient mechanical pressure and time to create a neurophysiological change. Rolling back and forth for 30 seconds does nothing except waste time.

Key Insight: You're not "breaking up scar tissue", you're changing your nervous system's threat assessment of that region.

Phase 2: Mobilise (5-6 minutes)

The Problem: Joints are stuck in protective positions, limiting your ability to achieve optimal lifting mechanics.

The Solution: Banded decompression combined with contract-relax methods to restore joint centration and range.

This phase targets:

• Joint-line specific band placement to decompress and improve mechanics

• Contract-relax techniques in the newly available ranges

• Dynamic mobility work targeting identified restriction patterns

The bands aren't just providing assistance - they're changing the joint mechanics and allowing you to access ranges that protective guarding has limited. The contract-relax component then teaches your nervous system that these new ranges are safe.

Key Insight: Mobility without motor control is just temporary flexibility that disappears under load.

Phase 3: Activate (4-6 minutes)

The Problem: New ranges of motion disappear the moment you put a loaded barbell on your back.

The Solution: Build strength and neuromuscular control in the newly available positions.

This final phase includes:

• Low load isometrics in both shortened and lengthened muscle positions

• Targeted stabiliser activation for the areas that will be challenged during lifting

• Movement pattern integration with tempo control to reinforce new motor patterns

The goal is to take the range you've gained and teach your nervous system to control and utilise it under progressively increasing demands.

Key Insight: If you can't actively control a range of motion, you cannot produce the force required for top end lifting.

Real World Application

The Screening Logic

Before every training session, run through this quick assessment:

1. Asymmetry? Any side to side differences in how you feel or move? Target that region with the full D-M-A sequence.

2. Dysfunction? Any movement that feels restricted or compensated? Target that movement pattern specifically.

3. Pain? Any areas of discomfort or sensitivity? Add extra desensitisation work to those regions.

Sample Protocol: Bench Press Focus

Let's say you've identified restricted shoulder external rotation and posterior shoulder sensitivity (common in heavy benchers):

Desensitise (Minutes 1-3):

• Posterior rotator cuff trigger point work with lacrosse ball: 90 seconds

• Pec minor release against wall corner: 60 seconds

Mobilise (Minutes 4-7):

• Sleeper stretch with contract-relax: 8 repetitions per side

• Banded shoulder joint distraction in external rotation: 8 reps per side

Activate (Minutes 8-10):

• Isometric external rotation holds at multiple angles: 3 sets of 15 seconds

• Controlled external rotation with light band: 3 sets of 5 slow reps

Total time: 10 minutes Result: Improved shoulder positioning, reduced threat perception, better bar path mechanics, and less post session discomfort.

The 15-Minute Protocol Structure

1. Minutes 1-6: Desensitise 1-2 primary target areas based on your screening

2. Minutes 7-11: Mobilise restricted joints and movement patterns

3. Minutes 12-15: Activate and integrate new ranges with control-based exercises

4. Log and adjust based on response for your next session

This isn't set in stone. Some days you might need 8 minutes of desensitisation work. Other days you might cruise through in 12 minutes total. The key is addressing your specific barriers in the correct sequence.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

1. Going through the motions: DMA requires intent and focus. Distracted soft tissue work is ineffective soft tissue work.

2. Skipping phases: You can't mobilise effectively on sensitised tissues. Follow the sequence.

3. Too much too fast: Start with one area and dial it in before adding complexity.

4. Ignoring the response: If something makes you feel worse, don't keep doing it. This is supposed to improve your training, not create new problems.

The Bottom Line

You don't need another generic warmup routine pulled from a team sport research study. You need a systematic approach that addresses your specific barriers to optimal movement and pain free training.

The difference between lifters who train consistently for years and those who are constantly dealing with setbacks isn't genetics or pain tolerance. It's having a system that addresses dysfunction before it becomes injury, and restrictions before they become compensations.

Stop warming up like everyone else. Start preparing like someone who understands that elite performance requires elite preparation.

Your body is giving you feedback every single training session. The DMA Method is how you listen to that feedback and respond intelligently.

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