Designed in Juno Beach, Florida · Source-linked movement library in development
Cost Plus PTMovement, training & foodSign inKnee checklist
Menu

Free movement guide

Sport and activity preparation examples

This guide shows general warm-up, rehearsal, and workload-recording ideas without providing injury rehabilitation, sport-specific progression, or return clearance.

Start reading Browse all guides

Inside this guide

Learn first. Then explore the examples.

Start with the short learning sections. The text examples that follow are optional ways to observe movement—not instructions selected for you.

01

Preparation depends on the activity

Walking, running, throwing, lifting, swimming, and court sports place different demands on the body and environment. One generic sequence cannot establish readiness across them.

  • Surface, equipment, speed, direction, fatigue, rules, and prior experience all change an activity.
  • A demonstration can name components of preparation but cannot clear a return after injury or surgery.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
02

A workload record is not a prescription

A simple log can capture what someone chose to do, when, and in what setting. The app does not turn that history into a next-session dose or predict injury risk.

  • Time, distance, sets, throws, or sessions are descriptive units until a qualified decision assigns meaning.
  • Changes in a log can prompt reflection but do not establish readiness, recovery, or a safe progression.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
03

Preparation and clearance are different questions

Moving before an activity and being ready to return after an injury are separate matters. General activity guidance covers ordinary participation and does not address post-injury or post-surgical decisions.

  • A preparation routine can precede an activity without answering whether the activity should happen.
  • Return decisions after injury or surgery belong with the qualified people involved in that care.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
04

Competition changes the environment

Opponents, scoring, teammates, spectators, and fatigue introduce demands that practice may not contain. A description of a movement cannot account for those conditions.

  • Unpredictable movement, contact, and pace are part of many activities and are absent from a demonstration.
  • A log can note whether a session was practice or competition without rating the difference.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)

Movement examples

Explore at your own pace.

These examples do not set a number of repetitions, schedule, symptom target, difficulty level, progression, or pass/fail result.

01

General warm-up sequence

An example of moving several large body regions before an activity without claiming to prepare for a specific sport demand.

Example setupUse a clear space and keep the sequence unloaded, self-paced, and separate from injury or return decisions.
  1. Begin with easy whole-body movement such as walking or marching in place.
  2. Add a few self-chosen large movements for the arms, trunk, hips, knees, and ankles.
  3. Finish by rehearsing a simple, low-demand version of a familiar activity movement.
What can be observedNotice which body regions and environmental demands appear without interpreting the sequence as sport preparation or clearance.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
02

Unloaded movement rehearsal

An example of separating a movement shape from the speed, load, impact, opponent, or equipment used in a sport.

Example setupChoose a familiar activity motion and remove external load, speed, jumping, contact, or a moving implement.
  1. Name the activity movement and the demands that have been temporarily removed.
  2. Move through a small, slow version while maintaining clear space around the body.
  3. Stop the example and record only what version was observed, without assigning a next level.
What can be observedThe rehearsal shows a shape only and cannot establish tolerance for the full activity or competition environment.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
03

Activity workload log

An example of documenting completed activity in neutral units without using an algorithm to select future work.

Example setupChoose one or two units already natural to the activity, such as minutes, distance, sets, throws, or sessions.
  1. Record the activity, date, setting, and the descriptive units chosen before or after the session.
  2. Add relevant context such as surface, equipment, weather, or whether the session was practice or competition.
  3. Review the record as history without allowing the app to generate clearance or the next workload.
What can be observedThe log can reveal what was entered over time but does not calculate readiness, injury probability, or a safe increase.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
04

Direction and surface review

An example of naming the directions and surfaces an activity involves before doing anything else.

Example setupChoose a familiar activity and consider it on paper or on screen rather than performing it.
  1. List the directions the activity involves, such as forward, backward, sideways, or turning.
  2. Note the surfaces, footwear, and equipment usually involved.
  3. Keep the list descriptive rather than converting it into a preparation plan.
What can be observedThe review describes an activity's demands and does not establish readiness for any of them.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
05

Session context note

An example of recording the conditions around an activity session rather than its performance.

Example setupChoose a session already planned and keep its usual location, equipment, and company.
  1. Note the location, the indoor or outdoor conditions, and who else was involved.
  2. Note the equipment and the surface used.
  3. Record whether the session was practice, casual participation, or competition.
What can be observedThe note preserves context for later reading and does not produce a readiness or risk value.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in a new tab)
06

Post-activity observation note

An example of recording plain observations after an activity without converting them into a rule.

Example setupChoose a moment after a self-chosen activity and keep the note in ordinary language.
  1. Note what activity took place and in what setting.
  2. Note in plain words how the rest of the day was arranged around it.
  3. Keep the entry descriptive rather than deciding what a next session should contain.
What can be observedThe entry is personal history and does not calculate recovery, readiness, or a safe next step.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Sources and contextSee where this guide's information comes from.
View sources

The original participant group and delivery model stay visible so a source link cannot be mistaken for approval, endorsement, or proof of individual suitability.

02 · U.S. government work

Steps for getting started with physical activity (opens in a new tab)

Original context: The CDC page gives general ideas for planning, tracking, and adding physical activity in daily life.

Used here: General tracking concepts were paraphrased; no individual schedule, return progression, CDC image, or endorsement is presented.

Keep exploring

Find another movement guide.

Choose another topic, or read how the product handles safety and uncertainty before you continue.

Sport and activity preparation examples | Cost Plus PT