Recipe for a Great Warm-up
I’ve seen it a thousand times. A group of young gym bros walk up the stairs, arms swinging non committedly, eyes searching the room to see if their favorite pec deck is open. They might do a couple of wide, lazy arm circles as they get closer, and one of them tilts his head from side to side as if his neck needed to crack. It is obvious they think they have warmed up, and to their credit, something is better than nothing. Call me an old fart, but a lackluster warmup isn’t going to cut it as they get older.
It is fairly common for people to overlook the value of a proper warm-up. When done properly, a warm-up will prime the body to burn fat better, help prevent injury and maintain mobility and strength. Warm-ups increase circulation, raise body temperature and make the tissues more pliable and resilient — a good thing no matter if we are lifting weights, running or even doing yoga.
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These are 6 things that make a great warm-up.
Safety first
Appropriate to the workout
Progressive
Timely
Recovery break
Have fun
Let’s dive in!
Safety First
A general rule of thumb is that if it seems unsafe, it probably is. Avoid going too far into a range of motion during a warm-up or doing anything that seems like, as the kids say, “doing the most.”
Be sure you have at least 3 feet of space on all sides of you and that any equipment you use is working properly.
Appropriate to the Workout
Be aware of what the goal of your workout is. The warm-up needs to be appropriate to the goal of that workout. If it is an upper body strength workout, your warmup will need to include the joints that you’ll be using: Upper thoracic spine, shoulders, elbows and wrists. If it’s a lower-body weight workout, involve the hips, knees and ankles. If your workout is a run, an appropriate warm-up could be a light jog.
Progressive
Starting off at an easy pace or tempo is a great way to slowly wake the body tissues up and get things moving. Many injuries are due to lack of readiness. Even when we are excited about getting a workout, it’s always best to do something that eases us into the intensity and gets the body ready gradually rather than just jumping in.
If you are about to do a running workout, start out at a slower pace for a few minutes, gradually ramping up your exertion. If you’ll be doing a weights workout, start with unloaded movements that mimic and use the same joints as the weighted moves you’ll be doing. If you’re working on complicated yoga postures, try an easy flow and a few scaled-down versions of those same postures you’ll be working on.
Timely
A proper warm-up can be done in as little as 3 minutes, but it is best to take closer to 10-15 minutes whenever possible. Remember, a warm-up is a workout too! After that initial 10-15 minutes, the body is sufficiently warmed up, so make sure that you’re not using warming up as an excuse to avoid the meat and potatoes of your workout!
Recovery break
This is especially true with aerobic warm-ups (running, etc.), but the body actually burns fat better after a challenging warm-up when paired with a 5-minute recovery period before the workout. Believe me, I used to run a metabolic testing business so I have actually seen this in real life on thousands of tests.
A short recovery period allows the body to take a short break and “clean up” after the initial warm up so things can run more efficiently.
Have Fun
Your warm-up should be something you enjoy, so pick moves that feel good for your body. Listen to music or talk to a friend during your warm-up, even if it’s just over the phone.
Many trainers and coaches gamify their warm-ups with props like cones, towels, and balls. This works especially well when working out with a partner or group of people.
Follow these 5 rules and enjoy the benefits for years to come.
Here a few examples of warm-ups you can do before a workout:
Total body 5-minute low-impact calisthenics warm up:
Ankle mobilizer or heel raise/toe raise - 1 minute
Bodyweight hip extension - 1 minute
Trap walk - 1 minute
Quarter lunge - 1 minute
Air squat - 1 minute
Recovery walking and stretches - 5 minutes
Yoga warm-up
Cat/cow - 1 minute
Lumbar rock - 1 minute
Modified sun salutation A - 2-3 minutes
Running or other cardio warm-up
Get familiar with your heart rate zones here.
Zone 1 - 1-2 minutes
Zone 2 - 1-2 minutes
Zone 3 - 1-2 minutes
Recovery walking and stretches - 5 minutes