Prepare to Move

Do you ever jump right into your workout without preparing your body with a warmup first? While this may be the convenient choice in the moment, there is a good chance your body mechanics and workout efficiency are suffering.

Preparing your body to move with a warmup specific to the workout you’re about to perform primes your muscles, ligaments and tendons to prevent injury and enhances your performance. Below are a few key steps to ensure your warmups are effective.

Step 1: Get Warm!

Choose one or complete both of the following.

Perform light cardiovascular activity for at least three to five minutes. This is a great time to allow your body temperature to rise slowly, your heart to begin to work harder and your blood and oxygen to distribute to your working muscles. It also kick-starts your energy.

Foam roll: Make sure to hit all angles of your calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, lats and mid- to upper- back. Aim for about 20 to 30 seconds on each area. Foam rolling is a great way to increase your blood flow, reduce tension in your tissues, break up adhesions, increase your range of motion at a joint and enhance your movement performance.

Step 2: Get Limber!

Perform dynamic stretches that target the muscle groups you’ll be hitting in your workout. Make sure your movements are in all three planes of motion (front to back, side to side and rotational).

Try this dynamic warmup video to learn some great dynamic stretches utilizing all three planes of motion.

Step 3: Stabilize and Prime!

Use bodyweight movements or light resistance to get your muscles ready to fire properly with stabilization or engagement exercises. Make sure to utilize muscles or movement patterns you’ll be targeting in your workout.

Below are some great exercises to choose from when designing this portion of your warmup. Remember, it’s all about control. Emphasize the engagement of your muscles, and take your time.

• • • Air squats
    • Bodyweight good mornings
    • Alternating side lunges (bodyweight)
    • Glute-bridge taps or single-leg glute-bridge taps
    • Reverse lunge and twist (bodyweight)
    • Balance reach
    • Inchworms (with or without push-up)
    • Push-ups with rotation
    • Bear crawl
    • Prone angel wings
    • Bird dog
    • Low plank with mini leg lifts
    • Side plank
    • High plank to down dog shin taps

Get warm, get limber, stabilize and prime! These steps are great for your warmup, and they can be used as a workout when you’re short on time or need an active recovery/prehab day. Try them out to see how much more efficient your workout can be.

About the author

Megan Petriello

Ms. Megan Petriello is an Assistant Vice President, Assistant Team Leader and a Fitness and Wellness Specialist on the Slainte Fitness team at USLI. Ms. Petriello enjoys staying active by teaching HIIT classes, running and strength training. Ms. Petriello gets the most enjoyment from living an active lifestyle, and she is an avid believer in the power of positive thinking!