Simple Warm-up Template

C’mon, it’s 2015 already. This is totally outdated and just about USELESS…

Walking on a treadmill for 5 minutes <== Yawn.

That’s not warming up. That’s…well… walking on a treadmill for 5 minutes (and that’s 5 minutes you won’t get back). 

Look, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings… 

But… you’re not in your 20’s anymore. <= Ouch!

You can’t expect to walk into a gym, rock some Deadlifts and then walk away and expecting nothing to hurt.

It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing that awesome new “Stay-Dri”shirt you bought at Kohl’s. 

This is WAY more important now than it ever was. Trust me, I know. I’m dealing with a sciatic nerve issue for the first time in my life at the age of 40. I’m pretty sure I know what caused it, too…

Who plays about 2 hours of basketball without really warming up?

Mikey <== This guy. And he’s an idiot.

Now you may not play basketball, but I hope you do some kind of exercise. You DO don’t you?

Hey, I HATE warming up. It’s boring. I want to get to the “meat” of the program. You want to, too. I get that.

But I DO NOT want you to deal with what I’m dealing with… like ever. It’s horrible. And I had to deal with it while I was traveling.

Just around 3 minutes of a warm-up is not the best thing in the world, but it’s SO MUCH BETTER than NOTHING.

It can mean the difference between having a horrible time recovering between exercise and feeling the best you ever have in your life. 

#TRUTH

So, here’s a simple “Warm-up Template” I’ve used with my clients that hate warming up over the years. Hey, I even use this template when I’m in a rush.

Exercise 1 – Non-impact conditioning exercise
Exercise 2 – A simple lower body bodyweight exercise
Exercise 3 – A simple upper body PUSH exercise
Exercise 4 – A simple hamstring “wake-up” exercise

For exercise 1, you want to keep it simple and around 10-15 reps so it’s enough to get you going, but not overly exert yourself. Here are a few ideas…

Jumping Jacks…
Total Body Extensions…
Arm Crosses

Exercise 2 – nothing overly complicated or intense (in other words, Lunge Jumps wouldn’t be a good fit here). Keep the reps 8 -12.

Bodyweight Squats…
Alternating Lunges or Reverse Lunges…
Prisoner Lunges or Prisoner Reverse Lunges…
Bodyweight Sumo Squats…

Exercise 3 – do an easier upper body push (or even a core exercise that also works the shoulders works great here). Keep the reps 8-10.

Pushup…
Close-Grip Pushup…
Mountain Climbers (slow pace!)…
X-Body Mountain Climbers (slow pace!)…
Plank…
Pushup Plank…

Exercise 4 – The hamstrings are usually ignored, so that’s why I like to add something here. If you’re doing a full body workout, the squats, lunges, etc. can be enough, but a little more love for your hamstrings is a good thing.

Waiter’s Bow (This is when you have a slight bend in the knee, and then bend over with a straight back until you feel a slight stretch in the hamstrings… about 12-15 reps should do it)

Leg Swings work great here, too… although they don’t “target” your hamstrings, it’s a great way to wake up your glutes. I like to do 15-20 per side.

1-Leg Romanian Deadlift (bodyweight)… I like doing 8 per side to wake up my hamstrings.

Keep all this simple – 2 rounds. Rest 30 secs to 1 minute between rounds.

Here’s a sample:

Jumping Jacks (10)
Alternating Prisoner Lunge (8/side)
Pushups (8)
Waiter’s Bow (12)?

So yeah… warm-up. Don’t skip it anymore. In fact, if you’re short on time, I recommend your cut your workout short and do your full warm-up instead of skipping your warm-up and doing all of your workout.

It’s that important.

I’m done preachin’ 🙂

Have a great day and remember this quote as you start your week. This is it. This is the week you “make some noise” and start taking action. No more procrastinating…

“It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.” – Kristin Armstrong

Boom goes the truth dynamite,
Mikey Whitfield, Master CTT