A good warmup is criminally underrated. As tempting as it might be to jump right into your first exercise, doing so can actually prevent you from getting the most out of your workout. By warming up, you’re increasing blood flow and helping prepare your muscles and joints for the stress you’re about to put them through. Failing to do so can hinder your range of motion, and even increase your risk of injury. But even if you understand the importance of a good warmup, you still might not know where to start. That’s where these warmup exercises come into play.
Warmups may vary depending on your specific style of training. That said, if you’re running, strength training, or resistance training, dynamic warmup exercises are a must. To help you work out safely and effectively, we asked NASM-certified trainer Kelsey Wells to create a dynamic full-body routine with some of the best warmup exercises. This seven-step regimen is designed to fire up your entire body, so you can optimize your performance in the gym.
“Warming up your muscles prior to working out is a key part of training,” Wells says. “[It] can help to activate the muscles you are about to work and reduce your risk of injury.” Wells’s beginner-friendly warmup includes a range of cardio and dynamic stretching that can be done before most workouts. These warmup exercises will help mobilize your joints, increase your heart rate, and get more blood pumping to your muscles, she explains. Try them out before your next workout and see how much better you feel afterwards.
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Kelsey Wells is a NASM-certified trainer and creator of the PWR programs on the Sweat app.
Kelsey Wells’s Full-Body Warmup
All of these warmup exercises are beginner-friendly, but they’ll still get your heart rate up. To complete the full warmup, simply move through each of the following exercises for one minute each. Keep reading for further details on how to do each move.
- Jumping jack: 60 seconds
- Cat-cow: 60 seconds
- Four-point thoracic rotation: 60 seconds
- High plank to downward dog and calf pump: 60 seconds
- Inchworm: 60 seconds
- Alternating lunge: 60 seconds
- Plank: 60 seconds
– Additional reporting by Chandler Plante
