Quick Effective Full Body Warm-Up


Screen Shot 2014-03-20 at 8.08.04 AM     For many gym-goers the thought of warming up prior to a workout is akin to torture or even worse it’s not a thought at all. Understandably, everyone is pressed for time in the gym and the idea of sacrificing precious minutes under the bar for a warm-up routine may seem counterintuitive.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Performing a proper warm-up will facilitate an optimal environment for training by raising body temperature, improving joint mobility and heightening central nervous system activity. Overall, developing a consistent, progressive and well-rounded warm-up routine will improve the quality of your workout in the short term and bolster your body’s durability over the long haul.

Since one of the questions I am asked most frequently is “How do you warm-up?” I thought this would be  a great opportunity to share with you what my typical warm-up sequence may look like. Since my goals are pretty similar to that of the average trainee (Get stronger, get healthier and look good naked) I think that this routine would be a great option for anybody who needs a quick and effective warm-up.

My warm-up always follows a period of foam rolling and active mobility drills, specifically the Functional Range Conditioning drills developed by Dr. Andreo Spina. I plan to expand further on my mobility routine in future blog posts but for now we’ll just focus on the warm-up itself.

The warm-up circuit will prepare your body for training by improving core muscle sequencing, stabilizing  hip shoulder and thoracic range of motion and increasing body temperature. The routine can be performed entirely with bodyweight but external resistance can be added if you desire to increase the difficulty.

Perform the following sequence one time though as follows..

 Segmental Rolling x 2 each way upper and lower body
Inchworm Walkout x 10 yards
Bear Crawl x 10 yards forwards + 10 yards backwards
Lateral Crawl x 10 yards each direction
Thoracic Bridge x 5 each way
Push-Up x 15
Toe Touch Squat x 10
Walking Lunge x 10 each
Cossack Squat x 10 each
SLDL x 10 each
Turkish Get Up x 5 each
 

This article was written by Kevin Carr, C.S.C.S., LMT Co-Owner of Movement As Medicine and Strength and Conditioning Coach at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. In a short time Kevin has amassed wealth of experience in the field of sports performance and personal training. Working with everyone from US Olympians looking for a competitive edge to the Average Joe or looking to shed some pounds and get healthier he has helped countless clients move better and live healthier lives. Recently Kevin has found a specialization in restoring movement patterns in clients with pain and dysfunction and helping them reclaim their active lifestyles. He can be contacted at Kevin@movement-as-medicine.com