The Warm-Up You’ll Actually Do (And Why It Works)

You don’t need a 20-minute yoga retreat in the squat rack. You need 2–8 tight minutes that flip the switches: body temperature up, joints lubricated, nervous system awake, head in the game. Slightly dynamic, lightly aerobic with a brief anaerobic bite, and full-body—enough to prepare, never to fatigue. Think primed, not punished.

Why warm up at all?

• Temperature & tissue: Warmer muscle = faster contraction and safer range.

• Synovial “oil change”: Joints glide; creaks complain less.

• Neural wake-up: Better motor-unit recruitment and coordination.

• Mindset: You stop being a civilian and become a lifter. The brain follows the body.

Rule: If your warm-up makes you tired, it wasn’t a warm-up—it was a mistake.

What a Proper Warm-Up Is (and Isn’t)

Is:

• Slightly dynamic: rhythmic, controlled movement—no frantic chaos.

• Aerobic → brief anaerobic taste: light cardio then a short pop of speed/power.

• Full-body: prep hips, shoulders, spine, ankles, and the pattern you’ll train.

• Non-fatiguing: you should feel better after, not gassed.

Isn’t:

• Long static stretching that kills tension.

• Endless band circuits that turn into a workout.

• One muscle at a time while the rest of you sleeps.

Two Warm-Ups You’ll Actually Use

A) 2-Minute Parking-Lot Protocol (busy day, still counts)

1. 30s light cardio: bike/row/step or fast walk to the rack.

2. 20s world’s easiest air squats (slow tempo, chest tall).

3. 20s hinge bow (hands to bench, push hips back, breathe).

4. 20s arm circles + scap squeezes.

5. 20s pogo hops or mini skips (spring, not sprint).

6. 30s your first lift pattern, unloaded (e.g., empty bar squats or push-ups to incline).

You’re warmer, coordinated, and ready—not tired.

B) 5–8 Minute RAMP Flow (best practice)

Raise: 90–120s light cardio (bike/row/jump rope).
Activate:

• 10–12 glute bridges (squeeze, breathe)

• 10–12 band pull-aparts (slow)
  Mobilise:

• 5/side hip airplanes (control, balance)

• 8 thoracic rotations (on bench or side-lying)
  Potentiate (small pop):

• 2×15s fast but crisp movement matching your lift (e.g., fast body-weight squats, medicine-ball chest pass, light kettlebell swings).

Then build your work sets with smart bar progressions (empty bar → 50% → 70%…).

For Over-40 Lifters (and desk bodies)

• Keep it short and frequent; consistency beats heroics.

• Prioritise hips, T-spine, ankles, scapular control.

• Add end-range isometrics (light!) if a joint is stubborn.

• If a warm-up drill “wakes up” pain, regress the range, not the session.

Common Warm-Up Mistakes

• Static stretching heavy movers before you lift → save long holds for post-training.

• Fatiguing the pattern you’re about to train (50 banded sets before bench).

• Randomness: Pick a flow and repeat it. Familiarity = faster readiness.

TL;DR

• 2–8 minutes.

• Raise → Activate → Mobilise → Potentiate.

• Full-body, non-fatiguing.

• Finish feeling ready, not wrecked.

Want the exact warm-up for your body and lifts?

Book a 10-minute custom warm-up build inside your next session. We’ll write it, film it on your phone, and you’ll never guess again.

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