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 [1]. 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 [2]. 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 [3] 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 [4] is a NASM-certified trainer and creator of the PWR programs on the Sweat [5] 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
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: Jumping Jack
- Start standing with your arms by your sides and your feet together.
- Jump both feet outward so they're wider than your hips. At the same time, raise your arms upward and outward from the sides of your body so your hands almost meet directly above your head.
- Quickly jump both of your feet inward, and simultaneously lower your arms to return to the starting position. That's one rep.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: Cat Cow
- Start on all fours on a yoga mat. Ensure that your knees are directly below your hips and your hands are directly below your shoulders. Set your spine in a neutral position, and draw your shoulder blades down and back. This is your starting position.
- On an inhale, lift your chin and allow your stomach to sink toward the floor. Create space between your shoulders and ears by drawing your shoulder blades down and back. This is called Cow.
- On an exhale, press your hands and knees into the mat, draw your chin to your chest, and draw your stomach in to curl your spine. This is called Cat.
- Return to a neutral spine. That's one rep.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: 4-Point Thoracic Rotation
- Start on all fours on a yoga mat. Ensure that your knees are directly below your hips and your hands are directly below your shoulders.
- While maintaining a neutral spine and stabilizing through your abdominals, place your right hand on the back of your head, drawing your shoulder blades down and back.
- Inhale, and slowly rotate your torso to the right, opening the right side of your chest and pointing your elbow toward the ceiling, or as far as you can go while maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your lower body as still as possible. Hold this position for one to two seconds, breathing deeply.
- Exhale, and rotate your torso to reach your right elbow toward your left hand (for a deeper stretch, you can also choose to lengthen your arm all the way through, as shown). Hold this position for one to two seconds, breathing deeply. That's one rep.
- Repeat for 30 seconds. Switch sides; repeat.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: High Plank to Downward Dog and Calf Pump
- Start in a plank position, hands under shoulders and feet about hip-width apart.
- While maintaining a neutral spine and stabilizing through your abdominals, elevate your hips to create an inverted "V" shape, coming into Downward Dog.
- With your knees slightly bent, press your heels into the mat and tilt your tailbone upward so you feel a stretch down the back of your legs. Open your chest, relax your neck, and think about creating space between your shoulders and ears by drawing your shoulder blades down and back. Hold this position for three to five seconds.
- Shift your hips down and shoulders forward over your wrists to return to a high plank. Hold here for three to five seconds, while engaging your core [7]. That's one rep.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: Inchworm
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.
- Bend at your hips with your knees softly bent, and place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet.
- Inhale, and without moving your feet, walk your hands forward until you're in a plank, body in one straight line from your head to your heels. The push-up is optional.
- Exhale, and without moving your feet, walk your hands back to return to the starting position, keeping your legs straight but not locked. When your hands reach your feet, stand up to return to the starting position. That's one rep.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: Alternating Lunge
- Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Inhale, and carefully take a big step forward with your left foot, coming into a lunge. Bend both knees to approximately 90 degrees, ensuring your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. Your front knee should be over your ankle and your back knee hovering just off the floor.
- Exhale to step the left foot back to meet the right foot, returning to starting position.
- Inhale, and repeat with the right foot, stepping forward into a lunge, and then back to standing.
- Continue alternating for 60 seconds.
Dynamic Warmup Exercise: Elbow Plank
- Start lying on a mat with your forearms (wrists to elbows) pressing firmly on the mat, elbows directly below your shoulders. Extend both legs behind you, and lift your hips off the mat, coming up into an elbow plank.
- Brace your abdominals, and be sure that your spine remains in a neutral position.
- Hold for 60 seconds.
Tamara Pridgett [8] was an associate editor with PS Fitness. She's a NASM-certified personal trainer and Precision Nutrition level 1 coach, and was a Division 1 All-American sprinter.
Chandler Plante [9] (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.