Dynamic Warm-up
Moving warm-up before training — primes joints, muscles and the nervous system.
Execution
- 5-10 minutes of easy movement (jog, jumping jacks, jump rope) to raise heart rate.
- Then targeted mobilisation of the joints you're about to load (hips, shoulders, ankles).
- Use large ranges of motion but no end-range holds — swings like leg pendulums.
- Finish with a few light working sets before the real session begins.
Tips
- Before strength or jumping always go dynamic, never static — static stretching dulls performance.
- Extend the warm-up in winter; shorten it in hot weather.
Why moving beats holding
A warm-up has three jobs: raise muscle temperature, take the joints through their range of motion, and prime the nervous system for the load to come. A moving warm-up covers all three. Static stretching before training covers none of them well and even briefly lowers speed- and maximal-strength output — it belongs at the end of a session, not the start.
How a warm-up is structured
Five to ten minutes is enough, in three steps:
- General. Two to three minutes of easy cardio — walking, jumping jacks, jump rope — until breathing noticeably deepens.
- Mobilize the joints. Arm and hip circles, cat-cow, leg swings, lunges with rotation. 8 to 10 reps each, without bouncing.
- Specific. The session's first exercise with light load: a few push-ups on an elevated surface before push-ups, a few unloaded squats before squats.
Common mistakes
- Skipping it entirely. The most common one. The first sets then become the warm-up themselves — with worse technique.
- Too long. Twenty minutes of mobilization tires you out instead of preparing you.
- Static stretching. Counterproductive before strength or jumping sessions.
Putting it in context
The specific part is the most important and the most often skipped. A warm-up that doesn't lead into the session's exercises is just movement.