Do you workout in the morning? Being ready for a quality workout right after you roll out of bed isn’t easy! Your body needs to get ready with a quality warmup!
Or are you getting to the gym after work? It’s probably been a long day, you might feel stressed, or maybe you’ve been sitting or standing all day. A proper warm up like this will allow your body to “change gears” and prepare for the challenge of a workout.
Whatever time of day you workout, warmups help reduce chance of injury, allow us time to physically and mentally prepare, and give us a chance to move our body through range of motion. Here's a breakdown some of our go-to warm up exercises and why each one is helpful in CrossFit:
- Toe Drag Step-Ups: Stand on a box and as you “step down,” slowly drag that foot down the box as you step to the floor, applying as little pressure on the floor as possible, and then standing back up on the box with the same slow speed and control. This movement activates the glutes, hamstrings, and core, crucial for stability and balance. Toe drag step-ups help improve hip mobility and strengthen the lower body, preparing it for more demanding movements like squats or lunges. This exercise also promotes the hip, knee, and ankle stability and mobility making it beneficial for all ages and fitness levels.
- Twisting and Rotating Movements (Thread the Needle, Iron Cross, Scorpion): These exercises enhance rotational mobility in the spine, hips, and shoulders, which is essential not only in CrossFit workouts, but life in general! Twisting movements like these also increase blood flow, reduce stiffness, and activate stabilizing muscles, preparing the body for both linear and multidirectional motions. Consider using these in a daily mobility routine at home! Spend 2-5 minutes going through a few of these twisting exercises during each of your warm ups!
- Hanging from a Pull-Up Bar: This simple yet effective exercise decompresses the spine and activates grip and shoulder muscles, which are essential for upper body strength. Hanging also engages the lats, core, and shoulder stabilizers, warming up key muscles for pull-ups, presses, and barbell lifts. Shoulder mobility and strength are crucial to live an active lifestyle outside of the gym! Pro-level tip: get a doorway pull-up bar and put it in your bathroom or closet at home. Spend 1 minute hanging from the bar every morning as a great way to help you wake up!
- Hollow Body Hold: Lay on your back on the ground and raise your feet 6 inches off the ground, and if you can, raise your shoulder blades off the ground a couple inches too. This is the hollow body position. The hollow body hold is an excellent way to fire up the core, creating stability for dynamic and high-impact movements. This exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles and builds full-body tension, a critical skill in maintaining control during weightlifting and gymnastic movements. Core strength is all about creating pressure and tension around the entire core - not just the “sit up muscles” and the hollow body hold is an excellent static movement to build that core strength!
- Running: A short run increases heart rate, stimulates blood flow, and warms up the entire body, especially the legs and core. Running prepares the cardiovascular system for the intensity of CrossFit workouts and loosens up the lower body for power-driven exercises. Just 1-3 minutes at a slow to moderate pace will be sufficient!
If you want to feel prepared for your workout, exercises like these will get your whole body ready to go, loosen you up mentally and get you ready for the workout ahead! These 5 warm up movements can be done in 10-15 minutes, so it’s quick and effective! Get after it!
