We live in an era where everything must happen at the click of a button, and when something does not start working instantaneously then it can get us in a tizzy. And when it's  about workout then most of the people feel that what is the need of doing a warm up and wasting time when you can use that time to push that barbell or burn that extra calorie on a treadmill or a spin bike. Has this thought crossed your mind too ?   In this piece of article I am gonna tell you some interesting list of warm up exercises that you would enjoy doing without taking too much of your time, but before we do that I would want you guys to know what are the benefits of doing a warmup.


Warm up and its benefits !!!


The goal of warming up is to prepare your body for a task which is either more intense, more skilled or requires long duration as compared to your everyday task. Warm up has its various benefits like : 


  • It helps in increasing your body and muscle temperature allowing the muscles to contract and relax more easily due to which the efficiency of muscle contraction improves
  • Improves the blood circulation in the body and hence the transport of oxygen and other important nutrients reach the tissues faster.
  • Warm up also improves the mobility of joints and flexibility of muscles.
  • Helps in mental preparation for the intense work that will follow.
  • And with all the above happening you would overall reduce the risk of injuries that otherwise might happen if you push yourself with a cold body and at the same time improve your performance.


Warm up routine



I usually recommend that you should be spending anything around 15-20 mins for your pre workout warm up and keep it specific to the body part that you are working or specific to your sport that you intend to play. Warmup exercises before gym should include mobility and dynamic stretching exercises, along with activation exercises which are specific to the part that you will be working on, combined with low intensity jog or bike to get the body overall warmed up. Though there can be times when you need to quickly squeeze in a workout and 15-20 mins might be a lot of time to spend for warm up exercises, that’s when you need to plan a smart warmup routine so that you maximise in whatever time is available to you. Below you will find the list of warm up exercise which will get your body ready within 5 mins to kick start your workout.


‍

  1. Cross overs 
To perform this exercise
  • lie down on a mat facing up (supine lying position) and hands placed by the side of your body in line with your shoulders.
  • Lift your right leg up with the knees kept slightly bent and cross it over to the left side in an attempt to bring it close to the left hand and touching the ground.
  • After the toe touches the floor, bring it back to the perpendicular position and then gently place it on the ground.
  • Repeat the same with the left side and keep alternating between the right and the left.
  • While you perform the rotation make sure that both the shoulders are grounded and rotation happens from the spine.
  • Repeat 5-8 times on each side   

‍

  1. Scorpion kicks
To perform this exercise
  • Lie down on the mat facing down (prone lying position) and hands placed by the side in line with your shoulders and palms facing down
  • Lift your right leg up from your hip while keeping the knee bent and cross it overto the left side in an attempt to bring it as close to the left hand as possible and touch the ground.
  • While you perform the rotation make sure that both the shoulders are grounded and rotation happens from the spine.
  • Once you have touched the ground, lift it and bring it back to the start position, repeat the same with your left side and keep alternating between the right and left.
  • Repeat 5-8 times on each side    

‍

  1. Hip rotations

‍

This is a great warm up exercise to improve the mobility of the hip joint along with activating the overall musculature around your hip joint. To perform this exercise :
  • Start in a 4 point position where your hands are under the shoulders and your knees are under your hips.
  • Lift the right knee slightly off the ground and bring it slightly closer to the chest, make sure while you do this the spine is held in a flat position.
  • From there start taking the knee outward to a maximum point without excessive tilting or rotation of the pelvis.
  • Once you have reached the maximum outward position, now drive the knee backwards so that the knee and hip is in one line and the thigh is parallel to the floor
  • Bring the knee again back to the four point position and start the routine again.
  • The entire movement should look like you are trying to make a circle with your knee.
  • Finish 5 -8 reps on one side and then repeat the same on the left side



  1. Gluteus Bridging
Gluteus Bridging is a great way to activate and warm up your gluteus Maximus muscle which along with the other gluteus muscle provides a stabilising effect for the hip, spine and the knee joint.To perform this exercise
  • lie down on your back with your knees bent and foot flat on the ground, make sure the knees and the foot are in line with your hips and your toes are pointed straight.
  • Lift your hips off the ground by squeezing your gluteus and making sure the spine is in a neutral position then slowly lower it down in the starting position.
  • Repeat 10-15 times  

 


  1. Shoulder rotations ‍
To perform this exercise
  • Start in a standing position and keep your hands on top of your shoulder by bending the elbows.
  • Perform circles with your elbow is a slow and steady manner and gradually increase the diameter of the circle.
  • First go clockwise for 10 repetitions and after which follow the same in an anticlockwise direction for another 10 reps.  



  1. Leg swings   
This exercise will help you to dynamically stretch your hamstrings and hip flexors.To perform this exercise
  • Stand next to a wall or any other sturdy support and keep your left hand on the wall with your body facing sideways
  • Lift the left leg off the ground so that the entire weight is on the right leg
  • Start swinging the left leg front and back just like a pendulum, start with a low amplitude and gradually increase the range as you feel comfortable repeat 10-15 reps on each side
  • Once you are done with the left side, now turn around to the opposite side so that you are placing the right hand on the wall and repeat the same with your right leg.  



  1. High knees
This is definitely among the top in the list of warm up exercises, this exercise will help you to raise the body temperature and get the entire body warmed up.To perform this exercise
  • Start in a standing position with your hands in front and palms facing down
  • Bring the right knee up by keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees and touch the right palm after which put the right leg on the ground and repeat the same with your left side.
  • You can start slow like how you would perform a spot marching and once you are comfortable with the rhythm then gradually increase the speed and continue for 20 -30 secs 

 


  1. Butt kicks
This is another great warm up exercise which helps you to specifically activate the hamstring muscles, dynamically stretch the quadriceps muscles and gets your overall body  warmed up by raising the heart rate. To perform this exercise
  • Start in a standing position with the back of your hand placed on your buttocks.
  • Slowly bring your left heel closer to your left buttocks and then place it down.
  • Repeat the same with the left side and keep alternating it.
  • As you get confident with the movement then gradually increase the pace so that your heel now hits your palm and continue for 20-30 secs

‍

These 8 exercises should ideally be done in a sequence and if possible you can even do two rounds of it and this routine will make sure that you are completely prepared for the workout. But like I mentioned before, warm up exercises are as important as your main workout, so take it seriously and enjoy working out and minimise the risk of getting injured.


CHECK OUR RANGE OF 50+ SPORTS AND 5000+ PRODUCTS
Related tags
Related tags :
Fitness
Fitness Cardio
Whey protein