First let us define the purpose of a warm up:

A warm up is a taking one’s body from a relaxed or sedative state to a prepared state to accomplish the required physical activity of choosing.

When writing a warmup, we try thinking of the focus of the day and then working back. Most of the time we have some form of lifting as the main focus, so heres a run through of the basic principles with a Back Squat as the main focus of the day.

First part is literally warming up, so generally we start off with some sort of aerobic exercise or light moving with the sole aim to generate heat. I.e- 5-10mins Bikeerg

Next we move onto non-specific movements that would be beneficial to the main movement in question. I.e- 3 Sets of 5 Hip C.A.Rs each side, 8 Single Leg Rdl each side, 12 Cossacks total.

Then we move onto more specific movements to the main focus of the day. This could be: 3 sets of progressively heavier 6-8 Goblet Squats, superset with Seated Hamstring Curl for 12 reps. Using similar mechanics of the main focus to gauge our bodies readiness for the day.

Finally we have our expression of physicality that is our focus of the day, Back Squats. We should be pretty ready by this point and only take a few sets to get up to our target weight before hitting our rep range. i.e- 5 sets of 5 reps at 75% 1rm.

After we have completed our main focus were onto our Secondary Movement/ Accessories. This could be some Weighted Walking Lunges, Barbell Rdls or a Conditioning Piece.

I like the analogy of warming up thinking in line of a Formula One car getting ready for a race. So the race is the main focus of the day, what steps need to happen for that car to be ready to race round the track.

First off they will turn the engine on and let the engine sit idle so that all the oils and fuel can start running through the system, with tyre warmers on the tyres. This is like us doing a little bit of cardio or light movements to get our core temperature up.

Next the driver will enter the car and do their checks, this is like us doing non-specific movements. Getting a little feedback into how the car is setup.

Next they start driving down the track.  They will zigzag down the track, go faster and apply brakes. This is us doing the specific movements, getting a true picture of our readiness for the day and full ensuring all joints are warmed up.

Once all checks are done and the car is adequately warmed up they take their place on the grid they are ready to race. The green light goes and the driver sets off. They then settle into a pace and rhythm for the race. This is a bit like us doing those last couple warm up sets. We are on the main focus of the day, we’re just refining our efforts at this point.

Could the Formula One driver just jump in the car turn the ignition and bomb down the race track? Absolutely! Is it sensible to do so for the wellness of the car? No.

Now you might say that a Formula One car is like an athlete, and that you’re not going to be pushing your body to the lengths in the same way. True but we all notice when a car doesnt sound healthy, simple care and attention will keep your car (body) running smoother for years to come.

Our bodies can take quite a lot of abuse and punishment, doesn’t mean that we should.

Sample Workout:

A1. Cardio 5 to 10 minutes

 

3 Sets

B1. Hip C.A.Rs x 5 each side

B2. Single Leg Rdls x 8 each side

B3. Cossacks x 12 total

 

3 Sets

C1. Seated Hamstring Curl x 12

C2. Goblet Squat x 6-8 (slow descent)

D1. Back Squat – buildup to weight then 5×5 at 75% 1rm

 

3 Sets

E1. Weighted Walking lunges x 16 total

 

2 Sets

F1. Barbell Rdls x 8-12

F2. Calf Raises x 10-12

F3. Tib Raises x 10-12