The “Perfect” Warm-up That Never Was…
There is no perfect warm up and while many swear there are steadfast rules for warm-ups, the truth is that these rules can also be broken.
There was a time in my coaching career when clients would tell me how much they enjoyed my warm-ups because they felt that they were long and thorough enough to make them feel the most primed for what was ahead. Others would tell me that they were WAY too long or much ado about nothing. Interestingly, both types of clients were correct and I agreed. For a long time, I had both my own coaches telling me (myself included) and clients that static stretching was basically the devil and would sabotage their performance. The reality is that is not correct either, as for some it may do just that in certain circumstances, whereas for others it may actually help their performance.
The “perfect” warm-up was something I used to try and chase (and honestly still do in a theoretical-formula-sense) because it is one of many puzzles in the health and fitness realm still unknown. What is best for a warm-up after all?...IS it just the right amount of something in the warm-up? A special ingredient? …Single joint work to more complex movements to get things humming and grooving?... Special body positions or movement patterns that unlock natural evolutionary programmed powers? None and also some of all of the above, if that makes sense, is the answer.
Anyone who knows me also knows that I love to wrack my brain with programming and trying to achieve an orchestral balance to a workout for each individual client. I do this with warm-ups too. Does it actually matter? Also, yes and no.
After reading up to this point you may be wondering what can be done to make the best possible warm-up for yourself, hold on, because we have arrived. Even though there is no true best warm-up we know of, there are definitely things that help specific individuals perform their best based for their experience level and their unique objectives. With this in mind, we at Resilient Body have been able to find a few universal warm-up types and principles that can be applied to many individuals and situations. Here we have outlined some of the qualities of these warm-ups, what they might be good for, and a play by play of a few in practice. A warm spec sheet list if you will with some examples and rationale.
3 Warm-Up Examples:
Get In and Get Out:
Client: Has 45min-1hr (Most of our clients have about 1 hour to train) Warm-Up Style: Utmost streamlining and utility for what is ahead with the most bang for your buck moves. This warm-up will be incredibly short and time efficient to simply get blood pumping and specific movement qualities grooved, AND likely to only have 1-2 passes/sets. SOMETIMES this may even just include a scaled back rudimentary version of the movements or lifts we have as the main workout or even just be more methodical warm-up flavored sets of the working sets we will focus on ahead. This way we get in and get out.
Example: Overhead Push + Pull Prep (e.g. for Strict Pressing and Pull-Ups in workout):
Optional ~2-3min “breath check-in/prime and get warm” start on an erg (bike, row, rope skips, etc)
Into 1-2X:
:30-1min White Knuckle Pinky Wrap Bar Hang (with or without floor assistance) or Lateral Monkey Swings
Plank Get-Ups x 15-20 (Sub Short Plank Powell Raises/side)
5 Pull-Up Negatives (Sub Pullovers @5211 tempo)
5 Strict Press Negatives
Rationale: Check in with body and get things going. Find positions in a way that mimic the focus of the day. VERY short (5-8 min max) and cuts right to the chase with the very movements showing up in the workout
Optimize Movement & Sneak in Some Extra:
Client: When we have a little more time we like to add in a little extra in a warm-up in terms of small warm-up sections that target a combination of specific characteristics we want to enhance for a specific persons needs. We add dynamic stretches that help better access the positions we are looking to get into for the day, improving (at least for the moment and session ahead) proprioception with some joint specific grooving looking to increase the usable range available, and also get as much blood and nutrients to the tissues we are about to focus on with some very specific single joint focused work that goes from simple to more complex as we move.
Example: OPTIMIZED Overhead Push + Pull Prep (e.g. See changes from above):
~2-3min “breath check-in/prime and get warm” start on an erg (bike, row, rope skips, etc)
Into 1X:
Scorpion Twists or T-Spine Reach + Twists x 8-10/side
Wall Shoulder Rotations x 6/direction/arm
Into 1-2X:
Plank Get-Ups x 15-20 (Sub Short Plank Powell Raises/side)
:30-1min White Knuckle Pinky Wrap Bar Hang (with or without floor assistance) or Monkey Swings
5 Pull-Up Negatives (Sub Pullovers @5211 tempo)
5 Strict Press Negatives
Rationale: Check in with body and get things going as before. Add in some new dynamic stretches to find end ranges and layer active work to keep it usable after finding it and do double duty for some more proprioceptive exploration. After a little more grooved, find positions in a way that mimic the focus of the day. Still short (~10 min or so) and may help you feel a little more connected.
Explore More or Target Some Pain and Stiffness:
Client: Some folks may indeed want or need a little extra time and attention to certain joints or tissues that may feel a bit cranky. Others may want to spend some extra time exploring and grooving certain movement patterns or easing into a workout. We may use this for someone who is recovering from injury, hardcore desk jockeys or when it just feels better to get some more movement and explore the body at the front end before intensity (if that session calls for it)
Example: Longer Dynamic Warm-Up flow:
Optional ~2-3min “breath check-in/prime and get warm” start on an erg (bike, row, rope skips, etc)
Into 1-2X FLOW:
Start in a seated 90/90 position
90/90 Chest Drop : Bring your chest down to the leading knee keeping your hands onthe ground for support. Hinge from hip and drop the chest down towards knee before returning to upright position. Repeat 5-10x
Alternating Chest Drop: drop your chest down as far as you can to the left andthen to the right, alternating between the two areas making sure to return to an upright position between the right and left. Repeat 5-10x
Arm Sweep: drop the chest down as far as comfortable and slowly sweep your hands along the ground as far to the right and then as far to the left as you can. Repeat 5-10x
Thoracic Rotations: keep one hand planted as you rotate your torso and reach the opposite arm under your planted arm. Repeat this rotation making sure to unwind between reps. Repeat 5-10x
Chest Drop: Repeat from step 1 and note the difference in stretch. Repeat 5x
Change leading legs and repeat steps
Optional additional specific prep or FLOW session
Rationale: Check in with body and get things going as before. Add in some new gentle dynamic flowing movements that build on each other and connect fascial lines in a cohesive manner; and do double duty for some more proprioceptive exploration. We see this gentler form of warm-up helpful as a standalone or warm-ups of the major synovial joints that can feel a little cranky in many. This can be shortened as a 1X and lead into specific work or part of a full body mobility flow session. Somewhat short (~10-12 min or so if added to session) and may help you feel a little more connected.
So Which One is Best?- Caveats
While the debate for whether these or any warm-ups are the best will depend on who you ask, who it’s for, and what purpose it is going to serve. This is also by no means even close to a complete list of types/examples we personally use at Resilient Body. We acknowledge that and always adapt to the person in front of us.
A warm-up for an elite soccer player or Olympic weightlifter will not only differ greatly from each other, but also from that of a novice. They may need more time and specific attention. Additionally (and arguably) a more experienced athlete or trainee may have certain tools in their warm-up tool kit that they will want to include after having found what works best for THEM over time and experience. That may not be something that is negotiable even if 3 peer reviewed articles say otherwise.
It is also worth mentioning that some of these articles that have found things like “static stretching being the devil” have had their participants do things that most people would not. These things include: holding the stretch for more than several minutes or performing a max attempt right after the static stretch. These articles also don’t highlight the negligible detriments that may be able to be righted by subsequent dynamic warm-ups and prep before the attempted performance (or just more rest before an attempt to perform). In that same vein, there are likely things we have yet to uncover, or learn about, for best efficacy. While we are big fans of controlled articular motions as part of a warm-up for most folks, there aren’t any studies that we are aware of that we can point to right now that compares a warm-up that includes them versus not, on various types of subsequent performance measures (let alone just how someone feels in the long run).
We must and will continue to look at both the individual in front of us and what they need, along with what is discovered over time to continue to craft the best warm-ups we can for our clients.
In the end, it can be very uncomplicated and basic stuff that just helps you move better for the performance or movements at hand, and does not need to take an eternity. Next time you warm-up, play around a little and see what feels good for your body, as you may indeed be on to something that your favorite warm-up post or even coach may need to know about.