There are two types of gym-goers. The first walks in, ties their shoes, does a couple of trunk rotations, maybe a quick chest stretch, and they’re good to go. The second spends an hour foam rolling and finding the latest glute activation technique. Truth is, both could be better. A proper warm-up should do a few things for you. In a nutshell, it needs to prepare the body for the upcoming session and address weak areas but it doesn’t need to take 30 minutes or more.

This article is designed to guide you on how to structure a 4 part warm-up to improve your readiness and performance for the upcoming workout in 15 minutes or less. 

1.Soft Tissue Work: 

This doesn’t need to take long but is necessary as it will allow you to get more out of the rest of the warm-up. At a minimum, you should be looking to get the major areas including calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, upper back, and lats. Make sure to pause for a few moments on trouble spots and take a little extra time there. Take 5-7 minutes and work on these areas and then move to the next section. If you are spending more time on the roller than you are working out you are doing something wrong. 

2. Mobility/Activation: 

This section of the warm-up is where we start to get moving. It is designed to attack some mobility weaknesses and increase activation. Choose exercises that are specific to your weaknesses and what restrictions you may have. One of our favorites at Hansen Athletics is the deadbug. There are many different variations you can use depending on your skill level. The dead bug is great because it attacks your mobility, flexibility, and is great for trunk stability. Other exercises that we would include in this part of the warm-up could be clamshells, band walks, active foot/ankle drills, and plank variations. 

3. Moving Through Space:  

This is a great way to practice movements and introduce new movements before loading them with weight in the strength segment of the workout. Essentially we want to work on our weak points from a movement standpoint. Doing this in the warm-up will allow us to solidify the movements and ranges that we use in our strength training. It is common for people to get sloppy in this section. Make sure to take your time, own the movement, and develop some confidence in these ranges so that it carries over to strength training.  

Examples of what we would include in this section are movements like walking lunges, spidermen, split squats, lateral lunges, etc. We can also use this time to prepare for the main strength movement of the day. If we are squatting for the day you can include goblet squatting with an active foot. Banded good mornings are a great prep here before deadlifting or Olympic lifting.

4. Dynamic Movement 

Lastly, prior to moving to the strength portion of the workout, we want to move dynamically and get our central nervous system (CNS) ignited. Box jumps, kettlebell swings, or broad jumps are good ways to light up the CNS prior to our lower body strength training. Dynamic push-ups and medicine ball throws are great choices prior to upper bodywork. Any plyometric here should do the trick so choose something you want to work on or has a carryover to that day's strength training. 

Overall, if you are skipping out on the warm-up you are absolutely leaving performance on the table. On the other hand, if you are spending 2 hours in the gym and an hour warming up you are going to get burnt out and eventually start skipping it too. As I said before, the warm-up needs to prepare you for the task at hand, and that task includes crushing your training session. 

In order to make that happen, you should leave the warm-up area sweating, fired up, and ready to train. This guide will allow you to accomplish that in around 15 minutes if you are focused and pushing yourself. Focus on what needs to get done, and get it done. By preparing the body properly you will notice and immediate difference in training quality and be ready to attack the upcoming session.