7 Minute Full Body Warm Up
“Just remember, somewhere, a little Chinese girl is warming up with your max.”
Key Takeaways
The benefits of a thorough warm up include:
Decreased risk of injury
Increased range of motion
Blood flow
Improved performance
Improved lifting longevity
If you’re in a rush, select high bang for your buck movements to optimize your time in the gym.
The warm up:
Neck rotation top half x 10 each way
Trap stretch x 15 sec each side
Band pull apart underhand x 20
Band overhead shrug x 20
Band shrug x 20
Push up plus retraction/pronation x 5
Cat cows x 5
Thoracic Rotation x 5 each side
Low lunge + rotation x 5 each side
Adductor rocks x 5 each side
Side plank hip abduction x 5 each side
Side lying hip adduction x5 each side
Straight leg raise x 5
Lateral leg raise x 5
Hip thrusts x 5
Single leg hip march x 5 each side
The purpose of a warm up is take your body through a logical progression so that you can efficiently move key muscles through a full range motion.
Warming up is important. Never let lack of time be your excuse for skipping it.
Full Story
In a perfect world, we would have ample time to warm up and it would rain chocolate. But it’s not. We don't have a minute to spare to loosen up our achy joints and rain is just boring water.
My perfect warm up would consist of:
30 to 45 minutes of rolling out all my knots...No, no. We’re talking perfect here - a 1 hour deep tissue massage by the number one massage therapist in the world
15-20 minutes of steady state cardio to get my core temperature up
Dynamic stretching head to toe
3-4 lights sets of every exercise to dial in my technique
In the perfect world, I wouldn’t even unrack my first dumbbell until I’ve had 2 hours of easing into it, loosening up, and getting in the zone. It would be glorious.
Nobody has a few hours to warm up. You’re lucky if you get a few minutes, right?
In reality, my pre-gym morning routine looks more like this:
Roll out of bed
Chug coffee
Fire up my Jeep and roll to the gym
Speed walk through the doors - the clock is ticking!
Throw my gym bag in a locker
Begin my warm up (IF my coffee chug doesn’t interrupt me with a biological pit stop)
Sound familiar?
You read Solokas Focus - you’re busy, important, and successful. In between work, class, and talking about how busy you are, you likely have 60 minutes max for the whole shabang- warm up, workout, and cool down. You need to get in, get warm, and get going with the heavy weights and high intensity - I get it!
Your warm up may be:
Boring
Too easy
Time consuming
Ineffective
“I don’t even need it, John! Throw some plates on the bar already.”
Because warming up is incredibly important, I’m going to help you address all of those complaints. No matter how little time you have or how loudly that squat rack is calling your name, do not skip your warm up. With this ten minute full body routine, you can throw any excuses you have right out of the window.
The Why Behind Warming Up
If you’re over the age of 30 and/or have been working out consistently for over ten years, you can skip this part. You know it, and your knees, back, or shoulders might even remind you every now and then of the importance of a proper warm up.
If you’re young and healthy, with well-lubricated joints and blissful ignorance of the limitations of the human body - listen up. The benefits of a thorough warm up include:
Decreased risk of injury
Increased range of motion
Blood flow
Improved performance
Improved lifting longevity
Trust me - if you enjoy training and would like to do it well, pain-free, and for the next 20, 30, or 70 years, warming up properly before every workout is in your best interest.
If you’re thinking, “John says to warm up, got it. Burpee city here I come!” Please stop thinking those thoughts. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if you never do another burpee in your entire life. The goal of a warm up is not to get you sweating with hundreds of squat thrusts and jumping jacks.
Instead, the purpose is to take your body through a logical progression so that you can efficiently move key muscles through a full range motion. Your warm up should not only loosen up tight joints and increase blood flow to the target muscles but prepare your body to handle heavy loads safely and efficiently.
This warm up template is quick, effective, and proper execution will result in decreased risk of injury and improved performance - in ten minutes or less, or your money back guaranteed!
The Warm Up - Your 10 Minute Or Less Guarantee
Neck rotation top half x 10 each way
Bring arms behind back and hold one hand with other
Lift chin to the sky and rotate to the other side
Only move through top range of motion
Return to start and repeat
Trap stretch x 15 sec each side
Set shoulders back and down
Gently pull top of head down toward right ear
To intensify stretch, think about dropping left shoulder down as you pull towards the right, and vice-versa
Repeat on other side
Band pull apart underhand x 20
Set shoulders back and down
Hold each end of band with underhand grip
Slight bend in arms
Pull the band to about nipple height on chest, hold for 1 sec
Return to start and repeat
Band overhead shrug x 20
Step on single band and lift over head
Keep arms straight- movement does NOT come from elbows
Shrug your shoulders toward your ears, hold for 1 sec
Return to start and repeat
Be sure not to arch low back too much
Band shrug x 20
Set shoulders back and down
Step on both bands and hold at sides
Shrug your shoulders toward your ears, hold for 1 sec
Return to start and repeat
Just like that
Push up plus retraction/pronation x 5
Start in push up position
Protract your shoulders by rounding your upper back and turning your elbows out
Retract your shoulders by bringing your shoulder blades together and turning your elbows in
Perform push up by lowering chest until your elbow makes 90 degree angle, and not letting your elbows flare out
Repeat
Cat cows x 5
Start on all fours with a neutral spine
Round your upper, mid, and lower back and point your head down
Hold for a second and then arch your low back, retract your shoulder and look up
Hold for a second and return to start
Be sure not to over arch/ over extend the neck on the “cat” portion
Thoracic Rotation x 5 each side
Start on all fours with a neutral spine
Put your hand on your ear
With hand on ear, turn in and bring elbow down to opposite knee
Then reverse course and bring elbow out and to the sky. That’s 1 rep.
Keep your eyes on your elbow, neutral spine, and shoulders back the entire time
Low lunge + rotation x 5 each side
Start in push up position
Bring right foot next to right hand and keep foot flat
Lift up right arm and open up toward right leg
Return and bring elbow in, trying to touch it to ground while keeping back flat
Repeat for 5 reps and perform on opposite side
It really is.
Adductor rocks x 5 each side
Start on all fours with a neutral spine
Straighten one leg out to the side
Walk your hands back until you feel stretch on inside of leg
Hold for 2 seconds and repeat
Side plank hip abduction x 5 each side
Perform a side plank by bringing the shoulder blades back, stacking the shoulder and elbow, and stacking the feet
Lift the hips off the ground
From there, hold the plank and lift your top leg up, squeezing the side of your glutes and pointing the toe inward
Return to start and repeat.
This one is challenging. If it’s too tough, perform a side plank for 15 seconds then move on to the abduction with your hips on the ground.
Side lying hip adduction x 5 each side
Lie on your side and bend and cross your top leg over bottom leg
Pull you leg in and hold your foot
Lift your bottom leg up nice and slow, and return to start
You’ll likely have a limited range of motion!
Straight leg raise x 5
Keep your leg straight, low back flat on the ground
Lift leg up and lower under control
Lateral leg raise x 5
Keep your leg straight, low back flat on the ground.
Lift leg up, lower it out to the side as far as it will go while keeping opposite hip on the ground
Don’t let opposite knee flail to the side
Hip thrusts x 5
Feet shoulder width apart, drive through the entire foot
Lift the hips, squeezing the glutes for 1 sec
Return to start
Single leg hip march x 5 each side
Perform a hip thrust
With hips up in the air, lift one leg off the ground and straighten it while squeezing glutes
Repeat with other leg
Bring hips back down and return to start
Done!
The Proof
I know, it’s a lot. You may even be thinking, “John, you'’re full if it! There is NO WAY I can do all that in 10 minutes or less.”
Well, don’t just take my word for it. I’ll put my money where my mouth is and show you! Please enjoy the high quality lighting, angles, and music. Filmed in my private studio/living room gym.
Here’s your proof!
Even with checking my phone and setting up the camera, it took me 7 minutes! 3 minutes to spare to add your other favorites or perform more reps of the ones that really hit the spot.
Wrap Up
Everyone needs to warm up. Whether you’re:
16 or 60
A newbie or experienced lifter
Healthy or banged up from sports or pushing it too hard in the gym
…an effective warm up will add years to your lifting career. By performing this routine you will enhance your performance and get in and out of the gym, pain free.
With this ten minute routine, time will never again be an excuse for skipping your warm up.
